News & Events: Maritime Industry Updates & Insights

Aug 06

Restored Food for Peace Program Begins Kenya Shipment in New Orleans

American-grown crops loaded aboard the U.S.-flagged LIBERTY GRACE will ship enough food to feed more than 1 million people in Kenya for a year NEW ORLEANS – The Transportation Institute (TI), representing U.S.-flag American shipping companies, joined farmers, millers, longshoremen, merchant mariners, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the World... read more →

August 6, 2026
In The News, News

Jul 31

Transportation Institute Chairman shares new PWC Report on Long-term Waiver Impact

ByJames L. Henry – For more than 130 days, President Trump has waived the Jones Act, letting foreign ships carry cargo between American ports. Supporters of the waiver call this free trade. It isn’t. Moving oil from Texas to New Jersey is domestic commerce, not trade, any more than a UPS... read more →

July 31, 2026
News

Jul 28

TI & SIU: National Apprenticeship Week Maritime Career Open Houses

Background The Transportation Institute published an analysis showing that the majority of foreign-flagged vessels operating under the Jones Act waiver had Port State Control (PSC) violations on record — violations that included findings related to fire safety, life-saving equipment, structural conditions, and crew welfare. The analysis drew on the international... read more →

July 28, 2026
In The News, News

Jul 28

New PwC Study: Extended Jones Act Waiver Could Put Billions in Economic Activity, Tens of Thousands of Jobs at Risk

The Transportation Institute (TI), representing U.S.-flag American shipping companies, announced the results of a new economic analysis prepared by PwC US Tax LLP examining the potential effects of a long-term waiver of the Merchant Marine Act of 1920, commonly known as the Jones Act. The Jones Act requires that vessels... read more →

July 28, 2026
In The News, News

Jul 27

Jones Act Waiver-using foreign flag vessels put American infrastructure at risk

Transportation Institute analysis shows waiver-using foreign flag vessels put American infrastructure at risk. The majority of vessels operating under the waiver have violations, including those that put people and the environment at risk.

July 27, 2026
In The News, News

Jul 09

Jones Act Waiver Analysis Shows Foreign Vessels Did Not Add Capacity

Using publicly available MARAD and AIS data, Transportation Institute releases new analysis and maps that show that foreign-flagged vessels added limited capacity during the Jones Act waiver period, and few new routes. The most common waiver routes fail to bring goods to market faster, taking longer routes that are are... read more →

July 9, 2026
In The News, News

Jul 07

Transportation Institute Names Sara Fuentes as President

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: [email protected] WASHINGTON – The Transportation Institute (TI), representing U.S.-flag American shipping companies, today announced the appointment of Sara Fuentes as President of the organization. Fuentes previously served as the organization’s Vice President for Government Affairs and will lead TI’s continued work to advance a strong U.S.-flag... read more →

July 7, 2026
In The News, News

Jun 30

Why the Seattle Times Wants the Jones Act Waiver to End

A major metropolitan editorial board has reached the same conclusion the American maritime industry has held all along: the ongoing Jones Act waiver should end, and it should end soon. In an editorial published June 17, the Seattle Times editorial board called for the Trump administration to lift its waiver... read more →

June 30, 2026
In The News, News

Feb 11

“What True Heroes Can Look Like”: Sara Fuentes Delivers Keynote to Tomorrow’s Mariners

When Transportation Institute Vice President Sara Fuentes took the stage on Capitol Hill this February, her audience was full of the industry's future: cadets from maritime academies across the country, gathered in Washington for the final day of the Women on the Water Conference. A window into maritime advocacy Fuentes,... read more →

February 11, 2026
News

Feb 08

Women on the Water 2026: Investing in the Next Generation of American Mariners

The future of the American maritime workforce depends on who we bring into it. That is why Transportation Institute was proud to sponsor the 2026 Women on the Water Conference, held February 8 through 10 at the Maritime Institute of Technology and Graduate Studies (MITAGS) in Linthicum Heights, Maryland. About... read more →

February 8, 2026
News

Latest Maritime News & Policy Updates from Transportation Institute