BY MICHAEL HANSEN – The influential British maritime journal Lloyd’s List published three articles today regarding the long awaited US. Government Accountability Office (GAO)’s release of a report on their study of the impact of the Jones Act on Puerto Rico and how it may be influenced by TOTE Inc.’s recent announcement of a new building order for two 3,100 twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) containerships for the Puerto Rico trade.
TOTE Inc. announced on December 5th that they had placed the two-ship order with General Dynamics NASSCO Shipbuilding yard in San Diego, California, with an estimated cost of at least $175 million apiece. We have estimated the additional cost of U.S. ship construction will impose more than $600 million on Puerto Rico consumers over the life of the two ships.
The GAO Puerto Rico Jones Act study was requested by the Resident Commissioner (also known as Congressman or Representative) Pedro Pierluisi in late 2011. The latest advice from Puerto Rico indicates the GAO will release their Puerto Rico Jones Act study on Ash Wednesday, February 13, 2013.
The Lloyd’s List articles contend that TOTE ship order may have been timed to influence the GAO conclusions especially as it relates to the U.S.-build requirement of the Jones Act. Although the Lloyd’s List articles were limited to the Puerto Rico, Matson Inc. also added fuel to the fire by letting it be known on November 25, 2012, that they are budgeting $400 million to build two 3,000 TEU containerships sometime in the next two to five years for the Hawaii trade.
The Jones Act requires that a vessel must be U.S.-built, U.S.-flag, U.S.-owned and U.S.-crewed in order to carry cargo between two places encompassed by the coastwise laws of the U.S. The U.S. built requirement adds between 300 and 500 % to the cost of constructing a deep draft ship, while the U.S. flag, owned and crew requirements adds about 20% to the operating cost of the ships.
We will have to wait and see what the GAO releases in February to know whether or not the TOTE and Matson Jones Act ship construction announcements have influenced the outcome of their study on the impact of the Jones Act on Puerto Rico.
Michael N Hansen is the President of the Hawaii Shippers Council. Reach him at pacmar@hawaiiantel.net
The Hawaii Shippers Council (HSC) is a business league organization incorporated in 1997 to represent cargo interests – known as “shippers” – who tender goods for shipment with the ocean carriers operating the Hawaii trade.
Yeah? So what? You think the foreign flagged ships that would carry cargo to PR were built for free? These ships cost a bit more, but they are built by American, in an American shipyard, crewed by Americans, all of whom pay taxes to America. and they take their salary home, and spend it in America. The money stays here. Let Evergreen carry freight from Miami to PR and all the money goes to China. Which would I prefer as an American? Duh? The Jones Act protects American Jobs and keeps the money where it belongs, in America.
I couldn't agree more Phil..
Interesting comment Phil.. thanks for your input
These ships cost a bit more, but they are built by American, in an American shipyard, crewed by Americans, all of whom pay taxes to America. and they take their salary home, and spend it in America. The money stays here. Let Evergreen carry freight from Miami to PR and all the money goes to China.
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