Posted on August 3, 2026
Dredging Contractors of America (DCA) CEO William Doyle was extensively quoted along side other industry leaders by the Tampa Bay Times on the unprecedented Jones Act waiver and its impact on American workers, the maritime industry, and national security.
Among the points Doyle made during the interview:
“This is the broadest, widest waiver we’ve ever seen in the history of the Jones Act.”
Doyle explained that the effects are already being felt. As foreign vessels move domestic cargo under the waiver, more U.S.-flag vessels are being laid up, sidelining American mariners and maritime companies.
He also noted that the waiver runs contrary to the Administration’s America First agenda by shifting work from American workers to foreign operators without delivering meaningful savings to consumers at the gasoline pump.
National security was another major focus of the interview. Doyle emphasized that the United States depends on a strong U.S.-flag commercial fleet to provide critical sealift capability when the military needs to move equipment and supplies overseas.
He also raised an important security concern:
“Could there be somebody on board who has surveillance equipment?”
Doyle concluded by posing what he believes is the central question surrounding the waiver:
“What are we doing giving American jobs away to the Russians and Chinese? It just doesn’t make any sense, and these vessels are operating tax-free.”
Other leaders quoted in the article: Overseas Shipholding Group chief executive officer Sam Norton and the Hudson Institute’s senior fellow Michael Roberts.
