Most Americans consider the United States to have three coastlines: the East, West and Gulf. But when Congress designated the Great Lakes as our "Fourth Seacoast" in 1970, it did not error. The Great Lakes are one of the country's most important waterways and home to the U.S.-Flag Lakes fleet, perhaps the most vibrant segment of the U.S. Merchant Marine.

In terms of numbers, the U.S.-Flag Lakes fleet is not large. There are approximately 65 large self-propelled vessels and tug/barge units in the dry- and liquid-bulk trades; another 20 smaller tug/barge units engage primarily in moving liquid-bulk products. But what these ships and tug/barge units accomplish is impressive by any measure. In a typical shipping season, the U.S.-Flag Lakes fleet will haul upwards of 115 million tons, or almost half a ton for every person living in the continental U.S., Alaska and Hawaii.

Virtually every U.S.-Flag laker is a "self-unloader." This term is exactly what it implies - the ship is so equipped that its crew can unload the vessel without any need of shoreside personnel or equipment. And do the job fast - the 1,000-foot-long supercarriers (13 in number) routinely discharge as much as 70,000 tons of iron ore or coal in less than 10 hours. The self-unloading vessel was invented on the Great Lakes and is just one of many technological advances pioneered by the Lakes Jones Act fleet.

On the Great Lakes (and all U.S. waterways), cargo moving between U.S. ports is governed by the Jones Act. This Federal law requires domestic waterborne commerce to be carried on ships that are U.S.-owned, -built and -crewed. The Jones Act is one of several U.S. "Cabotage" laws which reserve all forms of transportation to American companies employing American workers. (The U.S.-build requirement for vessels reflects shipbuilders' crucial role in national defense.)

The groundrules of the Jones Act also ensure that shipping on U.S. waters is governed by the world's highest safety and operational standards. The U.S. Coast Guard oversees every aspect of U.S.-Flag shipping on self-propelled vessels - construction and maintenance of the ship; qualifications of the crew....

Like virtually every American industry, U.S.-Flag Lakes operators restructured after last decade's recession, but competition is more intense than ever. There are no government subsidies for Jones Act carriers. Self-propelled vessels compete against tug/barge units. All ships and barges compete against the railroads and in some trades, short-haul trucking. The American consumer reaps the benefits of this competition in the form of lower freight rates and a wide variety of transportation options.

back

Index

next