Appropriations Conference Approves Use Of Foreign Ships For Ready Reserve Force
In conference on October 1, the Senate receded to the House on the Ready Reserve Force (RRF) provisions in the fiscal year 1992 Maritime Administration appropriations bill. This action effectively killed the Senate amendment which would have restricted RRF purchases to U.S.-flag vessels and repairs/modifications of these ships to U.S. yards (except for the three Danish ships used during Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm).
Representative Neal Smith of Iowa fought hard to defeat the amendment for strengthening the U.S. maritime industrial base. Unfortunately, the Senate conferees did not stand their ground. In addition to the U.S. industrial base issue, there is the serious question of whether or not the old foreign vessels contemplated for the RRF are capable of meeting operational readiness goals. MarAd has indicated that it does not intend to do any extensive conversion work on the ships; for example, strengthen the decks to allow them to carry more military tanks or incorporate other special design characteristics that the Army says it needs.
In 1981, the U.S. Government terminated subsidies to U.S. yards.
On October 1, 1991, conferees on the FY 1991 Commerce, State, and Justice Appropriations bill effect i v e l y agreed with the A d m i n i s t r a t i o n ' s plan to use taxpayer's dollars to subsidize foreign yards instead.
As U.S. shipyards continue to close because they cannot compete against subsidized foreign shipyards, the Maritime Administration has lobbied hard to buy ships for the RRF that have been built in subsidized foreign yards. Apparently, the Appropriation conferees agreed with MarAd that it is good policy to take advantage of the very subsidy practices which the U.S. Trade Representative has been trying to eliminate through international negotiations for more than two years— so far, without success.
There is another irony in this situation. The subsidized ships the Administration wants to buy will do little to achieve the purpose of enhancing our nation's sealift capability.
They are too old and too slow and lack many of the required de- sign features. As the Persian Gulf war proved, the military needs ships that have 24-knot speed capability and are maintained in a reduced operating status to ensure quick deliverability of heavy military equipment to the theater of operation.
It was clearly demonstrated during Operation Desert Storm t h a t the ships in Mar Ad's Ready Reserve Force were not up to the task. They were old, poorly maintained, and could not be activated in a timely fashion. Thus, it took six months for the U.S. to get its equipment to the Persian Gulf. In contrast to the RRF, the Navy's seven fast sealift ships which are maintained in reduced operating status, carried 10 percent of all the cargo to the Persian Gulf. It took 71 RRF ships to carry only 20 percent of the cargo.
The nation needs modern, efficient sealift ships, and U.S. shipyards certainly need the business.
The policy decision of the Administration and the Appropriations conferees won't significantly improve our sealift capability, but it will further erode our shipyard industrial base.
Other stories from November 1991 issue
Content
- Marine Society Of N.Y. To Hold Annual Dinner April 6, 1992, In NYC page: 6
- Carnival Cruise Lines Contracts For New Ship page: 6
- Barge Industry Says USCG Proposal Could Paralyze Oil Transport page: 7
- Litton Awarded Contract To Develop Hull-Mounted Fiberoptic Sub Sonars page: 8
- John Deere Enters Marine Engine Market page: 8
- Caterpillar-Powered Fishing Vessel Delivered By Rodriguez Boat Builders page: 9
- AT&T Signs $49.5-Million U.S. Navy Contract For EMSP Modifications page: 9
- FELS Completes Galaxy I, $100 Million Jackup Rig page: 10
- Marinette Marine Delivers Third MCM To U.S. Navy page: 10
- 180-Foot Supply Boat Converted To Standby/Rescue Vessel By Steiner Shipyard page: 11
- Navy Awards Initial Design Contracts For Sealift Ships page: 11
- Washington State Ferry Delivered In 168 Days By Hydraulic Fishing Supply page: 13
- Bauer Industries Completes Excursion Boat Interior Design page: 13
- Galveston Ship Consolidates Yard, Will Sell 35 Acres page: 15
- Volvo Penta Offers Broader Commercial Marine Range—New Engine Suitable For Japan page: 16
- AWO Safety Seminar Set For New Orleans, La., December 4-5, 1991 page: 18
