While industry advocates are quick to applaud the recent flood of orders for products tankers, tugs and barges, others fear the surge could disrupt the balance between supply and demand.
Poten & Partners researcher Megan McCurdy, in a recent interview, noted that the nation’s cabotage market is susceptible to even the slightest shift in fleet capacity because of its size.
“The outlook for the supply side of the Jones Act tanker market has changed significantly in recent years,” she said when asked about trends shaping an industry governed by a cabotage law that prohibits foreign ships from transporting domestic cargoes coastwise.
“There
