American shipyards have issued a fierce rebuttal of repeated links between the Jones Act and the sinking of the 40-year-old El Faro containership at the beginning of October.
“To imply that vessels that do not have to comply with rigorous US safety standards are safe than those that do defies common sense,” said Matthew Paxton, president of the Shipbuilders’ Council of America (SCA). “To try and connect a law that works to protect our economic and national security to this tragedy, particularly during a period when our industry family is mourning such a loss is not only incorrect, but shameful.”
The association hit out at what it said were “unfounded claims” purporting a “casual link” between the Jones Act and the loss of the El Faro.