- Underwater 92 Will Focus On Advanced Technology, January 13-15 In Houston page: 18
- Waterways Conference Delegates Urge Maritime Industry To Lobby For Repeal Of Shipping Taxes page: 19
- Finnish Yard Delivers Hamilton Jet-Powered Helsinki Police Craft page: 20
- Unique Spillstop— Advanced Oil Spill Avoidance System page: 20
- A Word From The President page: 21
- SNAME 1991 Annual Meeting & 1 Oth Annual Internation al Maritime Exposition page: 22
- JBF-Designed 'Shearwater' Launched At Goudy And Stevens Shipyard page: 32
- Coast Guard Contracts To Buy 32 Search-And-Rescue Helicopters For Maritime Defense Zone page: 34
- Theme Of MTS '91 In New Orleans To Be 'An Ocean Cooperative— Industry, Government, Academia' page: 34
- MHI Wins Awards, Order For VLCC Installed With CRP Propulsion System page: 35
- NY&NJ Port Authority Links Electronic Data Exchange To Hamburg, Germany page: 35
- MHI Develops New Low-Speed Diesel; First Unit Destined For VLCC page: 37
- Westinghouse Pursues Diesel Propulsion Markets In U.S. page: 38
- Appropriations Conference Approves Use Of Foreign Ships For Ready Reserve Force page: 39
- SNAME NY Metropolitan Discusses Training Of Deck Officers At 'Past Chairman's Night' Session page: 40
- Erie Basin Bargeport, New Facility, To Open For Ship Repair, Marine Services page: 41
- Concurrent Systems Releases New NAPOL Hydrostatics Package page: 41
- McDermott Sets Production Deck No. 1 For Freeport McMoRan Sulfur Project page: 42
- Keppel Adds 20,000-DWT Dock At Philippines Yard page: 42
- Oil Spill Equipment Purchased By Coast Guard Must Avoid Private Sector Duplication page: 43
- North Florida Shipyard Reactivates/Refurbishes RO/RO Trailer Vessel page: 44
- New Chevron Tanker Christened In Brazil page: 44
- Semisubmersible Begins Scheduled Liner Service Transporting Yachts page: 44
- OUTSTANDING WORKBOATS OF 1991 page: 46
- Tippet Marine Rebuilds Fishing Vessel Designed For 1990's Challenges page: 54
- $4.7 Million Navy Contract Awarded SPD Technologies page: 54
- New York Shipyard Receives Second Navy Drydocking Contract page: 54
- Hall-Buck Yard Gets New Name, Adds Drydock page: 55
- Alaska Moves To Buy Acreage For Proposed Port of Anchorage page: 55
- Alabama Shipyard In Talks With Danish Shipbuilder page: 56
- NASSCO Launches Second AOE Ship page: 56
- The International WORK BOAT SHOW page: 58
- Report Says Tanker Supply-Demand Gap Will Narrow By 1994 page: 60
- Trinity Adds Huge Floating Dock At Texas Yard page: 60
- Newpark Resources Announces Barge Fleet Expansion page: 60
- MSC Solicits Proposals To Charter Cruise Ship page: 60
- IMPROVING CURRENT STRATEGIC SEALIFT CAPABILITIES page: 64
- A/S Vesta Incinerators Help Shipowners Meet Waste Regulations page: 65
- Bird-Johnson Appoints Lapp Gulf Coast Manager, Expands Sales Force page: 65
- Bush Administration Backs Senate Approval Of Two Environmental Treaties page: 66
- RHG-Houston Enters U.S. Survey Market page: 66
- Commodore Awards Bailey Contract For Chiller Pack For S/S Enchanted Seas page: 66
- Future Of Marine Emergency Services Now Under Scrutiny page: 68
- Chantier Naval Matane Delivers Two Paul-Andre White-Designed Day-Operating Tourist Vessels page: 69
- Eleventh In Series Of 16 Fleet Oilers Under Construction At Avondale Christened USNS Guadalupe page: 71
- Wartsila Delivers 16 Vasa 32 Engines For Norwegian Supply Vessels page: 72
- HMVG Awarded Second U.S. Navy Contract In Two Months page: 72
- Kvichak Marine Delivers Fourth Of Nine 32-Foot Fast Response Vessels page: 73
- McDermott Names Jamestown Metal Supplier Of The Year page: 73
- Paxman Delivers First Of Total Of 32 Valenta Engines To U.S. Navy page: 75
- EC And 14 Nations Protest Dredging Restrictions In 1992 MarAd Budget page: 75
- ACL Launches New U.K. Agencies Firm page: 77
- Hempel Relocates USA Headquarters To Houston, Texas page: 77
- Oil Industry Wary About Buying New Leases Off California page: 81
- House-Senate Panel Agrees On Funding For MarAd, FMC And NOAA page: 81
- Wartsila-Powered Multi-Role Research Ship Delivered By Swan Hunter Shipbuilders page: 83
- Effort To Scrap Mothballed Defense Ships Advanced By Compromise Plan page: 85
- OPA 90 Could Scare Carriers Into Discontinuing Service To U.S. page: 86
- Japan Lobbies To Defeat Bills Calling For End To Drift-Net Fishing page: 86
- Barge Service Start-Up Gives Shot In Arm To Red Hook Terminal page: 86
