DOCSLIB.ORG

Comparing Structural Casualties of the Ro-Ro Vessel Using Straight and Oblique Collision Incidents on the Car Deck

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Comparing Structural Casualties of the Ro-Ro Vessel Using Straight and Oblique Collision Incidents on the Car Deck Journal of Marine Science and Engineering Article Comparing Structural Casualties of the Ro-Ro Vessel Using Straight and Oblique Collision Incidents on the Car Deck Aditya Rio Prabowo 1,* , Dong Myung Bae 2 and Jung Min Sohn 2,* 1 Department of Mechanical Engineering, Universitas Sebelas Maret, Surakarta 57126, Central Java, Indonesia 2 Department of Naval Architecture and Marine Systems Engineering, Pukyong National University, Busan 48513, Korea; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected] (A.R.P.); [email protected] (J.M.S.) Received: 24 April 2019; Accepted: 6 June 2019; Published: 11 June 2019 Abstract: Roll on-roll off (Ro-Ro) ship is the preferable vessel for public transportation and also as a medium to distribute several commodities. Its operations are a straightforward process but traffic management is quite delicate, especially for cross-route. Moreover, maritime incidents sometimes occur, causing significant casualties and in the case of the Ro-Ro, collision with other ship is a possible threat with the ability to trigger immense damages. This research, therefore, was conducted to assess the structural casualties of a Ro-Ro vessel under collision. This was modelled with respect to a ship involved in a certain incident in Indonesia in the latest decade, and the designed collision problems were calculated using the finite element approach. The collision angle was selected as the main input parameter with the straight collision of angle 90◦ and oblique collision with different angles applied to the scenario. The results found the collision energy due to structural destruction to have distinct pattern and peak value under oblique cases with lower values observed for straight collision for all scenarios. It is, however, recommended that energy should be taken as an initial parameter in further investigation of structural damage and response contour. Keywords: maritime incidents; straight and oblique collisions; finite element approach; energy ratio; rupture strain 1. Introduction Transportation has been playing an important role in human society, and industrial development since the first industrial revolution took place more than two centuries ago. It started with the use of the animal as the driving force followed by the application of diesel engine in inland, aerospace, and water transportation. Furthermore, human interaction also experiences massive progress, for example, the use of a mobile phone makes it more convenient to communicate over long distances compared to the conventional methods of communication. This was followed by the evolution of these phones to become smart leading to easy business transactions, trading and several other forms of interaction. For the purpose of this study, transportation mode is focused because it requires carrying subjects from one location to the other based on designated missions, for example, it is possible to transport humans and commodities using a public vehicle which is classified as an inland transportation mode. However, most archipelago countries are faced with the challenges of obtaining another transportation mode to transport people on the island and this led to the use of water transportation mode by the public, thereby, making it become one of the highest maritime business potentials in these countries. Consequently, roll on-roll off (Ro-Ro) ship was considered the most suitable vessel in this situation due to its capability to convey a large number of vehicles, passengers, and commodities at the same time to cross the sea or strait. J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2019, 7, 183; doi:10.3390/jmse7060183 www.mdpi.com/journal/jmse J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2019, 7, x 2 of 15 business potentials in these countries. Consequently, roll on-roll off (Ro-Ro) ship was considered the J.most Mar. Sci.suitable Eng. 2019 vessel, 7, 183 in this situation due to its capability to convey a large number of vehicles,2 of 15 passengers, and commodities at the same time to cross the sea or strait. The Ro-Ro ship is a vessel with the cargo wheeled or loaded/unloaded on board, in a vehicle or The Ro-Ro ship is a vessel with the cargo wheeled or loaded/unloaded on board, in a vehicle or other platforms equipped with wheels. The