US lawmakers introduced a bill called “Energizing American Shipbuilding Act of 2018.” This bill aims to rebuild America’s domestic shipbuilding and maritime industry.
The legislation will support American shipbuilding by requiring a portion of LNG and crude oil exports to be transported on US-built, U.S.-crewed vessels.
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The legislation was also introduced in the House of Representatives by Congressman John Garamendi, D-Calif., the Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee on the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation and Congressman John Garamendi (D-Fairfield, Davis, Yuba City, CA), the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation.
The bipartisan bill will require the construction of over fifty ships and the creation of thousands of maritime and mariner jobs, and is being carried in the Senate by Senator Roger Wicker.
The US are experiencing an increase in energy exports. However, the majority of those exports are carried on foreign flag vessels, as there are currently no LNG carriers registered under the US flag.
Mr. Wicker said:
The domestic maritime industry supports hundreds of thousands of American jobs and is critical to our military readiness and national security. This bill would strengthen our shipbuilding industry and would recognize the importance of having more American-flagged ships to transport our growing exports of oil and natural gas. China, India, and other nations are investing heavily in their shipbuilding capacity. The United States must keep up.
The American Shipbuilding Suppliers Association and American Maritime Officers welcomed the new bill as they believe that the shipbuilding industry is important to the US commerce.
