Celebrating our Merchant Marine and Championing Marine Commerce

The Chamber of Marine Commerce today joins governments, policymakers, industry and the general public in celebrating the nation’s merchant marine industry, but also urges reforms to ensure greater industrial competitiveness, jobs and prosperity.

U.S. commercial shipping is a critical economic driver with a recent study from Martin Associates estimating that port-related activity contributed $4.6 trillion to the American economy and supported 23 million jobs in 2014.

As the nation’s economy strives to accelerate, these numbers can continue to grow as companies, manufacturers, farmers and miners seek to cost-effectively ship materials and products across North American borders and to markets further afield.

Notable policy changes that can foster this growth include:
• Putting in place protective, yet practical and harmonized ballast water regulations;
• Changing the North American Emission Control Area (ECA) from 200 nautical miles from shore to 50 miles for short sea shipping vessels;
• Adding icebreaker capacity for the Great Lakes-Seaway region;
• Reducing pilotage and other mandated service fees that unnecessarily increase costs and reduce competitiveness for America’s industrial and agricultural sectors.

“The maritime industry is doing a tremendous job providing safe, efficient and environmentally advanced transportation critical to the success of America’s industrial and agricultural sectors and the country’s export ambitions,” says Stephen Brooks, President of the Chamber of Marine Commerce. “But these benefits and the potential to do much more for the American economy depend on smart, reasonable and practical regulations.”