AWO Letter - May 28, 2026

CKidd 05/28/26

AMP Launches Nationwide End the Waiver Campaign, AWO to Play Integral Role. The American Maritime Partnership recently launched a nationwide End the Waiver campaign urging President Trump to end the Jones Act waiver. The campaign will feature a series of television ads to run on major news networks in the Washington, DC, metro area, the first of which began airing this week; local ad campaigns in key maritime states; earned media coverage at the national and state level; amplification of key opinion leaders through opEds and other platforms; development of media and advocacy collateral materials to educate policymakers and the media on the need to end the waiver; and extensive amplification on social media. The campaign will direct viewers and readers to EndtheWaiver.com, where they can send customizable messages urging their congressional representatives to oppose the waiver.       

AWO will be working closely with AMP as a leader and partner in this integrated campaign, from collaborating in the production and amplification of media and advocacy deliverables to enlisting AWO members to help generate earned media coverage in key locations across the country.  

You can help in this effort by:  

  • Encouraging your employees to write Congress by visiting EndtheWaiver.com. They can also write Congress through AWO's webpage featuring our video urging an end to the waiver, which has been targeted to Washington, DC policymakers and their associates across the nation throughout May; 
  • Volunteering to be featured in local press coverage in your area;  
  • Sending us content featuring your mariners speaking out against the waiver for us to post on social media; and  
  • Sharing any data with us that can demonstrate harm being caused by the waiver.  
 

AWO Builds on Barge-In Momentum. AWO pivoted immediately from the May 13 Barge-In, in which 172 AWO members made 243 advocacy visits with Members of Congress and staff, to execute our follow-on strategy to increase Congressional pressure on the Trump Administration to end the Jones Act waiver. Notable actions include working with the Florida Maritime Partnership on an industry CEO letter to the state's Congressional delegation; follow-up meetings to prompt specific actions; and developing letters to President Trump for signature by Members of Congress.  AWO is also working with lawmakers on strategic opportunities to ask Administration officials about the waiver during appearances before Congress, and on other legislative tactics that allow Members of Congress to convey their objections to the White House. We are coordinating closely with the American Maritime Partnership (AMP) and other stakeholders, including shipyards and maritime labor, to maximize the industry's effectiveness as efforts against the waiver continue.
 

Duffy Comments Favorably on Jones Act before Congress. Testifying before a key subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told lawmakers that "if we didn't have the Jones Act, we wouldn't have a maritime industry at all." When asked by Rep. John Rutherford (R-FL) about the possibility of further extensions to the waiver, Secretary Duffy said that while the Department of War had more information, "I don't see long term waivers," adding that the conflict with Iran and the ongoing bottleneck in the Strait of Hormuz made this "a unique time." Secretary Duffy also highlighted the importance of cabotage laws in the United States across transportation modes, pointing out similar laws governing domestic aviation. 
 

U.S. Vessel Operators, Mariners Emphasize Importance of Jones Act on National Maritime Day. AWO joined Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy and Maritime Administrator Stephen Carmel on May 22 for the Department of Transportation's National Maritime Day Celebration. National Maritime Day commemorates the first transatlantic crossing under steam power by the American steamship Savannah in 1819 and is an opportunity for the United States to pay tribute to the American merchant marine, including those that gave their lives in service to our country. In his remarks, Secretary Duffy tied the commemoration to President Trump's goal of restoring America's maritime dominance, saying, "I think there's no better way to honor and remember than to lean in and rebuild the industry that America used to dominate."

During the celebration, the Gallant Ship Unit Citation was awarded to the M/V Stena Immaculate and its crew. On March 10, 2025, the U.S.-flag tanker Stena Immaculate, operated by Crowley Maritime, was carrying aviation fuel on a charter for the U.S. Air Force under the Tanker Security Program. The vessel was at anchor in the North Sea off the coast of England when she was struck by the container ship M/V Solong cruising at over 16 knots, resulting in a massive explosion and fire. The vessel and crew were recognized for their courage, discipline, and decisive actions in response to the emergency to save lives and property and prevent environmental harm. In accepting the Merchant Marine Medal for Outstanding Achievement on behalf of the Stena Immaculate's captain, James Fowler, Crowley Executive Vice President and Division President of Shipping & Logistics, said that the spirit of the U.S. merchant marine is "about whether this nation will continue to have the skilled men and women capable of carrying America's commerce, protecting America's interests, and sustaining America's security here at home and around the world. That capability does not appear overnight. It cannot be improvised in moments of crisis. It must be built, it must be sustained, and yes -- even in the midst of this Jones Act waiver -- it must be defended."