first ships to be classified under this category were the other platforms equipped with wheels. The first ships to be classified under this category were the Ferry equipped with railways to allow the transport of train carriages between the margins of the Ferry equipped with railways to allow the transport of train carriages between the margins of the rivers considered too wide for bridges. The use of the Ro-Ro concept in merchant ships started in the rivers considered too wide for bridges. The use of the Ro-Ro concept in merchant ships started in late 1940s, early 1950's and mainly in the short-sea routes, such as inter-island route through the strait the late 1940s, early 1950’s and mainly in the short-sea routes, such as inter-island route through the in archipelago countries. It became a significant vital transportation mode and a traffic connector. strait in archipelago countries. It became a significant vital transportation mode and a traffic connector. Furthermore, Figure 1 shows how the infrastructures for Ro-Ro spread on the islands of Indonesia Furthermore, Figure1 shows how the infrastructures for Ro-Ro spread on the islands of Indonesia thereby making domestic water traffic of the country to be very high. This is also influenced by the thereby making domestic water traffic of the country to be very high. This is also influenced by the use use of the strait between the islands as international route, especially from East Asian countries such of the strait between the islands as international route, especially from East Asian countries such as as South Korea, Japan and China and Southeast Asia including Singapore to reach Australia [1–3]. South Korea, Japan and China and Southeast Asia including Singapore to reach Australia [1–3]. Balikpapan Banda Aceh 10 trajectories Ternate 2 trajectories 8 vessels 16 trajectories 2 ports 2 vessels Batam Bitung 8 vessels 7 trajectories 5 trajectories 3 ports 8 vessels Pontianak 3 vessels Biak 2 ports 10 trajectories 1 port Sorong 7 trajectories Singkil 3 vessels 4 trajectories 7 vessels 18 trajectories 3 vessels 4 vessels Luwuk Padang Batulicin 11 trajectories 4 trajectories 2 trajectories 6 vessels 2 vessels 3 vessels 1 port Ambon 2 ports Surabaya Bajoe 10 trajectories 3 trajectories 10 vessels 3 vessels 1 trajectory 5 ports Bakauheni 2 ports 1 vessel 2 ports 1 trajectory 1 port Merak Merauke Jepara 8 trajectories 1 trajectory Ketapang 2 trajectories 2 vessels 6 vessels 1 trajectory Kupang 2vessels 1 port 2 vessels 21 trajectories 2 ports 7 vessels 3 ports Figure 1. Location of port infrastructure across Indonesia territory (based on information in Ref. [4]). Figure 1. Location of port infrastructure across Indonesia territory (based on information in ref. [4]). With due consideration for the traffic situation of archipelago countries through the use of IndonesiaWith asdue a representative, consideration itfor is mandatorythe traffic tosituation ensure shipof archipelago safety during countries daily operation. through the However, use of theIndonesia most serious as a represent threat wasative, observed it is mandatory to be the possible to ensure occurrence ship safety of during impact loaddaily due operation to several. However, causes, andthe themost data serious recently threat released was byobserved Allianz to [5 ]be indicated the possible collision occurrence and grounding of impact to be load the mostdue to frequent. several Thecauses high, and number the data of casualtiesrecently released as a result by Allianz of these [5] usually indicated vary, collision but they and are gro allunding usually to triggered be the most by thefrequent structural. The rupturehigh number of the of load casualties [6–9], and as thisa result makes of these it important usually tovary conduct, but they an analysis are all usually on the subject.triggered Therefore, by the structural the objective rupture of this of study the load was to[6– investigate9], and this the makes collision it important phenomenon to conduct of impact an loadanalysis involving on the two subject. ships using Therefore, a numerical the objective approach, of i.e., this nonlinear study was finite to element investigate method the (NLFEM). collision Thisphenomenon method was of impact considered load suitableinvolving for two this ships case sinceusing thea numerical analytical approach method, is i.e. limited, nonlinear in term finite of materialelement aspectmethod and (NLFEM). structural This complexity method andwas becauseconsidered the idealizedsuitable for phenomena this case since were inthe large