HRES463-119

That the House of Representatives— recognizes the need for more funding, employment opportunities, and protections for the United States maritime industry; supports initiatives that seek to address critical shortfalls in the United States shipbuilding and ship repair industries while reiterating the need for a capable, reliable United States maritime auxiliary; reaffirms the congressional support for United States businesses that rely on robust and reliable maritime shipping, shipbuilding, fishing, and tourism industries; condemns the international use of flag of convenience to avoid tariffs, sanctions, workplace rights, and basic safety standards, as well as supporting criminal opportunity, illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, and terrorist operations; reiterates the mission of the United States Coast Guard and encourages further international maritime collaborations through vital shiprider agreements; strongly condemns countries that purposefully ignore maritime safety standards and mariners’ workplace rights; emphasizes the importance of Port State Control Agreement, including the Abuja Memorandum of Understanding, the Black Sea Memorandum of Understanding, the Caribbean Memorandum of Understanding, the Indian Ocean Memorandum of Understanding, the Mediterranean Memorandum of Understanding, the Paris Memorandum of Understanding, the Riyadh Memorandum of Understanding, the Tokyo Memorandum of Understanding, and the Viña del Mar Agreement; strongly supports the efforts of the International Transport Workers’ Federation to prevent and mitigate the effects of flag-of-convenience practices; and calls on the United Nations, the International Maritime Organization, and the International Labour Organization to condemn flag-of-convenience practices globally and assist member nations in upholding global maritime standards.