Page 29: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (September 2022)

“The Coast Guard’s focus is on ensuring that all the elements of the marine transportation system here in the U.S. are reliable, resilient and operating in a safe manner.” – Adm. Linda Fagan,

U.S. Coast Guard Commandant

Photo: U.S. Coast Guard hen working properly, the maritime supply that the Coast Guard has done for a while and will continue to do chain—as vitally important as it is to our world so that the system operates resiliently and safely. And we certain- as a whole—is typically all but invisible to the ly don’t take that for granted. It is work that we do every day.”

W average everyday consumer, often out of sight Helping to facilitate global trade at this level is a big job, and out of mind. and the stakes are high with so much on the line. “$5.4 tril-

These days, that’s not the case as the economic value of a lion in annual economic activity and 30.8 million jobs across well-running maritime system has come to the fore amid lo- marine transportation system, our wellbeing, economic pros- gistical snarls jamming ports globally. Costs are rising, certain perity as a nation, rides on the marine transportation system,” products have been dif? cult or impossible to get, and every- Adm. Fagan said. “This is about global competition. It begins one is asking, “What’s going on with the supply chain?” at home, and our ports play an absolute critical role in not just

There are many actors with a part to play within this vastly the U.S. economy but the global economy.

complicated international system. One of these is the U.S. “We’ve certainly seen some of the fragility in the system as

Coast Guard, which has been steadily working to help main- we’ve gone to just-in-time deliveries. So as consumer demand tain the ? ow of maritime commerce alongside its duties as a has ebbed and ? owed as labor shortages have played out and law enforcement and ? rst response agency, military service overseas manufacturing’s delayed rate, we’ve seen all of the and regulatory authority. shocks to the global economic system that has occurred.” “The Coast Guard’s focus is on ensuring that all the ele- To varying degrees, supply chain issues like these are pro- ments of the marine transportation system here in the U.S. are jected to linger into the foreseeable future, and the Coast reliable, resilient and operating in a safe manner,” Comman- Guard will continue to do what it can to help, Adm. Fagan dant of the Coast Guard, Adm. Linda Fagan, said in a recent said. “Some of the other external surges will continue to be a interview with Maritime Reporter TV. challenge, but we will remain postured with all of the diverse “Whether it’s our aids to navigation work to ensure that the waterway users and operators to ensure that we’ve got an op- harbors and waterways are marked that those ships can come in timized system here in the U.S. because our very economic safely, or the vessel traf? c services (VTS) that we run in a num- prosperity is tied to those critical waterways, and not just the ber of harbors around the country, the marine inspector work that major ports along the coast. We’ve got an incredible inland we do to inspect ships to ensure that they’re compliant with U.S. waterway system that drives considerable economic advan- regulations and law, and any number of other things, this is work tage. And we are committed to that work as well.” www.marinelink.com 29

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