1998 Year of the Ocean The U.S. Marine Transportation System 



INTRODUCTION 



Marine transportation is an integral component of the U.S. transportation system and is 

 essential to the nation's economy. By 2020, international trade will triple, with over 90 percent 

 (by weight) moving via the ocean. Accordingly, the entire U.S. transportation infrastructure, 

 including ports and waterways, must be able to handle this projected increase. The nation needs 

 to plan for and manage fiiture growth of marine transportation on its waterways. 



The importance of waterways tends to be overlooked by the public when compared to air, 

 rail, and highway systems. This can be attributed to the general lack of understanding of the 

 contribution of ports and the waterways system to people's daily lives as well as to national 

 security. In many cases, as in international commerce, there is no alternative to moving goods by 

 water. Thus, formal coordination and planning of marine transportation infrastructure 

 improvements are needed as competition for use of the waterways and vessel size and 

 complexity increase. For example, one consequence of inefficient waterway use would be an 

 inability to meet "just-in-time" delivery requirements, resulting in higher costs for consumer 

 goods. 



Increasing the efficient use of waterways has additional economic and environmental 

 benefits. The marine transportation system can relieve congestion in other transportation modes. 

 Waterbome transportation is more fuel-efficient than other transportation modes and reduces 

 propulsion emissions by one-third or more. Transporting bulk goods by water results in a 35 

 percent reduction in transportation costs, when compared to other modes. 



Technological advances offer opportunities to counter the challenges that increasing trade 

 and the continued growth in the length, width, and draft of ships present for the nation's 

 economy, environment, and port communities. In combination with computer and 

 communication technology to integrate and deliver the data to mariners, the following advances 

 will significantly reduce the risk of serious accidents and spills: 



full-bottom coverage survey equipment; 



electronic chart display and information systems; 



electronic charting systems; 



vessel traffic services; 



vessel transponders; 



real-time acquisition and delivery of data; and 

 the differential global positioning system. 



One study by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute estimates that an effective electronic 

 charting system alone could do as much to reduce risks of oil and chemical spills as requiring 

 tankers to have double hulls. 



Marine safety will also benefit from improved communications and cooperation among 

 federal, state, local authorities, and private interests. 



A-3 



