Rep. Bergman salutes Great Lakes maritime workers on National Maritime Day

WASHINGTON, D.C. (WLUC) - Monday is National Maritime Day and Rep. Jack Bergman (R-MI) is saluting the many Great Lakes maritime workers and applauding the economic benefits provided by the 650,000 men and women of the American maritime industry.

“Michigan’s First Congressional District is home to shipyard workers in Menominee, dock workers in Marquette, lock operators in the Soo, the Great Lakes Maritime Academy in Traverse City, and sailors throughout the District,” said Rep. Jack Bergman. “They are woven into the fabric of Northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula, powering our economy and connecting our past with our future.”

According to a press release from Rep. Bergman, The maritime industry in the United States is supported by the Jones Act, a foundational domestic and national security law that requires that the transportation of cargo between all U.S. points be carried by American-built, American-crewed, and American-owned vessels.

May 22 was declared National Maritime Day in 1933 to honor the SS Savannah’s departure from Georgia to England in 1819 to become the first successful steam-powered ship to successfully cross any ocean. Since the SS Savannah’s ocean voyage, the American maritime industry has served as a critical economic engine in the United States and an essential partner with U.S. armed forces in local and global waterways.