A gCaptain Forum member launched a petition yesterday on “We The People” to gather support to protect the Merchant Marine Act of 1920, aka the Jones Act, which in a nutshell, requires that all goods shipped between ports of the United States be carried by vessels built in the United States and owned and operated by Americans.
Arizona Senator John McCain has other ideas.
Losing the protections the Jones Act would, according to a statement by Jacksonville, Florida-based Crowley Corporation, “undermine American safety and security interests, and eliminate thousands of American jobs.”
Not only are Crowley and other shipping firms in extreme risk of being undercut by foreign-flagged shipping should the Jones Act be repealed, but the future of every U.S. shipyard, naval architect, marine engineer and U.S. mariner be put in jeopardy.
If you’d like to weigh in on this petition and show your support, please follow this link:
If a petition gets 100,000 signatures, White House staff will review it, ensure it’s sent to the appropriate policy experts, and issue an official response.
Feel free to join the conversation on the gCaptain forum HERE.
