It is a time of waiting for the offshore oil and gas industry as the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) considers the comments they have received about proposed modification of rulings related to the Jones Act.
In a nutshell it looks as if some international vessel operators may be in for a shock if the CBP in the USA have their way on modifications, interpretation and intended enforcement of the Jones act.
This is in regard to international vessels operating intercoastal (coast to coast) within US waters. Particular impact would be felt by non US flagged vessels.
It appears the CBP may have initially short changed the offshore industry by not giving sufficient time for the required adjustments to take effect.(i.e. build more American boats to plug the gaps as the foreign boats are banned from operating).
In the longer term (reading between the lines) within about 5 years it will only be US flagged vessels working the the US oil an gas industry
The upshot is that those trips to the GOM (or any other US controlled patch of water) on well known foreign flagged DP Diving/ROV support boats will be dying out during that period.
You can pretty much assume that those new US boats will be manned by newly trained US citizens. Job creation all round.
In one sense it’s nice to see a country protecting it’s own.
In another sense it’s not so cool, as offshore international work opportunities will most likely start getting thinner on the ground as a result of this.
More on this: HERE
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