September 14, 2022
Introduction Chairman Carbajal, Ranking Member Gibbs, and members of the Committee – Thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today to discuss the state of the U.S.-flag international fleet and in particular the Cargo Preference laws of the United States. My name is Eric Ebeling and I am testifying today on behalf of USA Maritime, a coalition consisting of American-flag vessel owners and operators, trade associations, and maritime labor. USA Maritime is committed to ensuring the U.S. merchant marine will always be available to support our warfighters, enhance our economy through trade, and provide great jobs to thousands of Americans across the country. As President and CEO of American Roll-On Roll-Off Carrier (ARC), it is my honor to lead an incredibly talented team of men and women at the largest U.S.-flag Ro-Ro operator. ARC has long been a participant in the Voluntary Intermodal Sealift Agreement (VISA) and Maritime Security Program (MSP) and we are committed to investing in the U.S.-flag fleet and U.S. merchant marine to support our armed forces around the world. We have re-flagged seven large Ro-Ro vessels into U.S. registry since 2016, including most recently M/V ARC COMMITMENT in December 2021 and M/V ARC DEFENDER in January 2022. The U.S.-flag fleet operating in international trade primarily consists of the militarily useful and commercially viable MSP fleet of 60 ships and attendant global networks, as well as a handful of vessels operating in international trade outside the MSP fleet. Without the ships, networks and mariners provided by the MSP fleet, it would cost the government tens of billions of dollars to attempt to try to replicate the capabilities provided. The U.S.-flag fleet in international trade is at a crossroads, with declining cargoes resulting in a shrinking fleet and a shortage of qualified mariners. These factors in turn impact national defense readiness in terms of sealift and logistics support available to support the needs of the Department of Defense (DoD), but also impact the nation’s ability to pursue generous overseas economic and agricultural assistance programs. READ MORE (PDF)