FEDERAL MARITIME COMMISSION

Office of Commissioner Carl W. Bentzel

Office of Commissioner Daniel B. Maffei

Washington, D.C. 20573

Our mission is to ensure a competitive and reliable international ocean transportation supply system that 

supports the U.S. economy and protects the public from unfair and deceptive practices.

December 3, 2020

Rear Admiral Mark H. Buzby

Maritime Administrator

U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration

1200 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.

Washington, D.C. 20590

Robert R. Redfield, MD 

Director

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 

200 Independence Avenue, S.W.

Washington, D.C. 20201

Dear Admiral Buzby and Doctor Redfield:

We write to you, as individual Commissioners, regarding an urgent issue currently facing the 

health of our essential maritime labor workforce that left unaddressed might have immediate and 

long-term challenges to the fluidity of our supply chain. With recent COVID-19 outbreaks 

impacting the maritime labor workforce and port operations, we strongly recommend that rapid 

COVID-19 testing be made available to the U.S. maritime labor workforce as soon as possible. 

Looking ahead, as vaccinations come online, we also recommend that this industry workforce be 

recognized as a priority for early vaccination given the ongoing role it will play in moving 

critical medical supplies, PPE, and vaccines. 

As you know, the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security 

Agency (CISA) classified longshore labor and other port and intermodal transport workers as 

essential workers. We could not agree more with this classification for this often-overlooked 

portion of our national workforce. The maritime and port workforces have been and continue to 

be an underpublicized success story in keeping our Nation afloat during the economic dislocation 

caused by COVID-19. 

If the maritime, port, and sealift workforces are infected, then our supply chain essentially will 

become infected. We appreciate the Maritime Administration’s (MARAD) ongoing efforts in 

prioritizing vaccine testing and distribution, ensuring the marine transportation system continues 

to support critical commercial operations and military capabilities. It is imperative we ensure 

port operations and continuity of the labor workforce through the provision of protective health 

supplies, rapid testing supplies, and vaccination availability. We envision MARAD as best suited 

to raise the issue of need for Federal and state support to ensure port continuity with the 

provision of rapid testing supplies and vaccines. 
FEDERAL MARITIME COMMISSION

Office of Commissioner Carl W. Bentzel

Office of Commissioner Daniel B. Maffei

Washington, D.C. 20573

Our mission is to ensure a competitive and reliable international ocean transportation supply system that 

supports the U.S. economy and protects the public from unfair and deceptive practices.

To date, almost on a port-by-port basis, the industry has developed its own protocols, to 

implement health safety standards. During this time, the industry has safely and successfully 

moved e-commerce, consumer goods, PPE, and other vital supplies day in and day out, when 

workers in many other parts of our economy are unemployed or working from their homes. 

However, within the last month there have been at least three major COVID-19 outbreaks 

(Charleston, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles/Long Beach) impacting the immediate health of the 

workforce, causing substantial requirements for quarantine, and threatening freight movement 

through these ports.

To combat and mitigate the spread of COVID-19 within the South Carolina port workforce, for 

example, the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) and South Carolina Ports Authority 

(SCPA) signed an agreement for MUSC Business Health to deliver health care and wellness 

services to port workers in the Charleston region. This agreement was initiated by funding by the 

South Carolina Governor and has translated into rapid testing availability while facilitating the 

identification of asymptomatic workers. Further, this partnership will enable the tracking of 

potential large-scale COVID-19 outbreaks and mitigate the impact of surge infections that could 

jeopardize the supply chain. 

A combination of congestion issues and the potential COVID-19 workforce disruption is an 

enormous risk to our economy. Congestion issues related to cargo surges are causing 

unprecedented conditions in our national supply chain. The confluence of the ongoing need for

PPE, unexpected changes in consumer shopping patterns due to the shutdowns, and the 

upcoming holiday season has resulted in immense demand for imports. Industry experts believe 

these freight volume surges will continue into 2021. 

Also, looming large, is the ramping up for the transport of vaccines for COVID-19, which could 

begin as early as this month. The shipping industry is already setting up special procedures 

through ports, which are certain to add additional pressure in what has already been a 

complicated year for our supply chain and workforce. As an example, the Maersk shipping line 

has already begun coordinating with vaccine developers, international aid agencies and public 

health authorities to provide broad supply chain support for the global deployment of vaccines 

and vaccine-related cargo. To minimize disruption to the supply chain at this precarious time, 

maritime and port labor must be a high-priority group for vaccination, once it is available.

Finally, we want to acknowledge the challenges and the supreme importance of the industry’s

efforts to keep us supplied during COVID-19. All the workers who report to work at shipping 

lines, railroads and trucking companies, longshore laborers and other maritime industry service 

providers are facing the daily challenges of COVID-19 while still getting the job done. They 

deserve our applause and thanks.
FEDERAL MARITIME COMMISSION

Office of Commissioner Carl W. Bentzel

Office of Commissioner Daniel B. Maffei

Washington, D.C. 20573

Our mission is to ensure a competitive and reliable international ocean transportation supply system that 

supports the U.S. economy and protects the public from unfair and deceptive practices.

The Federal government is in a unique position to initiate, coordinate and leverage industry, 

state, and local partnerships to meet the needs of our labor workforce and supply chain. Our 

supply chain, like our health, will not be safe and efficient if it is not working together. We thank 

you in advance for your attention to this important issue.

Sincerely,

Commissioner Carl W. Bentzel Commissioner Daniel B. Maffei

CC:

The Honorable Alex Azar, Secretary, Department of Health and Human Services

Acting Secretary, Chad F. Wolf, Department of Homeland Security

The Honorable Roger Wicker, Chairman Senate Commerce Committee

The Honorable Maria Cantwell, Ranking Member, Senate Commerce Committee

The Honorable Peter DeFazio, Chairman, House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee

The Honorable Sam Graves, Ranking Member, House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee