Political Quotes

“I rise in support of H.R. 2838, Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2012, which we sent to the President late last week. This important bill provides authorization for all of the programs and missions of the United States Coast Guard, along with provisions important to the maritime industry. One important provision in the bill addresses the tonnage situation of the vessel Aqueos Acadian. The system of tonnage measurement, though arcane and complicated, is vital to the operation and economics of any vessel. In the case of the Aqueos Acadian, its original configuration in 1973 was certified in Coast Guard documentation to be 274 gross registered tons, GRT, which is the official domestic tonnage measurement. Later, the vessel had an addition of a closed-in shelter deck, which increased its domestic tonnage, as well as its international tonnage, which is measured differently than domestic tonnage under the International Tonnage Convention, ITC, rules. Later still, the modifications that increased the tonnage measurements were removed, and the vessel's official documents were issued by the Coast Guard and ABS to reflect that its GRT had been reduced to 275, almost exactly the original tonnage. Vessels with greater than 300 GRT have safety and manning requirements much more complicated than vessels at or below 300 GRT.…”