The Jones Act was also highlighted by the event's other industry speakers. David Heindel, President of the Seafarers International Union, said, "Bipartisan support for American maritime will remain absolutely essential if we are serious about restoring and sustaining our nation's maritime strength. That means steadfast support for the programs and policies that form the foundation of our industry," including "the cornerstone of them all, the Jones Act," calling the current waiver "ill-advised." He was followed by Greg Binion, CEO of Mainstay Maritime, who said that despite the strategic importance of growing the domestic maritime industry for America's economic and national security, "Our current Jones Act waiver clearly undermines the confidence and enthusiasm that investors in vessels, shipyards and other support functions, and our mariners have for this space."
 

Transportation Committee Democrats Push Back against Jones Act Waiver. In a joint letter conveying their deep concern with the "unprecedented extension of a historically broad Jones Act waiver," House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Ranking Member Rick Larsen (D-WA) and Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee Ranking Member Salud Carbajal (D-CA) have demanded that President Trump provide answers about the waiver. "[N]umerous voyages by foreign vessels (including vessels built in China) have already taken place under the waiver that fail to meet that unambiguous standard in law," Reps. Larsen and Carabajal wrote, adding that "there seems to be little scrutiny, and certainly no publicly available scrutiny, to ensure that the voyages under the waiver meet the standard of an immediate adverse effect on military operations." The lawmakers seek information on how each waiver voyage supports national defense, whether a market survey was performed to identify capacity issues, and the actual wording of the waiver. 
 

Latest MARAD Reporting Identifies 66 Foreign Cargo Movements under Jones Act Waiver. In its May 26, 2026 - 2:00 pm report, the U.S. Maritime Administration disclosed 66 cargo movements within the U.S. completed by foreign-flag vessels. Each voyage represents a concrete outsourcing of domestic commerce to foreign companies and non-U.S. mariners, and broker data analyzed by AWO and the American Maritime Partnership demonstrates that more than 85% of those voyages could have been performed by available Jones Act vessels. Data on foreign-flag vessels operating under the waiver also identifies crews with mariners from Russia, China, Bangladesh, and others operating in America's domestic commerce and being paid substantially less than U.S. minimum wage. 
 

Coast Guard Port State Control Report Analyzes Foreign Vessel Compliance in U.S. Waters. The U.S. Coast Guard's 2025 Port State Control Annual Report summarizes its enforcement of international safety, security, and environmental standards on foreign vessels operating in U.S. waters. In 2025, 11,279 individual vessels from 79 flag administrations made 76,351 port calls to the United States. The Coast Guard conducted 8,999 Port State Control examinations, which resulted in 77 detentions for an annual detention ratio of 0.85 percent. The three-year rolling detention ratio is 1.00 percent.

The report identifies flag administrations subject to targeted Port State Control enforcement based on the previous three years of vessel detention data. As of mid-May, 20 percent of the foreign-flag vessels allowed by the current Jones Act waiver to access domestic transportation markets flew flags from countries the Coast Guard has identified as an elevated safety risk.

The Coast Guard's 2025 Flag State Control Annual Report on the U.S. inspected vessel fleet is forthcoming.
 

NMC Provides Continued Updates to Operations and Extensions. The Coast Guard has resumed routine operations, including examination scheduling, at all regional examination centers (RECs) and monitoring units except REC New Orleans and REC San Juan. REC New Orleans remains temporarily closed to walk-in and counter service to continue focusing staff resources on application processing. The Coast Guard also announced it is expanding extensions for expiring merchant mariner credentials (MMCs) and medical certificates. National MMCs and medical certificates that expire between January 1, 2026, and July 31, 2026, remain valid through August 31, 2026. All other extensions contained in prior announcements remain in effect. If you have any questions or concerns about processing matters, please contact Patrick Parsons. 
 

Coast Guard Reopens Atlantic Coast Fairways NPRM. The U.S. Coast Guard has reopened the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to establish Shipping Safety Fairways along the Atlantic Coast. The rulemaking will create fairways along the Atlantic Coast to enshrine safe navigation routes and ensure no structures, such as offshore energy installations, can be built in these routes. The reopened NPRM is another opportunity for AWO and affected members to influence the regulatory process and ensure that the fairways have adequate widths to ensure safe navigation. The public comment period closes on June 22.
 

