In the Know Podcast 77: Aaron Smith, President and CEO of OMSA

For the latest edition of In the Know, The Maritime Executive's podcast series, editor-in-chief Tony Munoz spoke with OMSA President and CEO Aaron Smith about the importance of Jones Act shipping in the offshore sector.

OMSA - the Offshore Marine Service Association - is the voice of the U.S. offshore-vessel industry, and its primary mission is to protect the Jones Act's benefits for American mariners and shipowners. Smith, the organization's longtime leader, joins the podcast to talk about how loopholes in the Act have tilted the playing field against U.S. owners - and the regulatory changes needed to correct that imbalance. In U.S. offshore wind, foreign vessels provide a large share of the capacity for domestic construction work, even though U.S. owners have bid in many tenders for charters.

"It's OMSA's contention that not enough is being done by the federal government to protect our workforce from unfair competition. And it is unfair," says Smith. "In United States waters, US vessel owners are legally required to hire US mariners. . . . But right next to us will be a vessel, a foreign vessel that is foreign-owned, foreign-built, and it will be — and can legally operate in US waters — as foreign-crewed."

Smarter regulation and better Jones Act enforcement would help the U.S. offshore sector become more competitive - and the Trump administration's new Maritime Action Plan is a big step in the right direction, Smith says. For the details, listen in below.