[QUOTE=Fraqrat;184277]Who gives a flying fuck!
Let’s say I built a Ulstien designed vessel to the exact same specs, same equipment, layout etc. in a US yard. Then I crewed the boat with Americans and showed up in Norwegian waters for work. Do you honestly believe that vessel would get chartered or make any money up there? Hell no it wouldn’t and the majority of those furin vessels should not get any work down here when there are capable Jones Act vessels already in market.
You can troll me all you want and I’ll say it again I don’t fucking care what the inside of those boats look like. THEY SHOULD NOT BE HERE IN THIS MARKET TAKING WORK AMERICAN VESSELS ARE CAPABLE OF DOING. You can eat a dick…eat a bag of dicks…EAT… ALL…OF…THE…DICKS…[/QUOTE]
If you had a US flag vessel with all US crew legally signed on and holding the mandatory STCW CoCs issued by US Authorities, meeting all statutory, regulatory and ISM requirement, why not??
As long as your vessel’s specs and equipment met the charterer’s requirement you would be free to bid on any job in Norwegian and EU waters. If you are the lowest bidder, or have capabilities superior to that of your competitors, there is no reason why your vessel couldn’t work here. Or do you KNOW (not guess) otherwise? If so, enlighten me and others.
I don’t know if there are any US FLAGGED Offshore vessels or rigs working in Europe at the moment, but there are a US owned ones flagged in Marshall Islands and Vanuatu and other US based registers. There are also some US citizens working on those vessels and rigs, with US Oilcos and Service companies, but only on their merits, not based on their nationality.
Tidewater even have Norwegian (NOR) flagged vessels, working in the north of Norway / Barents Sea: http://www.tromsoffshore.no/
Yes, they are operated from Tromso and manned by Norwegians. They also have vessels flying NIS or Isle of Man flag, working internationally. Those would still have some Norwegians on board, not only “underpaid slave labourers”, as you like to believe all non-US Mariners are.
There are no restrictions on nationality of crew (incl. Master) for NIS flagged vessel. If you can compete on merits and skills, and have the required CoC, you are welcome to try for a job on Norwegian NIS or foreign flagged vessels working anywhere in the world, incl. GOM.
If your aim is ONLY to be able to work in home waters and only on US flag vessel, you are heading in the right direction. This can ONLY be by protective rules. Alternatively, by building up a modern fleet yourself, which requires a change of mindset.
If you have any notion to operate worldwide at competitive terms, you are doing yourself no favour by the present mindset. You can keep up the mantra that the ONLY reason there are very few US flag vessels in foreign trade, or offshore boats and rigs working internationally, is the “unfair” competition from low cost country. If so, you are delusional.
US is not a “High cost country” today and the working conditions for US Seafarers are not superior compared to many others, like most countries in Europe, Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand etc. In fact it is the opposite.
That was in the past, when your competitors were bombed flat in WWII and the US reigned supreme on the world stage.
Sorry if I don’t follow you with nasty words about body parts and functions etc. I leave that to US politicians, who seams to prefer that (and toilet rules), to solving the problems for the US Maritime Industries and US Mariners.