NMMA Predicts NAFTA Will
Generate $75 Million
Primed from its recent Congres-
sional success on repeal of the ex-
cise tax on boats, the National Ma-
rine Manufacturers Association
(NMMA) mobilized a grassroots
campaign across the country to back
White House efforts to win affirma-
tive votes on NAFTA. "Our indus-
try stands to gain over $75 million
in annual sales over the next five
years with NAFTA's elimination of
the 20 percent Mexican tariff on
boats," said Jeff W. Napier, presi-
dent of the NMMA. "That means an
additional 5,000 production jobs in
this country."
Marine manufacturers have re-
lied on foreign markets during the
recession to sustain jobs and busi-
nesses. According to a recent sur-
vey of NMMA members who ac-
count for 95 percent of boat produc-
tion, 75 percent are active exporters
with some selling as much as 25 to
50 percent of their production out-
side the U.S.
Reliance Electric Names
Peterson Builders' Anti-Mine
Vessel "Ship Of The Year"
Reliance Electric Company has
named the mine countermeasure
(MCM) vessel MCM-11 Gladiator
built by Peterson Builders, Inc. (PBI)
When You Look At Everything You Put Into
A Barge, You Should Expect A Lot Out Of It.
You put a lot into a barge. It carries
whatever you ship. But you carry it,
too: On your books. For about 25
years, if it's built by Jeffboat.
So you'd better get a lot out of it.
And that's why Jeffboat builds so
much in. From Computer-Aided Design
to actual fabrication, a Jeffboat barge is built to exacting
specifications. With heavier plating and structural members.
Wheelabrated and coated steel. Welding that meets
or exceeds ABS specifications. And the kind
of construction only a crew of experienced
Jeffboat craftsmen can deliver. JEFFBOAT
That's quality. It's why most Jeff-
boat barges perform years beyond an
owner's expectations. And why they
consistently bring high resale prices
in transfers and auctions.
Quality. Value. The reasons Jeffboat
barges have been the industry bench-
mark for decades. They're built for the long haul. And the
long term.
So before you put a lot into a barge, think about what you
expect out of it. Then think Jeffboat. It's a name
that carries a lot of weight: And delivers. Call
812-288-0200 for a new brochure today.
©1992, Jeffboat
America's largest inland shipbuilder.
P.O. Box 610, Jeffersonville, Indiana 47130
Phone (812) 288-0200
Circle 218 on Reader Service Card
t{ Member. THE AMERICAN WATERWAYS OPERATORS. INC.
of Sturgeon Bay, Wis., ship of the
year. The presentation was made to
Ellsworth L. Peterson, president
of PBI, during the SNAME Annual
Meeting and Maritime Exposition
in New York City.
PBI has delivered nine Avenger
Class MCM vessels and will soon
deliver the Chief (MCM-14), the fi-
nal vessel in the class. These ves-
sels have hulls and superstructures
made of wood, and PBI is one of only
a few shipyards in the world capable
of constructing wood-hulled vessels
this large. For more information on
Peterson Builders,
Circle 113 on Reader Service Card
House Approves Bill To
Penalize Subsidized Foreign-
Built, Repaired Vessels
The House Ways and Means
Trade Subcommittee approved Nov.
9 by voice vote a bill to impose finan-
cial penalties on vessels built or
repaired in subsidized foreign ship-
yards. The bill's goal is to aid U.S.
shipbuilders, who contend that sub-
sidies have unfairly enabled foreign
yards to dominate the commercial
shipbuilding market. At least 20
foreign countries subsidize their
shipyards, a recent federal study
found. The penalties in the bill (HR
1402) range from denying vessels
entry into U.S. ports to imposing a
fee between $500,000 and $ 1 million
per voyage. Subsidizing countries
would have six months to negotiate
an agreement phasing out their sub-
sidies before the first penalties were
imposed.
Before the bill was approved,
Chairman Sam Gibbons (D-Fla.)
offered a substitute amendment that
removed one of the bill's most con-
troversial sections. That section
would have imposed heavy duties
on companies that buy or lease ships
built in foreign-subsidized yards or
that have ships repaired there.
The bill's underlying purpose is
to give the U.S. more leverage in the
international negotiations to end
shipbuilding subsidies. U.S. offi-
cials have been seeking such an
agreement for several years, but
their clout is limited — the U.S.
unilaterally ended its shipbuilding
subsidies in 1981.
Texaco Unit Names New
President
With the completion of the reor-
ganization and relocation to Los
Angeles of Texaco Refining and
Marketing Inc. (TRMI), Donald H.
Schmude, a vice president of Texaco
Inc. and president of TRMI, will
relinquish his position with TRMI
and relocate from Los Angeles to
Anacortes, Wash, to work on sev-
eral special corporate projects. The
change is effective December 1.
Thomas M. Matthews has been
elected a vice president of Texaco,
Inc. and the new president of TRMI.
In his new position, Mr. Matthews
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8 Maritime Reporter/Engineering News
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