analytical scale involvingmethod is several limited parameters. in term of Furthermore,material aspect the and comparison structural of thecomplexity structural and parameters because basedthe idealized on the NLFEMphenomena analysis were was in discussedlarge scale as involving a contact several scenario parameters. is designed Furthermore, by varying collision the comparison angle. of the structural parameters based on the NLFEM analysis was discussed as a contact scenario is designed 2. Literature Reviews: Ro-Ro and Maritime Incidents by varying collision angle. The first time Ro-Ro was introduced to the public, it was intended to transport train carriages between2. Literature the margins Reviews: of Ro the-Ro rivers and consideredMaritime Incidents too wide for bridges in Scotland
Load more

Recommended publications
  • China's Merchant Marine
    “China’s Merchant Marine” A paper for the China as “Maritime Power” Conference July 28-29, 2015 CNA Conference Facility Arlington, Virginia by Dennis J. Blasko1 Introductory Note: The Central Intelligence Agency’s World Factbook defines “merchant marine” as “all ships engaged in the carriage of goods; or all commercial vessels (as opposed to all nonmilitary ships), which excludes tugs, fishing vessels, offshore oil rigs, etc.”2 At the end of 2014, the world’s merchant ship fleet consisted of over 89,000 ships.3 According to the BBC: Under international law, every merchant ship must be registered with a country, known as its flag state. That country has jurisdiction over the vessel and is responsible for inspecting that it is safe to sail and to check on the crew’s working conditions. Open registries, sometimes referred to pejoratively as flags of convenience, have been contentious from the start.4 1 Dennis J. Blasko, Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army (Retired), a Senior Research Fellow with CNA’s China Studies division, is a former U.S. army attaché to Beijing and Hong Kong and author of The Chinese Army Today (Routledge, 2006).The author wishes to express his sincere thanks and appreciation to Rear Admiral Michael McDevitt, U.S. Navy (Ret), for his guidance and patience in the preparation and presentation of this paper. 2 Central Intelligence Agency, “Country Comparison: Merchant Marine,” The World Factbook, https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2108.html. According to the Factbook, “DWT or dead weight tonnage is the total weight of cargo, plus bunkers, stores, etc., that a ship can carry when immersed to the appropriate load line.
    [Show full text]
  • Regulatory Issues in International Martime Transport
    Organisation de Coopération et de Développement Economiques Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development __________________________________________________________________________________________ Or. Eng. DIRECTORATE FOR SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND INDUSTRY DIVISION OF TRANSPORT REGULATORY ISSUES IN INTERNATIONAL MARTIME TRANSPORT Contact: Mr. Wolfgang Hübner, Head of the Division of Transport, DSTI, Tel: (33 1) 45 24 91 32 ; Fax: (33 1) 45 24 93 86 ; Internet: [email protected] Or. Eng. Or. Document complet disponible sur OLIS dans son format d’origine Complete document available on OLIS in its original format 1 Summary This report focuses on regulations governing international liner and bulk shipping. Both modes are closely linked to international trade, deriving from it their growth. Also, as a service industry to trade international shipping, which is by far the main mode of international transport of goods, has facilitated international trade and has contributed to its expansion. Total seaborne trade volume was estimated by UNCTAD to have reached 5330 million metric tons in 2000. The report discusses the web of regulatory measures that surround these two segments of the shipping industry, and which have a considerable impact on its performance. As well as reviewing administrative regulations to judge whether they meet their intended objectives efficiently and effectively, the report examines all those aspects of economic regulations that restrict entry, exit, pricing and normal commercial practices, including different forms of business organisation. However, those regulatory elements that cover competition policy as applied to liner shipping will be dealt with in a separate study to be undertaken by the OECD Secretariat Many measures that apply to maritime transport services are not part of a regulatory framework but constitute commercial practices of market operators.
