I know right? It’s so weird the Navy would think it’s necessary to have shipyards.
All of your arguments are economic. Reason for US build requirement is not economic.
“Because I want to further enrich myself/my company” is not a valid reason to further gut American industrial capacity.
“Hey mariners, I’m on your side buddy. Help me weaken the Jones Act and I promise my greed will stop there” is not any more believable when you say it than when Cato says it.
I figure if you’re going to keep repeating your points over and over, so will I.
As far as our resident vocal proponent of capitalism over sovereignty, details aren’t his specialty so no need to let the 5 Matson ships trading overseas get in the way of saying there are none trading overseas.
That’s sort of how shipbuilding works everywhere. A ship built in a Korean yard could very well have some hull plate steel from China welded by welders from Indonesia, propellers from Germany, thrusters from Finland, automation system from Norway, etc. The builders plaque is still going to say Korea just like the ones floating out of NASSCO will say America.
Mariners are not a big enough voting group to have influence with their votes and the union PAC fund is not enough to buy the votes needed to influence laws. The only thing that changes laws in the US is money or votes. Mariners are short of both.
I am no longer a member of the MEBA, but those who are a member of a mariner union should ask ‘why they are supporting shipyard workers over their own members’. If enough people do, this might get the attention of union leaders.
The Matson ships loading in China have come from Guam via Hawaii, so this is a backhaul for them. Although Guam is technically exempt from the Jones Act, it is effectively shackled to JA ships when it comes to importing US products. Loading in China for the USWC only makes economic sense because the ships are already so close to China after calling at Guam.
The Matson ships were built primarily to trade USWC-Hawaii-Guam, not for China service. The China-USWC cargoes are backhauls, which only make economic sense because the ships are so close to China after calling at Guam.
You’re so jaded that you automatically think my comment is negative. In fact, I agree with you. Why is the USA so unique in the build requirement? Many other countries have cabotage laws, but no specific build requirement. Is it a case of 'murica, FUK YEAH???
This is a good point. Some (maybe many??) of the MARAD (ROS/etc) ships weren’t even built in the USA!
That’s kind of a unique situation…Matson found a niche spot to make some money. Those ships were not originally intended to haul China to USA…because if they were they’d obviously be foreign built. During the covid insanity of super high container freight prices, matson was making runs to china with “small” box boats just because spot prices were so higih.
Nearly all the US flag container/roro on the east coast are MSP funded foreign built ships.
But everything in the cabins says Korea on it! For fuck sake, gotta use a transformer for USA hair clippers. But yeah, “Made in America!”
For the vessels that also hit Hawaii in that service, they have to be US Built.
Matson started their China service prior to Covid. The ships in the service are not that “big” as there are vessel size limitations in both Hawaii and Guam.
Whatever ships Matson intended to use on their Guam run were going to have to pick up backhaul cargo. It was just a matter of what port in China they were going to set up shop.
Maybe we need to stop the practice of selling votes. Why should a corporation (that has no vote) be permitted to bribe a candidate? The only source of campaign funding (in cash or in kind) should be limited to that contributed by an individual human being who is a registered voter in that candidate’s district. Any other source should constitute a felony for donor and recipient.
There is a fine line between a campaign contribution and a bribe. But all members of Congress receive campaign contributions therefore they are not bribes.
Every member of congress who receives money from a human being registered to vote for him or her has been bribed. Play with words however you like but the fact remains that contributions from other than a registered voter in a candidate’s district is a bribe. This applies to PACs, parties (political or cocktail), corporations, all dark money, all gifts, flights, hotel rooms, meals, and hookers. This is why we are in the mess we have today.