New York Solicits Interest in Electric Container-on-Barge Service. The New York Economic Development Corporation has issued a request for expressions of interest (RFEI) from maritime operators, vessel designers, and others for the development of a zero-emission container-on-barge service between the Brooklyn Marine Terminal and the upcoming Hunts Point Marine Terminal. The service is intended to transport at least 100 40-foot reefer containers across the waterways, avoiding congested highways. An information session is set for June 11. Proposals for the RFEI must be submitted by October 15.
 

AWO Supports COLREGS Demarcation Line Modification in New York Harbor. AWO recently submitted comments on the U.S. Coast Guard's proposal to relocate the COLREGS Demarcation Line in New York Harbor. Our comments emphasize the importance of safe and efficient navigation in one of the nation's busiest waterways and highlight the role of the tugboat, towboat, and barge industry in coordinating closely with pilots and other vessel traffic in the harbor. Overall, AWO expressed support for the proposed relocation, noting that it better aligns with existing navigation practices used by mariners operating in the region.
 

Coast Guard Seeks Applications for Eastern Great Lakes AMSC Subcommittee Role. The U.S. Coast Guard is accepting applications to fill one vacancy on the Northwestern Pennsylvania Region Subcommittee of the Eastern Great Lakes Area Maritime Security Committee (AMSC). The opening is for an Executive Board member serving as Vice Chairperson. The AMSC supports the Captain of the Port, Buffalo, acting as the Federal Maritime Security Coordinator, by assisting in the development, review, update, and implementation of the Area Maritime Security Plan for the region. Applications must be submitted by June 12. For additional information on qualifications and how to apply, please see the Federal Register notice.
 

AWO Supports Greater New Orleans Port Safety Council Industry Day. This annual event convenes local, state, and federal stakeholders to discuss key issues affecting the maritime industry. This year's program included updates on mariner credentialing from Captain Patrick Drayer of the National Maritime Center, hurricane-preparedness guidance and reminders from the local U.S. Coast Guard, and a panel discussion on Vessel Traffic Service modernization efforts. During the event, Captain Gregory Callaghan, New Orleans Sector Commander, recognized longtime Louisiana Maritime Association President Ron Branch for his retirement and longstanding contributions to the industry. Capt. Branch is succeeded by Matt Denning, the Louisiana Maritime Association's new President and CEO. For more information, please contact Jill Bessetti or Mike Breslin.
 

McAllister Towing Featured in New York Times Story. McAllister Towing was featured in a recent New York Times story highlighting a New York City senior community's program that works to grant lifelong wishes to community residents. Working with RiverSpring Living, McAllister was able to fulfill one resident's lifelong wish to ride onboard a tugboat. You can read about 80-year-old Phyllis Silver's day onboard the tugboat Capt. Brian A. McAllister here (subscription required).
 

AWO PAC and Inside Elections. AWO PAC has partnered with Inside Elections for another special edition, featuring a deep dive into Maine's Senate race, rating changes in four key House races, a look at primary results in Georgia, Pennsylvania and Oregon, and a look at the new congressional map in Tennessee.

AWO PAC is the connected political action committee for The American Waterways Operators and serves as the trade association's separate segregated fund. As a trade association, AWO is prohibited from using general treasury funds or membership dues to make federal contributions. AWO is one of the most effective advocacy associations in Washington, DC, and relies on voluntary personal contributions to fund AWO PAC.

AWO PAC supports federal candidates who are champions of the U.S. tugboat, towboat and barge industry and who are leaders on issues important to our industry. AWO PAC is dedicated to protecting AWO members' investments in the safest, most environmentally responsible and most economical mode of freight transportation and safeguarding the integrity of the Jones Act to protect the bottom lines of our members.

AWO PAC may solicit contributions from individuals of a member company once the member representative gives AWO written prior approval.
 

Chicago is Calling! Join your fellow AWO members July 21-22 for the Summer Safety Meeting at the Loews Chicago. From critical safety discussions and industry updates to networking with maritime leaders in the heart of the Windy City, this is a meeting you won't want to miss. Register now. 

Book your hotel reservation before June 30 or before the block is full. We look forward to seeing you in Chicago this summer.