MARAD ISSUES CARGO PREFERENCE WAIVER WARNING

MARAD ISSUES CARGO PREFERENCE WAIVER WARNING    The Maritime Administration’s review of ways to streamline the process of obtaining waivers to U.S. flag shipping requirements for transporting government preference cargoes has run into complications, according to the agency’s associate administrator of financial approvals and cargo preference, James J. Zok.
   Zok said MarAd encountered problems with a waiver application that allegedly had been “manipulated” to avoid using U.S. flagships. He put shippers and forwarders on notice that future waiver requests that fail to detail timing and bundling requirements will be denied.
      The problem will most likely delay MarAd’s ruling on a proposal to reform the waiver process, Zok said.