[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 166 (Wednesday, October 25, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S15686-S15687]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. HOLLINGS:
  S. 1362. A bill to authorize the Secretary of Transportation to issue 
a certificate of documentation with appropriate endorsement for 
employment in the coastwise trade for the vessel Focus; to the 
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.


                     Trading Privileges Legislation

  Mr. HOLLINGS. Mr. President, I am introducing a bill today to direct 
that the vessel Focus, U.S. Official Number 909293, be accorded 
coastwise trading privileges and be issued a certificate of 
documentation under section 12103 of title 46, U.S. Code.
  The Focus was constructed in Kowloon, Hong Kong, in 1983 and is a 
sailing vessel presently used for recreational purposes. It is 47.8 
feet in length, 15.8 feet in breadth, has a depth of 6.5 feet, and is 
self-propelled.
  The vessel is owned by John Passaloukas of Hilton Head Island, South 
Carolina. Mr. Passaloukas would like to utilize his vessel in the 
coastwise trade and fisheries of the United States. However, because 
the vessel was built in a foreign shipyard, it does not meet the 
requirements for coastwise license endorsement in the United States. 
The present owner purchased the Focus in a state of disrepair, after 
the vessel had been neglected for ten years, and has totally 
refurbished the vessel in U.S. shipyards. Coastwise documentation is 
mandatory to enable the owner to use the vessel for its intended 
purpose.
  The owner of the Focus is seeking a waiver of the existing law 
because he wishes to use the vessel for recreational and ecotourism 
charters. His desired intentions for the vessel's use will not 
adversely affect the coastwise trade in U.S. waters. If he is granted 
this waiver, it is his intention to comply fully with U.S. 
documentation and 

[[Page S15687]]

safety requirements. The purpose of the legislation I am introducing is 
to allow the Focus to engage in the coastwise trade and the fisheries 
of the United States.
                                 ______