The wording, from a brief published by the White House, states: “The President will continue to be a strong advocate for the Jones Act and its mandate that only US-flag vessels carry cargo between US ports, which supports American production and America’s workers. With the signing of the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act [NDAA], the Jones Act has also been affirmed as an opportunity to invest in America’s workers as we build offshore renewable energy, in line with the President’s goals to build our clean energy future here in America.”
He is referring here to wording in the NDAA which places the same requirements for US built/owned/operated vessels soon to be working in the burgeoning offshore wind sector that have long been applied to offshore oil and gas.
The Offshore Marine Service Association (OMSA), which represents a wide swath of US owners serving offshore oil, and now looking towards the expected boom in offshore wind power in the coming years, had been instrumental in putting the NDAA wording in place.