Puerto Rico needs to make "clear demands" to the U.S. government regarding what is needed to pull through its present difficulties, including requesting more flexibility with the Jones Act, a legislation that is also hurting Hawaii.
We knew that the recently completed study on Puerto Rico’s maritime cargo would be controversial because cabotage issues, part of the study, have been discussed for decades and have become an emotional and politically charged subject.
A recent study by the firm Estudios Técnicos, paid by Jones Act shippers, purports to show the benefits for Puerto Rico of the Jones Act. The federal law requires all goods transported by water between U.S. ports be carried in U.S.-flag ships, built in the U.S. and crewed by U.S. citizens and permanent residents. The analysis, as described by a local business publication, makes for sad reading.
A Dow Jones/Factiva content provider since 2014
Subscribe to our Dollars & Sense podcast!
