MaritimeFedWatch

An amendment was recently offered by Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) to the pending National Defense Authorization Act legislation which would substantially change the way the U.S. Government provides Jones Act compliance guidance.

Legislation was introduced on February 15, 2022, in the U.S. Congress by Representatives Garret Graves (R-LA) and John Garamendi (D-CA) and on February 17, 2022, by Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) that would restrict the citizenship of personnel manning vessels, rigs, platforms, and structures operating on the U.S. outer continental shelf in both the offshore wind and oil and gas industries.

On September 23, 2021, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) introduced legislation entitled the “Cruising for Alaska’s Workforce Act” to exempt from certain U.S. domestic maritime transportation restrictions voyages of large passenger vessels between a port in Alaska and another U.S. port. 

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issues rulings on, among other things, the application of U.S. coastwise laws (popularly referred to as the “Jones Act”) to vessel movements and activities in U.S. waters.  Those rulings have important implications for the installation and maintenance of offshore renewable energy projects in addition to being significant for offshore oil and gas projects.

On July 15, 2020, U.S. Customs and Border Protection issued “Jones Act” guidance on the installation of offshore wind farms in U.S. waters. This is the first offshore wind guidance issued by CBP since 2011.

On June 11, 2020, U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, Chairman of the Committee on Commerce, Science, & Transportation, introduced the “Maritime Administration Authorization and Improvement Act.” The bill, to be considered by the U.S. Congress, would, among other things, re-authorize the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD).

On March 30, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its long-awaited CITGO Asphalt Refining Co. v. Frescati Shipping Co. decision, which resolved the meaning of the “safe berth” clause found in most standard charter party forms by clarifying the contractual duty imposed on charterers. No-18,565 (March 30, 2020).

The U.S. State Department (State) previewed on March 9, 2020, new U.S. Government economic sanctions compliance measures that will have a substantial effect on the worldwide maritime industry. The measures were set out by David Peyman, the Deputy Assistant Secretary (DAS) of State for Counter Threat Finance and Sanctions in an interview at the Foundation for Defense of Democracy.

On October 15, 2019, the U.S. Department of the Treasury convened the first meeting of the Counter-Hizballah International Partnership (“CHIP”) with the goal of building multilateral cooperation to target and dismantle global financial networks used by Hizballah to fund its agenda.