Time once again to examine the Jones Act

With the sinking of the El Faro last week, and the resulting deaths of its entire crew of 33, the viability of the Jones Act is again being called into question.

Tote, Inc. is the owner of the ill-fated U.S.-flagged vessel which was manned by 28 U.S. citizens. The ship was made here, too, but critics say that’s part of the problem. It was built more than 30 years ago – and was part of the oldest fleet in the developed world.
 
We have long championed the strengthening of the U.S. shipbuilding industry, and the reduction of reliance on foreign flags for cabotage. But absent the necessary support for new ship yards and the sustained introduction of modern vessels, the Act may need to be reconsidered.

It is up to National Transportation Safety Board investigators to determine whether any vessel could survive a Category 4 hurricane, but one dating its initial launch well back into the last century must surely have been at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Meanwhile, Tote has announced the creation of a family relief fund for support of those who lost loved ones in the Hurricane Joaquin episode. The entire Port of Jacksonville community has also come together to assist the families.

One would hope, too, that once the mourning has passed, lawmakers and industrialists will work together to revamp the Jones Act or revive the sad state of U.S. shipbuilding.