SCHUBERT EXPECTS MSP HEARING

SCHUBERT EXPECTS MSP HEARING    U.S. Maritime Administrator William G. Schubert said he anticipates a call from Congress to testify on the merits and future of the Maritime Security Program.
   “Reauthorization of the Maritime Security Program, or MSP, is a very important issue that we are focusing on at the Maritime Administration,” said Schubert at a U.S. merchant marine reserve conference in New Orleans Jan. 17. “This initiative directly translates into U.S.-flag sailing jobs for our mariners.”
   MSP, established by the 1996 Maritime Security Act, expires on Sept. 30, 2005, but already a lobbying effort is underway by the U.S.-flag vessel industry to reauthorize and expand MSP.
   U.S.-flag carrier and maritime union leaders asked Congress to increase the number of ships enrolled in MSP from 47 to 60, and raise the level of government payment per ship in the program from $2.1 million a year to $3.5 million per ship annually.
   The House Armed Services Committee held a series of hearings on MSP reauthorization last year. The committee is expected to hold additional hearings this year. The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation has also indicated that it would review MSP reauthorization in 2003.
   “We (at MarAd) are awaiting a consensus from industry on a reauthorization package… And hopefully, my testimony will help shape a consensus among the players,” Schubert said.
   “I am confident that a strong MSP will succeed, as the Maritime Security Program is vital to our nation’s military readiness, preparedness, and stability of a U.S.-flag fleet and U.S. citizen mariner workforce.”