U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

MARITIME ADMINISTRATION

400 7th Street, SW

Washington, DC 20590

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PRESS BOOK

B03-033

The Maritime Administration (MARAD) has granted approval to American Ship Management, LLC, (ASM) and American President Lines, Ltd., (APL) to replace the container vessel PRESIDENT KENNEDY with the container vessel APL CHINA under Maritime Security Program (MSP) Operating Agreement MA/MSP-7.

The capacity of the APL CHINA exceeds that of the PRESIDENT KENNEDY by 532 TEUs. MARAD determined that the replacement provides the MSP fleet with a relatively new, efficient and militarily useful vessel, and that the APL CHINA was eligible for expedited reflag procedures. The approval is subject to the condition that ASM shall continue to maintain U. S. citizenship within the meaning of Section 2 of the Shipping Act, 1916, as amended, and that the APL CHINA be enrolled in the Voluntary Intermodal Sealift Agreement (VISA).

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The mission of the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) is to promote the development and maintenance of an adequate, well-balanced United States merchant marine, sufficient to carry the Nation's domestic waterborne commerce and a substantial portion of its waterborne foreign commerce, and capable of serving as a naval and military auxiliary in time of war or national emergency. MARAD also seeks to ensure that the United States enjoys adequate shipbuilding and repair services, efficient ports, effective intermodal water and land transportation systems, and reserve shipping capacity in time of national emergency.

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