THE AMERICAN MERCHANT MARINE TAKES ANOTHER BLOW FROM CONGRESS

MERCHANT MARINE INTERESTS:

THIS FROM THE LOS ANGELES TIMES:

Upcoming Fiscal Year Deals Tough Hand to Civilian Ships Working For Military

True story: Tom Hanks stars in "Captain Phillips," about the hijacking of a U.S. container ship by Somali pirates. (Hopper Stone / SMPSP / MCT / August 28, 2013)

"Sequestration may seem like a long-ago problem that hasn’t had many of the disastrous effects once feared, but for one group of people, it could really start to hurt on Oct 1. That’s when the nation’s new budget will go into effect, and unless something is changed, the program known as the Maritime Security Program, part of the Merchant Marines, is going to take a big haircut. About one-third of its 60 militarily useful commercial ships, which carry most of the nation’s military supplies to and from places such as Afghanistan, are going to lose their subsidy and be eliminated.

The impending deadline comes as the U.S. prepares for war in Syria, and as Hollywood releases a blockbuster about the Merchant Marines. “Captain Phillips,” a movie starring Tom Hanks and Catherine Keener, will be released in October, and tells the story of the Maersk Alabama, a U.S.-flagged ship hijacked by Somali pirates."

TO READ THE FULL STORY: http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-sequestration-merchant-marines-20130830,0,3553911.story

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