Reported by Nick Blenkey for Marine Log
Yesterday, the executive committee of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD) released a policy statement calling on Congress to adopt tax incentives and commercial cargo requirements to strengthen the U.S. Merchant Marine.
“For decades,” says the statement, “the United States has sustained a decline in our U.S.-flag fleet, maritime industrial base, and available mariner workforce to crew American vessels. As global trade increasingly depends on foreign-flag vessels—many owned, built, and operated by strategic competitors—the United States has become too dependent on foreign shipping systems beyond its control. This erosion of U.S.-flag capacity has weakened supply chain resilience, reduced American participation in global commerce, and constrained the nation’s ability to reliably move military and critical cargo during times of crisis. Addressing these vulnerabilities requires a comprehensive national maritime policy to restore American competitiveness in international shipping and trade while reinforcing the strategic role of the U.S. Merchant Marine.
Read more here.