Gibbons Bill Pounded By South Atlantic And Caribbean Port Association

The Gibbons Bill that would ban ships built or repaired with foreign subsidies from U.S. ports unless they paid subsidy refunds, was a major topic of discussion at the South Atlantic and Caribbean Ports Association spring meeting in Port Everglades.

While the bill is intended to allow U.S. shipyards to compete against heavily subsidized European and Asian yards, Carmen Lunetta, director of the Port of Miami, called it instead "...the worst form of government protectionism." Erik Stromberg, president of the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA), stated: "The bill is not going to give (U.S. shipyards) anymore bids." He added: "They (the shipyards) are just going to have to be more competitive." Port officials from North Carolina to Florida, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, gave their support to a resolution calling for a strong lobby effort against the Gibbons Bill.

Noting the likelihood of the bill passing in Congress, Mr. Lunetta said: "It's something we're going to have to kill in the Senate because this thing is roaring on through the House."

Other stories from April 1992 issue

Content

Maritime Reporter

First published in 1881 Maritime Reporter is the world's largest audited circulation publication serving the global maritime industry.