U.S. Agency for International Development

Lawmaker introduces bill to guarantee more US-flag shipping

U.S. flag on ship entering New York

A bipartisan bill aimed at invigorating U.S.-flag shipping for international government cargo was introduced Friday by Rep. John Garamendi, D-Calif.

The Rebuilding the United States-Flag International Fleet Act, co-sponsored by Rep. Bob Gibbs, R-Ohio, would restore a requirement that at least 75% of gross seaborne tonnage for international food aid programs be carried on US-flagged vessels.

The requirement, in place from 1985 to 2012, was repealed by the current law that lowered the minimum...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/lawmaker-introduces-bill-to-guarantee-more-us-flag-shipping

Feds dodging US-flag ship cargo rules, GAO reveals

US aid cargo being unloaded

Government watchdogs have found that a lack of oversight by maritime regulators is allowing federal agencies to evade laws requiring that certain amounts of international cargoes move on U.S.-flag ships.

A new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, “Actions Needed to Enhance Cargo Preference Oversight,” which will be the focus of a congressional hearing Wednesday, concluded that without additional efforts by the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) to develop regulations and enforce...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/feds-dodging-us-flag-ship-cargo-rules-gao-reveals