The Maritime Administration welcomes the opportunity to demonstrate with a four ship pilot program as authorized by Congress, that our plans to export 13 ships from the James River Reserve Fleet to the AbleUK facility in Teesside, England is environmentally responsible and fiscally sound.

AbleUK has agreed to a contract modification as a result of yesterday’s Temporary Restraining Order, issued by the U.S. District Court, to enable the four ships to proceed to its facility this fall. Subject to a resolution of the outstanding issues raised by the lawsuit, the remaining nine ships will depart the James River Reserve Fleet in the spring or summer months of 2004.

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