NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. – The U.S. commercial maritime industry needs more business incentives to make changes that support the Defense Department’s requirements for sea lift, an industry panel said this week.
“When industry needs to step up, industry can,” said Jeff Dixon, president of shipping support company Tote Services, said at the 2023 Sea Air Space symposium on this week.
“[But] you can’t surge up for a short time need” to modernize and expand the nation’s sealift capacity.
The same can be said about having credentialed mariners, other panelists said. Merchant mariners need steady employment and training.
Cargo preference for U.S. flagged requirements help, as does the Jones Act covering American-building, crewing and destinations inside the United States and territories.
But it does not go far enough to expand a modernized fleet and retain a skilled workforce, Sara Fuentes, vice president of government affairs at the Transportation Institute, said.
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U.S. Maritime Industry Needs Better Business Case to Offer More Support to DoD, Says Panel