With plenty of US-flagged ships and crew available, offshore wind operators continue to use legislative loophole to hire foreign vessels and mariners
NEW ORLEANS, LA – The Offshore Marine Services Association (OMSA), a New-Orleans based advocacy organization for the U.S. offshore industry, will participate in a panel discussion titled “U.S. Shipbuilders, Mariners and Operators Role in Offshore Energy” at the International WorkBoat Show in New Orleans on Thursday, December 1.
WHAT: This panel will explore the latest policy developments tied to the Jones Act and the U.S. Coast Guard Bill and the related impacts on the American offshore energy markets. Gathering diverse perspectives from the offshore wind industry, shipbuilders, and marine operators, panelists will discuss the state of the offshore energy industry, in particular growing offshore wind initiatives, its economic impact, and opportunities for further advancing industry capabilities and U.S. workforces tied to this market.
Panelists will also provide commentary on the role of policy, such as the American Offshore Worker Fairness Act (AOWFA), to ensure American interests are advanced while fulfilling the promise of building a clean offshore energy industry. AOFWA would require foreign vessels to utilize either U.S. mariners or citizens of the vessel’s home country while operating in offshore energy activities in U.S. waters. The legislation further reduces the cost disparity between the U.S.-flagged and foreign-flagged vessels by:
· Requiring foreign mariners working in the U.S. offshore energy markets secure a Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC). Current regulations allow such mariners the option to secure a TWIC while U.S. mariners are required to secure and hold a valid TWIC.
· Limiting the number of visas that can be issued for each foreign vessel operating in U.S. waters and taking steps to ensure that these visas are connected to the mariner’s work on that vessel.
· Requiring each foreign vessel in U.S. offshore energy markets to prove their ownership structure annually.
· Requiring each foreign vessel in U.S. offshore energy markets to prove their ownership structure annually.
· Requiring the U.S. Coast Guard to annually inspect foreign-flagged vessels operating in U.S. offshore energy markets to ensure compliance with these changes.
AOWFA does not change the nature of existing law, rather it closes a dangerous, unfair loophole that gives preferential treatment to low-wage workers at the expense of American workers.
WHEN: Thursday, December 1, 2022 from 2:00 - 2:45pm CST
WHERE: New Orleans Morial Convention Center (900 Convention Center Blvd. New Orleans, LA 70130)
PANELISTS:
· John Begala, Vice President for Federal and State Policy, Business Network for Offshore Wind
· William Hanson, SVP, Government Relations & Business Development, Great Lakes Dredge & Dock
· Aaron Smith, President, Offshore Marine Service Association
· Robert Vosbein, Jr., General Counsel & Chief Administrative Officer, Harvey Gulf International Marine
· Paula Zorensky, Vice President, Shipbuilders Council of America
MEDIA AVAILABILITY: If interested in a media interview with OMSA President Aaron Smith before or after the panel discussion, please contact media@annacomms.com
Additional information about the International WorkBoat Show and corresponding panel discussions in the Think Tank Program can be found here. Advanced registration is required to attend.
The Offshore Marine Service Association (OMSA) is the leading association of and spokesman and advocate for the offshore marine transportation service industry in the United States. The association represents 120-member companies and their 12,000 U.S. employees based throughout the U.S. For more information, please visit www.offshoremarine.org.