    [Show full text]
  • Maneuvers for Service Under MSC Charter New AMO Jobs with AMSEA on Second BBC Cargo Ship
    Volume 42, Number 5 May 2012 BBC Seattle re-flagged Swift maneuvers for service under MSC charter New AMO jobs with AMSEA on second BBC cargo ship The U.S.-flagged high-speed vessel (HSV 2) Swift and the French warship Adroit recently performed steaming exercises together. The Swift is operated for the U.S. Navy’s Military Sealift Command by Sealift Inc. and is manned in all licensed positions by American Maritime Officers. AMO aboard Q-max LNG carrier Aamira American Maritime Officers mem- bers working aboard the LNG car- Photo: Captain Bud Conroy rier Aamira in April, here during a transit of the Suez Canal headed The U.S. flag was raised aboard the for Milford Haven, Wales, included newly renamed multipurpose cargo Third Assistant Engineer Matthew ship BBC Seattle on April 28. The ship’s Arnold and First Assistant re-flag team consisted of First Assistant Engineer Tom McCarthy. AMO offi- Engineer Kevin Hogle, Port Engineer cers sail in senior and junior posi- Matt Burnett, Chief Engineer Matt tions aboard LNG carriers in the Campbell, and Chief Mate Peter Kirk. Nakilat fleet operated for Qatargas The BBC Seattle will be fully crewed in by Shell Ship Management early May and will enter service under Limited. The Aamira, among the charter to the U.S. Navy’s Military world’s largest and most advanced Sealift Command later in the month. Q-max LNG carriers — with a General Dynamics American Overseas capacity of 266,000 cubic meters, Marine is providing crew management was delivered to Nakilat and services for the BBC Seattle and BBC Qatargas in May of 2010.
    [Show full text]
  • U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office
    U.S. Coast Guard Historian’s Office Preserving Our History For Future Generations ICEBREAKERS AND THE U.S. COAST GUARD by Donald L. Canney Among the many missions of the U.S. Coast Guard, icebreaking is generally viewed as a rather narrow specialty, associated most often in the public mind with expeditions into the vast Polar unknowns. However, a study into the service's history of ice operations reveals a broad spectrum of tasks - ranging from the support of pure science to the eminently practical job of life saving on frozen waters. Furthermore, the nature of each of these functions is such that none can be considered "optional": all are vital - whether it be in the arena of national defense, maritime safety, international trade, or the global economy. The origin of icebreaking in the United States came in the 1830s, with the advent of steam propulsion. It was found that side-wheel steamers with reinforced bows were an excellent means of dealing with harbor ice, a problem common to East Coast ports as far south as the Chesapeake Bay. These seasonal tasks were common, but were strictly local efforts with no need to involve the Coast Guard (then called the Revenue Marine or Revenue Cutter Service). The service's first serious encounter with operations in ice came after the purchase of Alaska in 1867. The Revenue Cutter Lincoln became the first of many cutters to operate in Alaskan waters. Though the vessel was a conventional wooden steamer, she made three cruises in Alaskan waters before 1870. Since that time the Bering Sea patrol and other official - and unofficial - tasks made the Revenue Service a significant part of the development of that territory and state.
    [Show full text]
  • Basic Concepts of Maritime Transport and Its Present Status in Latin America and the Caribbean
    or. iH"&b BASIC CONCEPTS OF MARITIME TRANSPORT AND ITS PRESENT STATUS IN LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN . ' ftp • ' . J§ WAC 'At 'li ''UWD te. , • • ^ > o UNITED NATIONS 1 fc r> » t 4 CR 15 n I" ti i CUADERNOS DE LA CEP AL BASIC CONCEPTS OF MARITIME TRANSPORT AND ITS PRESENT STATUS IN LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN ECONOMIC COMMISSION FOR LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN UNITED NATIONS Santiago, Chile, 1987 LC/G.1426 September 1987 This study was prepared by Mr Tnmas Sepûlveda Whittle. Consultant to ECLAC's Transport and Communications Division. The opinions expressed here are the sole responsibility of the author, and do not necessarily coincide with those of the United Nations. Translated in Canada for official use by the Multilingual Translation Directorate, Trans- lation Bureau, Ottawa, from the Spanish original Los conceptos básicos del transporte marítimo y la situación de la actividad en América Latina. The English text was subse- quently revised and has been extensively updated to reflect the most recent statistics available. UNITED NATIONS PUBLICATIONS Sales No. E.86.II.G.11 ISSN 0252-2195 ISBN 92-1-121137-9 * « CONTENTS Page Summary 7 1. The importance of transport 10 2. The predominance of maritime transport 13 3. Factors affecting the shipping business 14 4. Ships 17 5. Cargo 24 6. Ports 26 7. Composition of the shipping industry 29 8. Shipping conferences 37 9. The Code of Conduct for Liner Conferences 40 10. The Consultation System 46 * 11. Conference freight rates 49 12. Transport conditions 54 13. Marine insurance 56 V 14.
