The following letter was sent today to Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas by Ku'uhaku Park, president of the American Maritime Partnership, a coalition of which American Maritime Officers Service is a member and which American Maritime Officers supports.

Thank you for leading the Department's efforts to help Puerto Rico, home to many of our member companies' employees and their families. Yesterday, several Members of Congress sent you a letter calling for a one-year waiver of the Jones Act in response to Hurricane Fiona, noting, "the island is now facing an unprecedented uphill battle to rebuild its homes, businesses, and communities." They allege that temporarily waiving the Jones Act "will allow Puerto Rico to have more access to the oil needed for its power plants, food, medicines, clothing, and building supplies." The American Maritime Partnership ("AMP"), representing the American domestic maritime industry, opposes any waiver of the Jones Act in this situation because it is unnecessary to facilitate cargo deliveries to Puerto Rico and will not help the people affected by Hurricane Fiona.

We agree with the Members' statement in the letter that nothing is more important right now than the security, safety and well-being of fellow Americans in Puerto Rico, which is why the domestic American maritime industry is working around the clock to assist with the recovery from the impacts of Hurricane Fiona. The Coast Guard reopened all ports in Puerto Rico expeditiously after the storm passed, and domestic vessel operators who regularly serve Puerto Rico were able to immediately restart operations once the ports reopened. Their ability to provide such prompt service to Puerto Rico is due to their preexisting investment in dedicated terminals, equipment, employees and vessels dedicated to the U.S.-Puerto Rico trade.

In the immediate aftermath of the storm, domestic carriers reported that there were approximately 2,000 loaded containers that were already in port before the storm arrived that were available for immediate unloading once it was safe to begin operations. Six domestic vessels have unloaded in the reopened ports or will arrive in Puerto Rico by the end of the day today. These vessels are carrying approximately 4,000 containers.

In addition to the consistent, reliable service that the domestic carriers provide, these operators have additional capacity to deliver any needed FEMA or other relief cargoes. And because these are American companies with American workers serving their fellow Americans, these operators are prioritizing needed supplies for Puerto Rico and holding commercial cargo in Jacksonville to ensure that the San Juan terminal has additional surge capacity for emergency supplies.

There are no indications that a waiver of the Jones Act is needed to deliver "oil" to the island, whether that is gasoline, diesel, jet fuel or bunker fuel. The Department of Energy has consistently reported this week that Puerto Rico has adequate supplies of these cargoes. In addition, one domestic operator reports that they have an ATB delivering 143,000 barrels of diesel to Puerto Rico this week. It is also important to note that Puerto Rico imports virtually all of it refined petroleum products - gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, kerosene - from non-U.S. sources.

U.S. domestic vessel operators are dedicated to serving the people of Puerto Rico, and did so consistently following Hurricane Maria as well. FEMA called Jones Act deliveries in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria "the largest sea-bridge operation of federal disaster aid in FEMA history". Any delay in receiving needed cargoes is not because the goods were not getting to the ports in the wake of Hurricane Maria; it was due to damaged surface infrastructure that delayed the movement of inland cargoes. There is a potential for the same issue to happen in the case of Hurricane Fiona, although we understand cargoes are flowing at this time.

AMP appreciates this Administration's support of the people of Puerto Rico in immediately granting a federal disaster declaration, and we appreciate the Administration's steadfast support of the Jones Act as well. Domestic vessel operators stand ready to assist Puerto Rico with the rebuilding process and remain committed to serving the island. As always, thank you for your interest in this important matter.