Charlie Papavizas Featured in Seatrade Maritime After Discussing Maritime Policy History at Society of Maritime Arbitrators Luncheon

Winston & Strawn partner Charlie Papavizas was quoted in a Seatrade Maritime article following a Society of Maritime Arbitrators luncheon where he provided attendees with a historical overview of U.S. maritime policy through remarks from his book, “Journey to the Jones Act: U.S. Merchant Marine Policy 1776-1920.”

Charlie’s book looks back to moments in maritime history including the 1780s when the United States’ merchant fleet was cut out of the English system, and when tariffs advocated by James Madison benefitting U.S. flagged vessels were in effect; 1817 when President Madison pushed through the “Act of Mar 1, 1817,” which reserved intra- U.S. trade for U.S. vessels; “The Free Ships Movement” from the 1870s until 1912, where U.S. flagged vessels could be built anywhere in the world; and 1920 when the Jones Act was passed, carving out cabotage trades for ships built in the States, owned by U.S. entities, and crewed by U.S. seafarers.

In his remarks, Charlie explains that a dramatic surplus of vessels built in the U.S. for World War I, which ended several years earlier than U.S. policymakers had anticipated, was the major catalyst for the 1920 law. He noted that, some vessels built for the war effort were delivering as late as 1923. The legislation saw revisions in 1928 and 1936 when subsidies and tax breaks that lasted until the Ronald Reagan presidency (in the 1980s) were introduced. Charlie revealed that he is working on a follow-on book “that brings all of this up to date.”

Read the full article.