They said it ...“In a large part driven by our country’s energy boom, the domestic ship-building industry is seeing robust activity, the most over three decades. Billions of dollars are being invested to meet the demands of oil production, and nearly 30 large, self-propelled, oceangoing Jones Act-eligible tankers and containerships are under construction or are on-order at U.S. Ship-yards. Although times are good, throughout history, shipbuilding has fol-lowed a very cyclical pattern. Right now we are experiencing a big upswing in smaller vessels, offshore supply vessels, and large commercial ships. However, if we don’t reinforce a stable shipbuilding base, we’re go-ing to face a similar crisis during the next downturn. It is essential that we keep our eye on the ball and go after what will sustain this industry in the long run.”Paul N. Jaenichen, Maritime Administrator, U.S. Maritime Administration, giving his overview of the U.S. maritime in-dustry as interviewed in the October 2014 edition of MarineNews“While shipping is already the most environmentally friendly mode of trans-“You may optimize fuel consumption but ? nd you’ve done port, the new regulations help to further it at the cost of creating a more frequent failure rate reduce the impact on the environment for your equipment.” and our health. But low sulphur fuels are more expensive and gr owing Fred Finger, VP of Vessel Operations, American Roll demand is widely expected to further on Roll off Carrier, talking about “unintended conse- increase the costs of these fuels.”quences” of ? eet automation tools. (See story page 38)Ulrich Ulrichs, CEO, Rickmers-Linie, in pledging his support for the introduc-tion of stricter sulphur regulations.