 |
Back | |
 |
Posted: November 13, 2017
Puerto Rico relief and recovery update
The following update was issued November 10 by the American Maritime Partnership.Situational Overview:
- Today, there are currently 25 Jones Act vessels operating in regular trade to Puerto Rico. As of November 10, these vessels will have delivered more than 33,000 container loads of commercial and relief cargo to the island. In addition, these carriers have delivered thousands of units of rolling stock, generators, poles (electrical and communications), and other specialized cargoes.
- In addition to vessels engaged in regular service, other Jones Act vessels such as offshore supply vessels and tug/barge units are providing tramp shipping services to the island. For example, a tug/barge unit recently departed Louisiana with self-powered cellular communication towers that are critically needed to re-establish communication on the island, as well as vehicles, housing, bulk fuel, and food. Another example is a Jones Act Fast Support Vessel, typically operating in the offshore oil and gas trades, which is now supporting recovery efforts in Puerto Rico by transporting needed supplies and equipment to the stricken island.
- Capacity continues to be added to the trade to handle increased volumes of cargo. Most recently, a Jones Act containership was chartered to transport additional cargoes following her delivery of 800 containers filled with over 15 million bottles of water.
- One Jones Act carrier alone has dispatched 1.3 million meals and 2.77 million liters of water to the island, providing relief to over 60 municipalities. Another Jones Act carrier had its biggest weekly cargo volumes since Hurricane Maria made landfall, as they are expected to receive approximately 3,000 containers by the end of this week - a 43 percent increase in the carrier's normal weekly vessel capacity.
- Jones Act carriers continue to meet the special needs that exist in Puerto Rico. Along with delivering critical goods like generators, large batteries and water purification kits, these carriers have helped deliver a base camp for the military that required specialized kitchen and bathroom containers.
- The Jones Act industry is also taking unique steps to support the relief and recovery efforts: securing warehousing space for cargoes; providing staging/storage space for relief goods; acquiring trucking services; performing specialized transfer requests at the ports; providing meals to workers; and hosting weekly events to support different communities around the island.