    [Show full text]
  • 'Liberty'cargo Ship
    ‘LIBERTY’ CARGO SHIP FEATURE ARTICLE written by James Davies for KEY INFORMATION Country of Origin: United States of America Manufacturers: Alabama Dry Dock Co, Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyards Inc, California Shipbuilding Corp, Delta Shipbuilding Co, J A Jones Construction Co (Brunswick), J A Jones Construction Co (Panama City), Kaiser Co, Marinship Corp, New England Shipbuilding Corp, North Carolina Shipbuilding Co, Oregon Shipbuilding Corp, Permanente Metals Co, St Johns River Shipbuilding Co, Southeastern Shipbuilding Corp, Todd Houston Shipbuilding Corp, Walsh-Kaiser Co. Major Variants: General cargo, tanker, collier, (modifications also boxed aircraft transport, tank transport, hospital ship, troopship). Role: Cargo transport, troop transport, hospital ship, repair ship. Operated by: United States of America, Great Britain, (small quantity also Norway, Belgium, Soviet Union, France, Greece, Netherlands and other nations). First Laid Down: 30th April 1941 Last Completed: 30th October 1945 Units: 2,711 ships laid down, 2,710 entered service. Released by WW2Ships.com USA OTHER SHIPS www.WW2Ships.com FEATURE ARTICLE 'Liberty' Cargo Ship © James Davies Contents CONTENTS ‘Liberty’ Cargo Ship ...............................................................................................................1 Key Information .......................................................................................................................1 Contents.....................................................................................................................................2
    [Show full text]
  • Towline V. 63 16 Layout 1
    Good Work on the Water Moran at 150: a Reflection he year 2010 marks Moran’s tressed by the company’s driving work ethic and 150th anniversary in busi- its knack for recognizing and seizing opportunity. ness, and the company’s long In the early days, the towing business was immi- and storied history has been grants’ work. They came in waves, looking for quite a voyage. Moran’s ves- meaningful, rewarding employment — rugged, sels have churned steadfastly pioneering spirits who could be fiercely ambitious. onward from era to era, man- In early-20th-century New York Harbor, the pre- aging to prosper through the dominant method of securing towing work was to company’s formative years in race out ahead of the competition and meet an Tthe 1800s, two World Wars, the Great Depression, incoming ship as it entered a channel, whereupon the boom and bust years of the late 20th century, you would nail the contract. There were around 50 and into the globally connected 21st century. tugboat companies flourishing in the Harbor. What accounts for such staying power? Fewer than ten remain today. The answer could doubtless fill a doorstop of a In essence, Moran’s good fortune continued book, brimming with pictures ranging from the unabated as the company grew along with the historic to the nostalgic. But the short answer is, American economy, in an industry so necessary Moran’s evolution as a company is an epic story of for prosperity that it defied obsolescence. It was fortunate timing compounded by hard work and not all happenstance, of course; long before entrepreneurial vision.
