Why Is The Jones Act Important To The Maritime Industry
As part of the Merchant Marine Act of 1920, the Jones Act lays out specific rules and regulations for the American maritime industry. Section 27 deals with cabotage which are rules that requires vessels used to transport goods between States and territories that are part of the United States be carried on vessels that are United Sates flagged, built in the United States, and operated and owned by Americans. It also discusses rules for incineration of waste from the United States at sea. Furthermore, section 27a of the Jones Act also includes vessels used in transporting people. Any vessel (cruise ship mostly) that carries people from one State to another or a United Sates territory must also follow the rules outlined in section 27 (Text
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By ensuring America was training its own American crews, building American made ships, and ensuring all American fair trade and labor laws were followed, the maritime industry was very successful (Merchant Marine Act of 1920, n.d., para. 14). The amount of Liberty and Victory ships built to support the war was astonishing. The crews were all American and the nations interest was at the forefront. Over the years and through multiple other wars, the Jones Act has enable American owned, built, and operated vessels to move equipment to the war zone. The Jones Act has received support from many Presidents including; “Presidents Obama, Clinton, Bush, Reagan, Carter, Ford, and further all the way back to Woodrow Wilson who originally signed it into law in 1920” (Merchant Marine Act of 1920, n.d., para. 19). Because of the national security provisions of the Jones Act, multiple high ranking military officials have and continue to support the Jones Act (ibid). One of the most important parts of the Jones Act is keeping foreign flagged vessels out of our domestic waters. Just like in the aviation community, America need not let its guard down and allow foreign crewed vessels the opportunity to move within its borders. Many may believe it is far-fetched, but the chance for a foreign vessel sailing our internal waterways and creating a blockade or destroying bridges is of utmost important to national security (Giberga and Thompson, 2015, p.
By ensuring America was training its own American crews, building American made ships, and ensuring all American fair trade and labor laws were followed, the maritime industry was very successful (Merchant Marine Act of 1920, n.d., para. 14). The amount of Liberty and Victory ships built to support the war was astonishing. The crews were all American and the nations interest was at the forefront. Over the years and through multiple other wars, the Jones Act has enable American owned, built, and operated vessels to move equipment to the war zone. The Jones Act has received support from many Presidents including; “Presidents Obama, Clinton, Bush, Reagan, Carter, Ford, and further all the way back to Woodrow Wilson who originally signed it into law in 1920” (Merchant Marine Act of 1920, n.d., para. 19). Because of the national security provisions of the Jones Act, multiple high ranking military officials have and continue to support the Jones Act (ibid). One of the most important parts of the Jones Act is keeping foreign flagged vessels out of our domestic waters. Just like in the aviation community, America need not let its guard down and allow foreign crewed vessels the opportunity to move within its borders. Many may believe it is far-fetched, but the chance for a foreign vessel sailing our internal waterways and creating a blockade or destroying bridges is of utmost important to national security (Giberga and Thompson, 2015, p.