1400 containers of food sitting in US waiting to be shipped to Puerto Rico. Reason: the Jones Act
This is unbelievable, this is the shock doctrine in action, the people of PR are being deliberately starved out
Then the venture capitalists will swoop in like vultures and buy up all the public works and resources for pennies on the dollar
Here is a report from that liberal rag, the Wall Street Journal ....
Puerto Rico’s Backlog
Much-needed supplies pile up while the Jones Act delays delivery.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/puerto-ricos-backlog-1509059566?mod=e2tw&mod=e2tw
?width=860&height=576
Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rosselló met President Trump last week and said the island’s post-hurricane emergency isn’t over “by a long shot.” He might have added that trade protectionism, enabled by the Trump Administration, is prolonging the misery. Ricky Castro is a food and beverage wholesaler and president of Puerto Rico’s Chamber of Food Marketing, Industry and Distribution, known as MIDA, which boasts 200 members across the island. This month MIDA conducted an informal survey of 15 members and found there are roughly 1,400 containers of their provisions sitting in U.S. ports, waiting to be shipped to Puerto Rico.
Mr. Castro attributes the delay to the Jones Act, which mandates that U.S.-flagged, -built and -manned carriers conduct all shipping between U.S. ports. This means an oligopoly of three companies—Crowley Maritime Corp., TOTE Maritime and Trailer Bridge Inc.—conduct the vast majority of the protected trade between the mainland and the island, at inflated costs on aging ships. The ocean-going Jones Act fleet numbers a mere 99 vessels, compared to thousands available from foreign-flagged carriers.
Mr. Castro says the Federal Emergency Management Agency and carrier executives are meeting regularly with Puerto Rican importers and assuring them that the backlog will be resolved shortly. Maybe, or maybe not. The island was pounded by Hurricane Irma, and then devastated by Hurricane Maria. Some 75% of the population is still without power, and communications and transportation infrastructure are badly damaged.
Under these conditions, U.S. Presidents have waived the Jones Act to allow importers to hire foreign carriers to meet the demand for water, food, generators, construction supplies and other materials. President Trump did give Puerto Rico legislative relief—for 10 days. Eduardo Marxuach, president of Supermercados Econo, says it’s “impossible” to book a foreign carrier in such a short time frame.
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