    [Show full text]
  • N.S. Savannah History – World's First Nuclear Merchant Ship
    N.S. Savannah History – World’s First Nuclear Merchant Ship CONSTRUCTION OF THE N.S. SAVANNAH (NSS) BEGAN WITH A CEREMONY ON MARITIME DAY IN 1958. MAMIE EISENHOWER CHRISTENED THE SHIP IN 1959 AND BY EARLY 1962 THE SHIP WAS AT SEA. THE SHIP’S MAIDEN VOYAGE TO SAVANNAH, GEORGIA TOOK PLACE IN AUGUST 1962. The NSS entered service as an experimental ship and MARAD placed the NSS into a reserve fleet in Virginia, spent three years sailing to ports in the U.S. and overseas while carrying out an allowed period of storage before carrying passengers, cargo and goodwill. Thousands of decommissioning the nuclear power plant. After another people visited the ship in each port, bringing the vision of round of shipyard maintenance, MARAD moved the NSS Atoms for Peace to the world. When the experiment was to Baltimore in 2008. It is here that MARAD will safely finished, the NSS operated as a cargo ship for another conduct the decommissioning process and determine five years. By 1970, the NSS achieved its objectives and Savannah’s future. the project ended. Savannah sailed 454,675 miles on 163 pounds of uranium; if it had been oil-fired, Savannah would have burned nearly 29 million gallons of fuel. Like all commercial nuclear power plants, the NSS is licensed by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). After the ship’s fuel was removed in 1971, the reactor was made inoperable and the NRC converted MARAD’s license to only allow possession of the reactor. The license was modified to allow the NSS to operate as a museum in South Carolina from 1982 to 1994.
    [Show full text]
  • The Ship of Saint Paul: Historical Background
    Trinity University Digital Commons @ Trinity Classical Studies Faculty Research Classical Studies Department 3-1990 The hiS p of Saint Paul: Historical Background Nicolle E. Hirschfeld Trinity University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.trinity.edu/class_faculty Part of the Classics Commons Repository Citation Hirschfeld, N. (1990). The ship of ains t Paul: Historical background. Biblical Archaeologist, 53(1 'An Underwater View of the Ancient World'), 25-30. doi:10.2307/3210150 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Classical Studies Department at Digital Commons @ Trinity. It has been accepted for inclusion in Classical Studies Faculty Research by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Trinity. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Part I The Ship of Saint Paul Historical Background by Nicolle Hirschfeld n c.E. 62, Saint Paul left Caesa­ rea for Italy. Sailing in a vessel I of unknown type, he reached Myra on the southern coast of Tu rkey, where he boarded another ship for the second leg of his trip. Acts 27:6-28:16 records subsequent events: the voyage to Crete made dif­ ficult by unusual autumnal winds; an attempt to find a Cretan harbor in which to stay the winter; and finally the tempest that drove the ship across the Adriatic and caused it to wreck on the island of Melita (Malta). This story is more than a tale of adventure. From the perspective of nautical archaeology, it preserves important information about the type of vessel on which Paul and his companions sailed: a ship en route from Alexandria to Italy (Acts 27:6), carrying grain as its cargo (Acts 27:38), as well as 2 7 6 passengers and crew members (Acts 27:37).