- French Develop VLCC Design With Intermediate Deck page: 87
- Global Maritime Distress, Safety System Set For Implementation Next Year page: 87
- Yard Anti-Subsidy Bill Advanced By House Panel page: 87
- Maryland Yard Wins Major Steel Tunnel Fabrication Job page: 88
- MacGregor-Navire, Transmarine Awarded Stateside Business page: 88
- Crewless Cargo Ships Looked Upon By Owners As Wave Of Future page: 88
- Raytheon's R70 Series Radars Provide High Level Of Performance page: 88
- Trimble Navigation Selects Tru-Chart Electronic Charts On CD-ROM page: 90
- Corrosion Control Seminar To Be Held Next Month page: 91
- New Double Hull Retrofit Design From Stuart Marine page: 91
- Alexander Industries Now Exclusive Representative For Welin Lambie Products page: 93
- Scale Reproductions Installs Auto CAD System To Design Ship Models page: 93
- Maritime Services Moves To Expanded Facilities page: 95
- Crowley Withdraws MarAd Application For Ship Financing Guarantees page: 97
- NAS Reports Double Hulls Will Save 5,000 Tons In Spillage page: 99
- Braswell To Operate Panamanian Yard page: 99
- Service Marine Industries Elects New Officers page: 100
- McDermott To Participate In Azeri Field Development page: 100
- Corn Island Shipyard Offers New Construction, Major Repairs, Services page: 100
- COMSAT Announces Personnel Changes page: 102
- Deutz MWM Introduces New Engine Model page: 102
- Regal Princess Delivered By Fincantieri To P&O page: 104
- SMC Joint Symposium Examines Lessons Of Desert Storm page: 107
- Massachusetts Considers Building Prison Ship To Ease Overcrowding page: 108
- Markey Completes Delivery Of Winches For Three Vessels page: 108
- Westport Shipyard Delivers Detroit Diesel-Powered Patrol Boat To California State Fish & Game page: 112
- Hall-Buck To Provide Cargo Dock Handling Services At Indiana Port page: 113
- Smith Berger Offers Free Literature On Chain Stoppers page: 114
- New Fuel Economy Control System From KaMeWa page: 115
- Fredeman Shipyard Names John W. Sansing Manager page: 115
- Sea-Fab Converts Offshore Supply Vessel To Oil Spill Recovery Boat page: 117
- Upcoming Events page: 118
- Marco Delivers Caterpillar-Powered North Pacific Freezer Longliner page: 119
- Versatile Pacific Delivers Canadian Coast Guard Type '500' Search And Rescue Cutters page: 121
- New Joint Venture Firm Formed For Marine Pollution Control Services page: 123
- New Service Offered To Develop Oil Spill Response Plans page: 123
- Deutsch Pyplok Fittings Continue To Join Critical Piping Systems At Jacksonville Shipyards page: 125
- Navy Christens Third SWATH T-AGOS At McDermott Yard page: 126
- Tano Acquires Valcon, Opens New Facility In Virgina page: 126
- Loan Guarantees Totaling $82 Million Approved By MarAd For Shipbuilding page: 127
- Ingalls Begins Construction Of First SA'AR 5 Corvette page: 127
- Detroit Diesel Donates Auxiliary Propulsion For Tall Ship 'Discovery' page: 128
- Navy Delivers Strategic Sealift Plan To Congress page: 129
- 'Stretched7 Version Of Nimitz Recommended For Future Navy Carriers page: 131
- 'Stretched' Version Of Nimitz Recommended For Future Navy Carriers page: 131
- New Port Cost Guide From INTERTANKO page: 131
- Growth In Seaborne Iron Ore Trade Forecast In New Report page: 132
- Advanced Bow Thruster Efficiency Aided By Stator Screen From Shipwrights page: 132
- Trinity Shipyard Delivers Detroit Diesel-Powered Crewboat For Use in Indonesia page: 135
- Port Of South Louisiana Leads Grain Industry Economic Impact page: 135
- First National Monument Honoring Merchant Marine Unveiled In New York City page: 136
- Port Of Seattle Releases Ambitious Expansion Plan page: 136
- SCI Gets Go-Ahead To Build Nine Ships In South Korea page: 137
- Barge Rates Surge As Demand Rises, Water Levels Fall page: 138
- USCG Developing Rules Requiring Vessels To Respond To Oil Spills page: 138
- SCI Gets Go-Ahead To Build Nine Ships In South Korea page: 138
- MSRC To Be Fully Operational In 18 Months page: 140
- Garvin To Receive API's Highest Award At Annual Meeting In Houston page: 140
- Energy Policies Will Determine Future Petroleum Imports page: 140
- Aker And Kiewit Form Partnership To Serve Offshore Industry page: 143
- Zebra Mussel Infestation Spreads Beyond Great Lakes page: 143
- MSC Charters Four Barge-Carrying Vessels page: 143
- Justice Department Softens Opposition To Gaming Bill page: 144