b'U.S. Senators instrumental in the enactmentOver the years, numerous individuals withinfor the CCF. The passing of the NDAA is include Maria Cantwell (Wash.), Roger Wick- the PVA membership have worked to accom- significant for many reasons. From the view-er (Miss.), Dan Sullivan (Alaska), Tammy Bald- plishthisachievement,butspecialthankspoint of the maritime industry, I believe the win (Wis.), and Gary Peters (Mich.). In theareduetoTomEscherofRedandWhiteupdates to the CCF included in this bill will House, valuable support came from Represen- Fleet,SanFrancisco;MartyReilly,Hy-Linestrengthen U.S. shipyards, encourage build-tatives Salud Carbajal (Calif.), Peter DeFazioCruises, Hyannis, Mass.; Peter Duclos, Glad- ing U.S. flag vessels, increase maritime relat-(Ore.), Sam Graves (Mo.), Bob Gibbs (Ohio),ding-HearnShipbuilding,Somerset,Mass.;ed training and employment, and focus on Mike Thompson (Calif.), Frank Pallone (N.J.),and Augie Pagnozzi and Martin Robins, Newenvironmental improvements. As a member and Alan Lowenthal (Calif.). York Waterway, Weehawken, N.J. of the PVA, this is an opportunity for our industry to utilize the updated CCF rules to Previously, only a limited group of domesticTom Escher shared his thoughts on the Na- improve and build new vessels while at the passenger vessel operators could take advan- tionalDefenseAuthorizationActof2023same time we will be strengthening the U.S. tage of the CCF program. They were operators(NDAA)andtheeligibilityadjustmentsmilitary capability."who wished to put new passenger vessels (of any type) into service in Alaska, Hawaii, the Great Lakes, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, plus operators who wished to put new vehicle-carrying ferries (but not passenger-only ferries or other types of passenger vessels) into service anywhere in the U.S. The Trusted Source for As a result of the new law, U.S.-flagged passen- Quality Systemsger vessel operators with a CCF can withdraw funds to build or acquire a new passenger vessel (or reconstruct an existing passenger vessel) of any type for operation anywhere in the country.According to April 2021 statistics of the Mar-itimeAdministration,therewere113fund-holders with CCF accounts. Of that number, 20 operated passenger vessels. The number of participating passenger vessel operators should increase substantially as a result of the new law.ApassengervesselconstructedusingCCF funds must be built in an American shipyard. Therefore, if (as expected) expanded participa-tion in the CCF program leads to new vessel orders, it will benefit PVA associate members that operate shipyards, those that design ves-sels, and those that supply vessel components.MARAD has a web page devoted to the CCF program which you can visit here. It contains a link that explains the application process and anotheroneshowingtheCCFrulesinthe Code of Federal Regulations.Fortheactualstatutorylanguageestablish-ing the Capital Construction Fund program, see title 46 United States Code beginning at section 53501. The PVA Annual Convention at MariTrends 2023inLongBeachCaliforniawillfeatureTHRUSTERSLIGHTINGSEATINGDOORSTRIM CONTROLWIPERSCONTROLSapresentationontheCapitalConstruction Fund by Mr. Daniel Ladd, the Maritime Ad-ministration official responsible for overseeing the program. Registration for the convention is open nowclick here to register. www.imtra.com 508.995.700029 DECEMBER 2022'