On the 13th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, America’s tugboat, towboat and barge industry pauses to remember the nearly 3,000 Americans who lost their lives, and also to acknowledge the inspiring bravery shown by first responders and everyday citizens on that tragic day. One of the most notable acts of valor was the maritime evacuation of Lower Manhattan – the largest water evacuation in American history – in which 500,000 people were transported to safety by hundreds of vessels which answered a call from the U.S.
The U.S. House Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation today heard first hand about America’s booming domestic maritime industry from Mark Tabbutt, Chairman of the Board of Saltchuk, one of the country’s most recognized transportation and distribution companies, who was testifying on behalf of the American Maritime Partnership (AMP). Tabbutt told Subcommittee Chairman Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) and Ranking Member Rep. John Garamendi (D-Calif.) that American maritime, supported by the Jones Act, is strong, vibrant, and growing.
After a steep drop in activity that followed the Great Recession, the maritime industry is growing again...growth in trade is translating into growth in jobs. To read the full CNBC story, please click here.
Find out how a company founded by an Irish immigrant with a single sailboat went on to survive and thrive during a Civil War, two World Wars, the Great Depression, and all the while grow into one of the nation's largest marine towing and transportation companies. Happy 150th anniversary to McAllister Towing! Click here to learn more about the company's history in this Marine Log article.
Last week, the Transportation Security Administration began nationwide implementation of a highly anticipated program that reforms the unnecessarily burdensome process by which mariners and other transportation workers receive required Transportation Worker Identification Credentials (TWIC). The TWIC OneVisit program eliminates the requirement that workers make two trips to a TWIC enrollment center to pick up and then activate their TWIC.
