Chairman Mario Cordero Statement on National Maritime Day

May 23, 2016

Federal Maritime Commission Chairman Mario Cordero made the following statement today regarding National Maritime Day:

“Ever since settlers set foot at Jamestown and Plymouth Rock, the United States has been a nation whose very foundation is tied to the sea, trade, and maritime transportation.

From the earliest days of American History, our businesses have turned to overseas markets to sell their goods and commodities, relying on merchant mariners and merchant vessels to link nations and create opportunities for prosperity. Wooden-hulled sail vessels of the 18th and 19th centuries have given way to massive ships capable of carrying up to the equivalent of 18,000 twenty foot containers.These are the vehicles that drive modern supply chains and economies.

United States Merchant Mariners and fleets do not simply connect markets, they also make an invaluable contribution to national security. Repeatedly over the past 240-years, the U.S. Merchant Marine has supported our armed forces in a variety of ways, and to this day, they play a critical role in meeting the logistics requirements of our military.

On this 83rd annual National Maritime Day, I not only salute the men and women who comprise our Merchant Marine for their dedicated efforts to furthering trade and security; but remind all that we are a Nation dependent on oceanborne international trade and we must work diligently to assure our domestic ports and intermodal networks are sufficient to continue to bring benefits to American consumers and exporters.”