'These are owners who want to do the right thing - to earn money but also to do a lot of good'

摘要

US vessel operators blown off course by the worst recession in decades are taking a sober look at one of the most successful humanitarian programmes in the world - one which also happens to underpin the economics of the US-flagged fleet.rnFood for Peace, commonly called Public Law 480 (PL480), is the centrepiece of US international food aid, with close to $1.7Bn in government funding earmarked for it in 2010. Alongside cargo preference and tonnage tax laws, the programme provides high-cost US flag carriers with the financial support to make flagging in the US viable while providing a fleet of ships that can be used to carry people and supplies in war time and in responding to natural disasters.