European shipowners may want to grab a slice of the US shipping market via international trade negotiations — but do they know that means embracing Uncle Sam and especially US government taxation? writes Charlie Papavizas, partner in law firm Winston & Strawn, Jones Act legal specialist and chairman of the firm’s maritime practice in Washington DC
When people think of the US domestic maritime market, they think of the “Jones Act”, which is really a set of laws, and not a single act, that restricts US domestic trade to US-flag vessels owned and controlled by US citizens and constructed in the US.
Indeed, the Jones Act is important to the structure of the domestic US maritime market.
