The Jones Act does not apply to government vessels. Nor would it apply to an icebreaker, even if it were commercially owned. My recollection is that the Jones Act only applies to vessels that carry CARGO between US ports.
As I recall, it’s Federal procurement laws intended to promote American industry, the American economy, and national security that do indeed require that ew USCG icebreakers be built in the US.
However, there is nothing to stop Congress from making an exception to normal federal procurement laws to allow new USCG icebreakers to be built in Finland. It could be a provision in the Congressional funding authorization.
The US government has bought foreign build vessels on many occasions in the past, including the dozen or so US Lines ships that Malcom McLean had built in Korea. As I recall, the government bought these commercially uneconomic steamships for the Rapid Deployment Force because they were big and very fast.
The government never bought the ships US Lines (McLean) had built in Korea. There are 2 that were converted (cranes added) currently under charter as ammunition ships. Maersk ran the others until they were no longer useful and scrapped.
The ships SeaLand sold to the government and converted to Fast Sealift Ships were the 8, SL-7 class ships. They were built in the Netherlands and Germany.
Can someone explain to me why it is no problem to have foreign built ships under US flag, many off them foreigned owned and operated by US subsidiaries of foreign shipping companies, but mandatory manned by Americans, serving mainly US military and USAID needs in overseas trade, while “EVERYBODY” insist that if the Jones Act was modified to become a more normal and modern cabotage law, all hell will break loose?
Why cannot US-flagged ships owned by American corporation, manned by American mariners, but built by a foreign shipyard, be allowed to trade between US ports?
It would save US consumers and taxpayers millions in costs and subsidies, while retaining, if not increasing, a fleet of US flag ships, manned by qualified US citizens to maintain the military readiness.
It would kill US shipbuilding you say?? Not necessarily. It would force US Shipbuilders to modernize, rationalize and streamline the production process.
Reducing the overpaid management would also help to where they can compete on even footing with other yards in the developed world for contracts.
Like European shipyards, they would have to concentrate on the type of ships that they are good at and maybe get the simple hull work done at overseas yards. To build simple vessels, like Tankers, Bulkers and Container vessels are better left to lower cost countries.
Look at how Russia is doing it; They build vessels were they get the best quality at the lowest price, sometimes owned and financed by foreign companies, but insist on Russian flag and Russian crews
At the same time they are developing their domestic shipyards by building modern vessels to foreign designs and with foreign machinery and equipment. But they are also building hulls and completed ships for export.
(Even the US Government have one where the hull was built at Vyborg Shipyard in Russia, but completed in a US yard)
PS> The HLV that is now transporting the USS Fitzgerald back to the US was originally built in Finland for a Russian company and is still manned by Russians. (Shipping is an international business)
Pursuant to @chiefseadog comment. The SL7’s were indeed big and fast. The ACV Econs that US lines built and Maersk later ran under USSM were never to be considered “fast” by any stretch of the imagination.
Because when you’ve seen your own government repeatedly step over the citizenries best interest for those of big business and money, you already know how it’s going to go if they tinker with the law.
The MSP program you describe for foreign trading US vessels is only a budgetary pen stroke away from not getting funded every year. The jones act is at least law and the only tractable piece of legislation keeping food on most people’s table working in the US maritime industry.
I can imagine how nice it must be to have a government that can be trusted to do the right thing for its people but all I have to go on is the track record of the one I feed every year with taxes to tell me the likely outcome. Have a gander at the decision our FCC made about net neutrality yesterday if you’re still confused.
Show me any owner who doesn’t care primarily about profit and I’ll show you a liar.
The Jones Act isn’t responsible for the age and shittiness of the US fleet. You know this, as it’s been explained to you multiple times, but you consistently parrot the same bullshit over and over again.
You know this how? Do you have any factual information about the management of US shipyards being “overpaid”?
Even if they are I doubt you could save enough money by trimming their salaries to compete with European yards that don’t build ships on site but just slap machinery into Chinese or Romanian hulls.
In Finland they build their own hulls. The Finns are known as very good welders.
Finland is also building Cruise ships for US companies and SPAR hulls for US GoM.
(In fact ALL SPAR structures out there are build in Finland and transported to USA by Dockwise)
While I’m glad that at least one of these countries actually builds ships I’m amazed they can do it cost competitively. I’d have to see breakdowns of their costs but I have a hard time believing they can weld hulls for a comparable, let alone lower, cost than in the US.
Yes, having followed the development in the US from a distance for many years, I can see that it is not a worker friendly or particularly caring Government, especially the present administration.
The recent development, incl. the FCC debacle, is one of the reasons why Europe is distancing itself from the US. That is also why EU is playing hardball with the US based Tech companies that try to monopolize certain segment of the business and not paying taxes at the source of income.
It will be difficult for EU (or Britain) to sign up to any free trade agreement with US, as long as the food safety and consumer protection regimes cannot be harmonized. Nobody in Europe wants “Frankenstein food”, hormone fed beef or Chlorine washed chicken, nor unbridled capitalism.
No, distrustful of American greed and lack of safety regulations.
Distrust of climate science is more widespread in USA than in any other place though.