Governor Bryan Warns Maritime Fees Pose Outsized and Harmful Impact on USVI’s Very Survival

Governor Albert Bryan Jr. on Thursday formally appealed to the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), urging federal officials to reconsider the impact of a proposed maritime policy that he says could cause significant harm to the U.S. Virgin Islands. The proposed federal rule would impose service fees of up to $1.5 million on Chinese-built vessels entering U.S. ports. Governor Bryan says while he supports national efforts to bolster American maritime interests and reduce reliance on Chinese manufacturing, he cautioned that the U.S. Virgin Islands faces unique economic and logistical vulnerabilities that make the territory especially susceptible to unintended consequences from the proposed measure. “We applaud the administration’s America First Trade Policy and the effort to protect domestic industries,” Governor Bryan wrote in a letter addressed to Ambassador Jamieson Greer. “However, as an island territory that relies on maritime resupply for our very survival, we...