Prepared Remarks of

Sean T. Connaughton

Maritime Administrator

Maritime Day Observance

Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial

Washington, DC

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

Good morning. On behalf of President Bush and Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters, it is my honor to welcome you to our observance of National Maritime Day. This is the 74^th National Maritime Day, and the 37^th observance hosted by the Maritime Administration.

I would like to take the opportunity to recognize some of the distinguished guests here today. I want to thank them and all of you for being here at the FDR Memorial.

We have chosen to celebrate National Maritime Day this year at this beautiful memorial to Franklin D. Roosevelt to honor his vision for the American merchant marine and the maritime industry.

National Maritime Day began during the Roosevelt Administration, in 1933. Congress chose May 22nd in honor of the first successful transoceanic steamship voyage. On this date in 1819, the steamship Savannah left Savannah, Georgia, and put to sea. Twenty-nine days and four hours later, the Savannah reached Liverpool. That ship and voyage was a sign of America’s rise as an economic, technological and maritime leader.

In urging Congress to pass the Merchant Marine Act three years later, Roosevelt reminded the nation of the importance of American shipping and shipbuilding to the United States of America. He warned that America needed its own ships to carry its vital trade during peacetime and war. He understood that American ships, shipyards, mariners and shoreside infrastructure were essential to the American economy and the projection of American power. He accurately foresaw the coming of World War II and knew that the merchant marine would play a critical in that war and eventual victory.

While many things have changed in the 70 years since the passage of the Merchant Marine Act, one thing has not: the maritime industry remains critical to our economic and national security. Our challenge today, however, is to define a modern vision for this vital industry – a vision that resonates with the American people and responds to the demands and opportunities of our time as effectively as Roosevelt’s vision did for the realities of his day.

In Roosevelt’s time each mode of transportation essentially operated independently from each other. That is no longer the case. Our transportation system has become an integrated network, not just within the United States, but around the world. It is no longer a simple matter of adding roads or rails, or forcing more traffic through already congested ports. These systems must work together seamlessly, and we must use our wealth of waterways to full advantage to keep congestion from overwhelming our transportation network.

The maritime industry has led the way in the intermodal revolution; we in fact are the most intermodal, the most global, and the most interconnected of all forms of transportation. It is the maritime industry that pioneered the use of the container, now the standard instrument of trade all over the world. We pioneered double stack trains and the development of door-to-door logistical operations, software and tracking systems.

Our liquid and dry bulk facilities are among the most efficient in the world. New passenger and cruise terminals are being built across the nation. Our offshore energy sector is the most technologically advanced internationally. New shipyards have been stood up. Our Marine Highway system, that is the inland, coastwise and Great Lakes trades, is strong and growing. We have seen a major recapitalization of the industry.

But is this enough? The last four decades have brought phenomenal growth to the U.S. economy, closely correlated to expanding global trade, and more than 95 percent of this trade travels by water. Trade is expected to grow even further in the coming decades. America’s economy is even more dependent on the maritime industry then it ever has been in its history.

The U.S. maritime industry, with its strong shipper community, leading-edge technology, and the best manpower in the world, must play a growing, not diminishing, role in U.S. and global commerce.

Roosevelt understood that when he said: “Free competition among the nations in the building of modern shipping facilities is a manifestation of a wholly desirable and wholesome national ambition. In such free competition the American people want us to be properly represented.”

We not only want to be properly represented but we need to be represented for the economic and national security of this great nation. This nation and this industry face many challenges. Within those challenges are opportunities. We must, together, have the courage and vision to take advantage of them.

That is why we are standing here in the shadow of a memorial to a man who was not afraid to face incredible challenges and to seize them as opportunities. The Merchant Marine Act of 1936 forged a comprehensive approach to the advancement of U.S. carriers, shipyards, shippers, ports, and mariners. President Roosevelt brought together many disparate and conflicting voices and viewpoints. He was able to get people to work together for the advancement of the maritime industry and the United States of America. Seventy years later the legacy of that initiative remains as is evidenced by the many faces, companies and organizations represented in this audience.

The question for all of us is: what will people be saying about us in 70 years? Will they point to our efforts to work together to advance the United States and its maritime industry? Will they point to us putting away our differences and pledging to address the challenges together? Will they remind future audiences about our legacy? Will they have anything significant to talk about? Will they say anything at all? That is for us to think about and for us to decide.

In addition to celebrating this industry’s past accomplishments and future plans, National Maritime Day is also a day in which we must remember the sacrifices of merchant mariners whose lives have been lost in defense of our country. The maritime industry has been at the forefront of America’s military campaigns, from the Revolution to Iraq.

In addition to honoring mariners today, we will participate in the Moment of Remembrance at 3 pm on Memorial Day. I have directed all ships of the Ready Reserve Force to dress ship on that day, and to ring eight bells at 3 pm local time. I have also asked that all U.S. flag ships observe the Moment of Remembrance as well, and I hope that you all will join in this solemn observance.

We can never forget their legacy and the continued efforts of America’s merchant mariners across the globe. Their sacrifice cannot be forgotten or forsaken. They embody everything that is noble and great about this industry and this nation. Their legacy is part of the foundation for us to build on.

We must together build on the past greatness of the merchant marine, a greatness made possible by the man this memorial honors, but also by you, the men and women of the maritime industry. We have accomplished great things in the past. I look forward to working with all of you, to accomplish great things in the future.

Thank you.