cal trade agreements are readily sold to the media these days as "good news ." Political leaders involved are hailed as working for the good of their nation. But serious questions need to be asked about whether they understand enough about the good of a nation-beyond t~e next election-when they tamper with the linchpins of economic security. General H. R. Del Mar, a retired army logistics expert, aptly s.tate.d the importance of a merchant manne m the last decade when he said: "A nation that is blessed with ample raw materials and that is a major producer of manufactured goods, but cannot transport either to where they are needed, can hardly expect to maintain its position as a world power." One also needs to question if US trade policy really needs to be so convoluted or require hoards of bureaucrat~ to admini ster. Suppose, instead, we simply insisted .on the "Golden ~ule" in dealing with our two-way trading partners overseas: that is, deal as you would be dealt with. Do we really run a serious risk that the world might thereupon stop selling their goods to us? Thi s hardly seems likely. For the world knows, though we may forget, that America remains the world's largest and most lucrative market for foreign trade. Fear of a trade war is whispered by those who fail to realize that we have been in one for two decades. There is a cost to any measure that can be proposed to rev ive the US flag merchant marine. Putting American owned tankers under the US flag, fo r example, would increase the cost of gas at the pump--perhaps by as much as one cent per gallon. The economi~ ti:ut~ ~ s that transportation costs are an ms1gmf1 cant part of the final price of just abou t anything shipped today . . But the question of who carnes th e cargos of the greatest trading nation o n earth is not insignificant, not to anyon e who cares for the security and well being of the United States. J, 'Defined here as a wage significantly lower than payments to Americans on welfare. . zour enemies knew that smk:ing our cargo ship s was the only way to defeat the Allies in World W ar IL As a result, the percentage of casualties amon g US merchant mariners was second only to those of the US Marine Corps.
Mr. O'Neil is president of the board oif the American Merchant Marine Museu m Foundation, president ofSeaworthy Sy sterns , Inc ., and a life fellow of SNAME
SEA HISTORY 77, SPRING 1996
Sinking Highlights Foreign-flag Abuses
SAIL THE MAINE COAST
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by John D. Smith The tragic news about the sinking of the ship Kathleen D with eight crewmen aboard after sailing from the port of Mobile on Jan. 7, 1996 further illustrates the continuing scandal caused by substandard foreign-flag cargo ships sailing . . . upon US waters. The Kathleen D is not an isolated mc1dent. During recent years, more than 44 foreign-flag bulk vessels and tankers, operating far from the public eye, have gone down with the loss of more than 300 seamen. The BBC documentary titled "Scandal at Sea" shows the inadequate vessel maintenance practices and safety abuses encouraged by the international laws governing merchant ship operations. And the problem is getting worse as some US shipping companies have begun to replace American cre~s with foreign crews. The Stars and Stnpes are also being replaced with flags of convenience due to commercial pressure and US Government inaction. Runaway Vessels Flag-of-convenience ships, also known as runaway vessels, are those owned in one country, registered in another '1!1d crewed by mariners from mostly Thlfd World countries. They are attempting to dodge the taxes, military obligations and fair labor, safety and environmental regulations of the owner 's nation. These vessels, given the protection of international law for a small fee, sail without fear of regulatory constraint or government oversight. Many of these same vessels are po~rly maintained and operate as bulk earners or crude oil and chemical tankers. They are environmental time bombs that often self-destruct and pollute the seas. These ships call at American ports every day . Many have been condemned or detained by the US Coast Guard for safety violations, as was the Kathleen D . . It is time to wake the pubhc, the shipping industry, and the federal govemment ... [to] the need to require US safety, environmental, and fair labor standards for all vessels trading in US waters. -Mobile Register, 21 January 1996 Capt. Smith is director ofSave Our Ships, a non-profit group dedicated to saving the US merchant marine. SOS, PO Box 2585, Daphne AL 36526. Tel: 205-626-8394
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