DOMESTIC SHIPPING INDUSTRY AND MARITIME POLICY
Despite its vast importance to the U.S. transportation network and the fact that its vessels transport 400 million more tons than all of the vessels engaged in our foreign trade, the domestic shipping industry has always appeared curiously remote from any connection with shipping and the sea, an idea enhanced by its tug-barge approach, which, although its fleet included almost one million tons of barges over 10,000 deadweight tons, still seems to those familiar with deep sea trading purely a "sand and gravel" operation. However, appearances are deceptive, for the domestic fleet transports almost 25 percent of the total intercity ton miles of freight in the United States and is, because of the highly developed nature of our waterways network, best able to meet the growing transportation crisis that is facing this nation. The domestic trades have provided the impetus for the development of containerization and super tug-barge vessels and continues to provide the major raison d'etre for the U.S. tanker fleet. Additionally, domestic vessels employ 70,000 more American seamen than its sister fleet engaged in our foreign commerce. This paper analyses the major components of the domestic merchant marine and sketches the background behind a major shift in maritime policy as well as the major domestic shipping program elements, as established at the National Planning Conference on Domestic Shipping in May 1972.
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Supplemental Notes:
- Presented at the Chesapeake Section of SNAME.
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Corporate Authors:
Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers
601 Pavonia Avenue
Jersey City, NJ United States 07306-2907 -
Authors:
- Sansone, W T
- Publication Date: 1972-10-18
Media Info
- Pagination: 33 p.
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Analysis; Coastwise shipping; Domestic; Domestic transportation; Freight traffic; Inland water transportation; Inland waterways; Marine transit; Policy; Shipping; Systems analysis; Transportation; Water transportation
- Old TRIS Terms: Coastal waterways; Domestic shipping; Domestic shipping policies; Inland waterways transportation; Traffic analysis (Freight); Transportation system analysis; Waterway transportation
- Subject Areas: Policy; Terminals and Facilities; Transportation (General);
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 00039326
- Record Type: Publication
- Source Agency: Maritime Administration
- Files: TRIS, USDOT
- Created Date: Nov 10 1978 12:00AM