Officials in Washington are discussing potential changes to requirements for registering ships under the US-flag amid calls to expand the fleet flying the Stars and Stripes in international markets.
The talks come as officials in the Trump administration hope to expand the number of US-flag ships and to drive a wave of deregulation.
They involve the US Coast Guard, the US Maritime Administration (MARAD) and other federal government agencies, Coast Guard spokeswoman Melissa Leake confirmed.
“The Coast Guard is engaged with MARAD and our inter-agency partners, along with the administration, to review its processes and policies for the inspection and certification of US-flag merchant vessels consistent with relevant law,” she told TradeWinds.
She did not specify what actions would be taken.
Shipping regulation experts in Washington DC said one opportunity for change is in the varying inspection rules for re-flagged ships, depending on whether they are considered to be useful militarily.
For ships in subsidy schemes, such as the Maritime Security Program, the Coast Guard has streamlined inspection and certification by allowing vessels to enter the US flag if they meet the certification requirements of a major classification society.
That allows them to eschew a comprehensive inspection by the Coast Guard.
Maritime Security Program
Most ships must enter the Maritime Security Program before they are 15 years old and age out after 25 years. Tankers must be younger than 10 years old when they enter schemes for militarily useful vessels.
Washington DC maritime experts told TradeWinds that the Coast Guard has the authority to apply a similar streamlined inspection and certification process to a wider array of ships that re-flag.
“They have a lot of flexibility,” one source said.
The effort comes amid calls to expand the US-flag shipping fleet from both sides of the US political spectrum, and up to senior officials in US President Donald Trump’s White House.
But some Washington DC sources noted it comes at a time when Trump administration officials are pressuring the Coast Guard to focus on other priorities, such as immigration enforcement.(Copyright)
Read more
- Donald Trump team cancels US plan to tighten offshore vessel crew documentation
- Here’s how Trump’s MARAD pick believes technology can fuel a US shipping ‘revolution’
- Trump official discusses port fee proposal with worried Caribbean leaders
- US pressure on Chinese maritime sector turns to cargo software platform
- Trump picks Heritage Foundation naval warfare expert to lead US Maritime Administration
