| Print | Close Window | AMO Currents - Posted: June 25, 2015 |
Recognizing Jones Act's role in sustaining the jobs of U.S. merchant mariners on Day of the Seafarer
The IMO is calling on upon seafarers to speak up and speak out through social media and other avenues in recognition of the indispensable work of professional mariners around the world.
In the United States, the role of our cargo cabotage law, the Jones Act, in sustaining the jobs of U.S. merchant mariners and serving as the foundation of a domestic industry employing about 500,000 is well worth recognizing on this day.
Suggestions and guidance for contributing your personal message and images or professional story to this international day of recognition are available on the IMO website. American Maritime Officers members are encouraged to share what the Jones Act means to them and their families, and to the careers of American mariners. If you are posting on Twitter, please use both the #CareerAtSea hashtag and the additional hashtag #Cabotage.
Enacted in 1920, the Jones Act requires that cargo transported by water between or among points in the continental U.S., non-contiguous states and U.S. territories be carried by vessels owned and operated by U.S. companies, built by U.S. shipyards, registered in the U.S. and manned by U.S. mariners.
The seminal statute sustains a job base for U.S. merchant mariners with fleets of U.S. built and registered vessels encompassing investments of billions of dollars by American companies. The Jones Act is an essential source of commercial work for the U.S. shipbuilding industry, and the catalyst of reliable, dedicated and efficient cargo service in U.S. domestic commerce.
As noted by the U.S. Maritime Administration, American shipyards are building record numbers of modern, state-of-the-art vessels for the Jones Act trades in all sectors with more vessels on order. A recent MARAD study cited the economic importance of the American shipbuilding and repair industry, with employment of more than 400,000, annual labor income of about $24 billion, and annual gross domestic product of $36 billion.
The Jones Act is crucial to our nation's defense and security. In public statements this year, Commander of the U.S. Transportation Command Gen. Paul Selva has articulated the importance of the Jones Act and U.S. merchant mariners to the U.S. Armed Forces.
"The Jones Act trades, all of that trade that happens on our interior and coastal waterways, supports the industry that allows this nation to be successful," Gen. Selva said. "It's easy for me to say the economics favor the Jones Act, national security favors the Jones Act, and my operational requirements demand access to the labor pool that is supported by the jobs that are provided by the Jones Act.
"I can stand before any group as a military leader and say: Without the contribution that the Jones Act brings to the support of our industry there is a direct threat to national defense, and I will not be bashful about saying it and I will not be silent," Gen. Selva said.
A recent study published by the Government Accountability Office echoed what is often acknowledged by U.S. military, congressional, labor, industry and government leaders regarding the importance of the Jones Act to national defense and security, and to U.S. military strategy. According to the study: "Although the Department of Defense does not administer or enforce the Jones Act, the military strategy of the United States relies on the use of commercial U.S.-flag ships and crews and the availability of a shipyard industrial base to support national defense needs."
The dedicated labor and service of the men and women employed in the American maritime industry make possible these essential contributions to the nation's defense, security, commerce and industrial base. These jobs, seafaring and shoreside, would not exist without the Jones Act.
Our cornerstone cabotage law sustains the American maritime industry. It secures a job base for U.S. merchant mariners in domestic commerce, and ensures the availability of seagoing professionals for military sealift operations. It supports America's status as a maritime nation and guarantees a place for Americans in the global maritime community. On Day of the Seafarer, the success of the Jones Act and its importance to U.S. merchant mariners is well worth recognizing.
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