    [Show full text]
  • Archaeological Damage from Offshore Dredging: Recommendations for Pre-Operational Surveys and Mitigation During Dredging to Avoid Adverse Impacts
    OCS STUDY MMS 2004-005 ARCHAEOLOGICAL DAMAGE FROM OFFSHORE DREDGING: RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PRE-OPERATIONAL SURVEYS AND MITIGATION DURING DREDGING TO AVOID ADVERSE IMPACTS PREPARED FOR: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE Under Contract Number No. 01-02-CT-85139 February 2004 OCS Report MMS 2004-005 ARCHAEOLOGICAL DAMAGE FROM OFFSHORE DREDGING: RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PRE-OPERATIONAL SURVEYS AND MITIGATION DURING DREDGING TO AVOID ADVERSE IMPACTS Prepared for: Leasing Division, Sand and Gravel Unit Minerals Management Service U.S. Department of Interior Herndon, Virginia Prepared by: Research Planning, Inc. Columbia, South Carolina Tidewater Atlantic Research, Inc. Washington, North Carolina W.F. Baird & Associates Ltd. Madison, Wisconsin February 2004 DISCLAIMER This report has been reviewed by the Minerals Management Service and approved for publication. Approval does not signify that the contents necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Service, nor does mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation for use. Cover Art: Painting by Fitz Hugh Lane (M-19323). Published in Johnson, P. F., 1983. Steam and the Sea. Peabody Museum of Salem, Salem, Massachusetts, p.63. i TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................1 2.0 METHODS OF STUDY......................................................................................................2 2.1 Worldwide Review of Current Dredging
    [Show full text]
  • Shipping Under the Jones Act: Legislative and Regulatory Background
    Shipping Under the Jones Act: Legislative and Regulatory Background Updated November 21, 2019 Congressional Research Service https://crsreports.congress.gov R45725 SUMMARY R45725 Shipping Under the Jones Act: November 21, 2019 Legislative and Regulatory Background John Frittelli The Jones Act, which refers to Section 27 of the Merchant Marine Act of 1920 (P.L. 66-261), Specialist in requires that vessels transporting cargo from one U.S. point to another U.S. point be U.S.-built, Transportation Policy and owned and crewed by U.S. citizens. The act provides a significant degree of protection for U.S. shipyards, domestic carriers, and American merchant sailors. It is a subject of debate because some experts argue that it leads to high domestic ocean shipping costs and constrains the availability of ships for domestic use. The Jones Act has come into prominence amid debates over Puerto Rico’s economic challenges and recovery from Hurricane Maria in 2017; in the investigation into the sinking of the ship El Faro with 33 fatalities during a hurricane in 2015; and in discussions about domestic transportation of oil and natural gas. The law’s effectiveness in achieving national security goals has also been the subject of attention in conjunction with a congressional directive that the Administration develop a national maritime strategy, including strategies to increase the use of short sea shipping and enhance U.S. shipbuilding capability. Defense officials have stated that while the Jones Act helps preserve a baseline of shipyard capability, the dwindling size of the fleet indicates a need to reassess current policy.
    [Show full text]
  • NATIONAL REGISTER ELIGIBILITY ASSESSMENT VESSEL: SS Cape Alava, Ex-SS African Comet
    NATIONAL REGISTER ELIGIBILITY ASSESSMENT VESSEL: SS Cape Alava, ex-SS African Comet Vessel History Top: SS Cape Alava underway. Right: SS African Comet at the James River Reserve Fleet circa 1980. Maritime Administration photos. Vessel History The African Comet, later renamed Cape Alava, was designed by New York naval architects, Gibbs and Cox, Inc. It was built by the Ingalls Shipbuilding Corporation in Pascagoula, Mississippi in 1962 for Farrell Lines, Inc., a steamship company then headquartered in New York, which operated principally in the U.S. East Coast-Africa trade. The ship was built under several Federal ship subsidy and financing programs.1 After serving Farrell Lines in commercial trade, the African Comet was acquired by the government under the terms of the Ship Exchange Program of the Merchant Marine Act of 1936.2 It was renamed Cape Alava and placed into defense sealift service with the Ready Reserve Force (RRF). The ship is still active but will be downgraded in the next year. It is located in the Maritime Administration’s RRF at Fort Eustis, Virginia. The Cape Alava is one in a group of six general cargo/break-bulk3 vessels classified as C4-S-58a under the Maritime Administration’s design classification scheme. The other five ships included the African Mercury (Cape Ann), African Meteor (Cape Alexander), African Neptune (Cape Archway), African Sun (Cape Avinof) and African Dawn. The 1 Subsidy programs under the Merchant Marine Act of 1936, as amended, included Construction Differential Subsidy (CDS) and Operating Differential Subsidy (ODS). Another form of financing included Federal Ship Financing Guarantees, more commonly known as “Title XI” loan guarantees.
    [Show full text]