Marine Science Affairs 



costs as compared with foreign flag carriers crewing with foreign 

 nationals, who are free to buy subsistence and suppHes, mainte- 

 nance and repairs, and insurance at best advantage in the world- 

 wide markets; 

 — federal channel and harbor development; 



— cargo preference provisions reserving to U.S. carriers all domestic 



water traffic (cabotage) and certain foreign traffic in which the 



Federal Government has direct interest; 



— research and development in transportation systems and equipment. 



The performance of the system can be evaluated by its costs and products. 



Costs include expenses of manpower, motive power, capital plant, loss and 



damage to cargo, loss and damage to vessels, life and other property, and 



public expenditures associated with ocean transport. Products relate to loads 



carried, distances traversed, time elapsed, and rates charged. 



System Performance: National Significance 



The cost incurred by actual movements of cargo is the most significant 

 yardstick of performance. The cost of transportation for a shipment of 

 $30,000 of medical supplies from Chicago, Illinois, to Nancy, France, was 

 analyzed by the Maritime Administration as an illustration of relative op- 

 portunities for savings by stages in the overseas shipment. The breakdown of 

 the $2,386 transport cost by stages was : 



U.S. domestic 14% 



U.S. port 36% 



Ocean shipping 25% 



European port 18% 



European domestic 7% 



Thus, about 60% of the total delivery cost accrues in the U.S. port and 

 ocean shipping stages. 



Principal opportunities for cost reduction in the U.S. maritime transporta- 

 tion system through the application of marine science and technology appear 

 to be: 



Ocean Shipping 



• Reduction in capital costs of ships 



• Reduction in operating costs 



• Reduction in maritime accidents of all kinds (including oil spillage) 



• Increased speed of ships 



• Improvements in aids to navigation 



• Improvements in navigational charting 



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