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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 (Continued on page 10) 8 Maritime Reporter/Engineering News
