The Offshore Marine Service Association (OMSA) has issued a statement in response to what it calls “erroneous claims and misguided research” by the American Petroleum Institute in relation to the Customs and Border Protection Agency’s (CBP) proposed modifications to rulings related to the use of Jones Act vessels in the offshore oil and natural gas market.
“This study is a desperate attempt by companies promoting foreign workers to distort facts to enable them to continue to skirt U.S. law,” said Aaron Smith, President and CEO, Offshore Marine Service Association. “The only relevant economic impact is the adverse impact that CBP’s erroneous rulings have had for decades on U.S. ship owners, mariners and shipyards. CBP’s course correction ensures that more ships will be built in U.S. shipyards employing U.S. citizens. This is why 33 members of Congress signed a letter to U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kelly urging him to support the CBP and affirm the Congressional intent of the Jones Act, which supports national and economic security and puts American mariners first.”
