[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 5 (Tuesday, February 3, 1998)]
[House]
[Pages H194-H195]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      ISSUING CERTIFICATE OF DOCUMENTATION FOR VESSEL PRINCE NOVA

  Mr. LOBIONDO. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take from the 
Speaker's table the Senate bill (S. 1349) to authorize the Secretary of 
Transportation to issue a certificate of documentation with appropriate 
endorsement for employment in the coastwise trade for the vessel Prince 
Nova, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration 
in the House.
  The Clerk read the title of the Senate bill.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to request of the 
gentleman from New Jersey?
  Mr. CLEMENT. Mr. Speaker, reserving the right to object, I yield to 
the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. LoBiondo) to explain his unanimous 
consent request.
  Mr. LOBIONDO. Mr. Speaker, this bill authorizes the Secretary of 
Transportation to issue a certificate of documentation for employment 
in the coastwise trade for the vessel Prince Nova. The owner operates 
an auto and ferry service across Long Island Sound between Long Island 
Sound, New York, and New London, Connecticut.
  The company plans to purchase the ferry Prince Nova to improve and 
expand its ferry service. With an upgraded ferry service, the owner 
will be better able to meet the growing transportation demands of the 
Long Islands region. Allowing the Prince Nova to operate in the Long 
Island Sound will benefit transportation needs in the region as well as 
foster economic growth and job.
  This bill has already been approved by the House as part of H.R. 
2204, the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 1997; and the House approved 
H.R. 2204 on October 21, 1997, by voice vote.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to commend the efforts of our colleague, 
Congresswoman Nancy Johnson, for her leadership in bringing this 
important matter to our attention; and I urge my colleagues to support 
this bill.
  Mr. CLEMENT. Mr. Speaker, I support S. 1349, a bill to authorize the 
Secretary of Transportation to issue a certificate of documentation to 
the vessel Prince Nova for employment in the coastwise trade of the 
United States.
  Mr. Speaker, this is identical to the waiver of the Prince Nova that 
was included in the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 1996, when it 
passed the House on October 21, 1997. Unfortunately, the Senate has not 
acted on that authorization act.
  The Prince Nova is going to be purchased by the Cross Sound Ferry 
Service, a family-owned business providing ferry service across the 
Long Island Sound between Orient Point, Long Island, New York, and New 
London, Connecticut.
  This waiver is needed since the Prince Nova was built in Canada. 
However, in order to upgrade the vessel and meet U.S. Coast Guard 
requirements, the Cross Sound Ferry Service is going to have to spend 
over $4.2 million in a U.S. shipyard.
  Mr. Speaker, ferry services are an integral portion to many of our 
urban transportation systems. Enactment of S. 1349 will allow the ferry 
service between New London, Connecticut, and Long Island, New York, to 
grow and flourish into the next millennium.
  This bill is supported by the governor of Connecticut, Governor John 
Roland, and the Connecticut delegation.
  Mrs. JOHNSON of Connecticut. Mr. Speaker, I rise to support this 
legislation which is so important to the transportation system in my 
home State of Connecticut. Simply stated, this bill would permit the 
documentation of a Canadian-built ferry under the U.S. flag as a 
replacement vessel for essential ferry service in Connecticut. Because 
of the importance of this service, Governor John Rowland of Connecticut 
has urged our favorable consideration of this measure.
  Cross Sound Ferry Services, Inc., a privately-owned, non-subsidized 
ferry service in New London, would like to improve existing passenger 
ferry service across Long Island Sound by acquiring the Canadian ferry 
PRINCE NOVA. The prohibitive cost of the new construction and the lack 
of suitable U.S.-built ferries on the market necessitate this purchase. 
Cross Sound plans to spend well in excess of three times the purchase 
price for the PRINCE NOVA to upgrade the vessel in a U.S. shipyard. 
This upgrade is needed both to meet strict Coast Guard safety standards 
and to modernize the vessel. Cross Sound needs this legislative waiver 
to document the ferry under the U.S. flag.
  Granting a coastwise waiver for this vessel will create the following 
economic, job creation, and transportation benefits for Connecticut, 
other New England states, and Long Island:
  This waiver will result in 24 new merchant mariner jobs and 11 
additional positions related to the vessel's operations.
  The bill's requirement to spend not less than $4.2 million will 
create 17 much-needed new shipyard jobs at the Thames shipyard in New 
London, as well as increased purchasing of goods and services.
  Unlike other ferry operations providing comparable service, Cross 
Sound will provide this service without the need for public funds or 
subsidies.
  With an upgraded ferry service through the acquisition of this 
replacement vessel, Cross Sound will be better able to adequately meet 
the growing transportation demands of the New England region as 
documented in numerous transportation studies.
  In addition to realizing these benefits, enactment of this 
legislation is needed as soon as possible to avoid very unusual 
transactional costs associated with any delay related to the purchase, 
including (1) the outlay of periodic option deposits to retain the 
right to purchase the vessel, (2) winter lay up charges if the vessel 
is not moved to the U.S., and (3) the loss of revenue if shipyard work 
for compliance with Coast Guard safety standards and other vessel 
upgrades is delayed.
  A similar waiver was included in H.R. 2204, the Coast Guard 
Authorization Act, passed by the House in the First Session of this 
Congress. Consequently, the substance of this bill is without 
controversy and objection. Therefore, I am pleased that we are to take 
up S. 1349 and for the reasons I have stated urge its adoption at this 
time.
  Mr. CLEMENT. Mr. Speaker, I withdraw my reservation of objection.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New Jersey?
  There was no objection.
  The Clerk read the Senate bill, as follows:

                                S. 1349

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. DOCUMENTATION OF THE VESSEL PRINCE NOVA.

       (a) Documentation Authorized.--Notwithstanding section 27 
     of the Merchant Marine Act, 1920 (46 U.S.C. App. 883), 
     section 8 of the Act of June 19, 1886 (24 Stat. 81, chapter 
     421; 46 U.S.C. App. 289), and section 12106 of title 46, 
     United States Code, the Secretary of Transportation may issue 
     a certificate of documentation with appropriate endorsement 
     for employment in the coastwise trade for the vessel PRINCE 
     NOVA (Canadian registration number 320804).
       (b) Expiration of Certificate.--A certificate of 
     documentation issued for the vessel under subsection (a) 
     shall expire unless--
       (1) the vessel undergoes conversion, reconstruction, 
     repair, rebuilding, or retrofitting in a shipyard located in 
     the United States;
       (2) the cost of that conversion, reconstruction, repair, 
     rebuilding, or retrofitting is not less than the greater of--
       (A) 3 times the purchase value of the vessel before the 
     conversion, reconstruction, repair, rebuilding, or 
     retrofitting; or
       (B) $4,200,000; and
       (3) not less than an average of $1,000,000 is spent 
     annually in a shipyard located in the United States for 
     conversion, reconstruction, repair, rebuilding, or 
     retrofitting of the vessel until the total amount of the cost 
     required under paragraph (2) is spent.

  The Senate bill was ordered to be read a third time, was read the 
third time, and passed, and a motion to reconsider was laid on the 
table.

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