[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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