b'LEGALHappy Birthday to the Jones Act: Cabotage at 100By Steven Bers, Esq, PVA General CounselO n June 5, 2020, the Jones Actby U.S. citizens, and crewed by U.Scommerce and serve as a naval or military reached its 100th birthday.citizens or by U.S. permanent residents.auxiliary in time of war or national While perhaps not an occasionAlthough formally titled theemergency, ultimately to be owned and likely to be cause for breaking out partyMerchant Marine Act of 1920, theoperated privately by citizens of the United hats and horns, it seems somewhatAct has come to be known in name byStates . . . .neglectful for any industry publica- its main sponsor, Senator Westley JonesThe Act followed an earlier cabotage tion to let the milestone pass withoutfrom the State of Washington, who waslaw relating to passenger trade between some comment upon this law that hasin the U.S. Senate from 1909 to 1932.U.S. ports, The Passenger Vessel so influenced the American marineThe lofty cabotage-based purposeServices Act of 1886, which stated: landscape.of the Jones Act is no better expressedNo foreign vessels shall transport Simply stated, the Jones Act es- than in its preamble: passengers between ports or places in the tablished the requirements forIt is necessary for the national defenseUnited States, either directly or by way of a all American marine coastwiseand for the proper growth of its foreign andforeign port, under a penalty of $200 [now (cabotage) trade, mandating that alldomestic commerce that the United States$762] for each passenger so transported and goods transported between Americanshall have a merchant marine of the bestlanded.ports be carried on US-fl agged vessels,equipped and most suitable types of vesselsThus any foreign-fl agged vessel can built in the United States, ownedsuf cient to carry the greater portion of itsbe fi ned $762 for each passenger who Eachyear,thousandsofpreventablemaritime accidents are caused by operator inattention, cited twice as frequently as the next leading factor. The Furuno BR500 Bridge Navigational Watch Alarm System (BNWAS) helps to prevent these accidents.Scan this code with your smart phone for a Guided Tour of the BR500.www.FurunoUSA.com26JUNE 2020FOGHORN'