David Matsuda drops a steaming pile in speak at the Workboat Show

[c.captain]

can you believe this offal he let ooze out of his mouth!

Marad unveils marine highway ship designs
By Pamela Glass (Workboat Magazine)
11/30/2011

The Maritime Administration has made a “course correction,” reorganizing itself and infusing new life, funds and discipline in to its core programs aimed at helping the nation’s shipping industry, the agency’s administrator said in his keynote address that opened the International WorkBoat Show Wednesday.

“When the Obama administration began, the organization wasn’t as effective as it could be and there was a major focus to make a course correction on three issues,” said David Matsuda in the annual Shipyard Day speech.

He said Marad has removed 26 vessels from its West Coast fleet, using proceeds from the sales to fund maritime education at the acdemies and programs at the federal and state maritime schools. Secondly, after investigations revealed problems in leadership and management at the U.S. Maritime Academy at King’s Point, including deteriorating buildings and missing funds, reforms were made and Congress appropriated “the largest budget for the academy to address long needed repairs,” he said, “that will restore King’s Point to a crown jewel” as the nation’s federal training school for maritime officers.

And lastly, Marad has regained its hiring authority and replenished and refreshed its personnel, many of whom were nearing retirement age. “We lacked sufficient people to advocate for the maritime industry,” he said. “These are the maritime professionals that serve you.”

These improvements, Matsuda said, now allow Marad to focus on the future of the maritime industry. Looking forward, he said Marad has launched studies to identify geographic shifts in the industry, understand the impact of new shipping trends that will result from widening of the Panama Canal, analyze shipping on the Great Lakes, and survey foreign flag competition in U.S. trade.

Rest easy lads, Matsuda is going use alchemy and reverse osmosis to turn Kings Point from a turd to a "jewel" by throwing yet more millions of dollars into that vast sinkhole and turn the US Merchant Marine from being the 90 pound weakling at the pool party into a powerlifter by commissioning lots of studies by highly experienced maritime brainpans like the Alexandria Virginia Tupperware Sellers Association! Tonight I am going to sleep the sleep of the saved!

God bless you sir...the US Merchant Marine will now live forever because your capable and inspired leadership!

ps...here's a hint of what the term "US Merchant Marine" means: its lots of different ships and boats that have red, white and blue collar Americans on that carry cargo and people to all sorts of places all over this big wide world....even the toy choo choo train that Santa will leave you on Christmas moroning for being such a good Maritime Administrator this year. You've been such a good boy...yes you have!


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