Expansion of program to aid U.S.-flag fleet called 'historic victory'

摘要

Expansion of the Maritime Security Program to include more militarily useful cargo ships over a 10-year period was greeted as a "historic victory" for the U.S. Merchant Marine by Gloria Cataneo Tosi, president of the American Maritime Congress. "Without the Maritime Security Program, the U.S.-flag fleet in the international trades will disappear almost entirely, as U.S.-flag vessel operators register their ships in foreign countries or go out of business," Tosi said. Ron Davis, president of the Marine Engineers' Beneficial Association, labeled the program as "indispensable" and "a pillar of maritime policy."