Bellingham Herald Logo

Trump signs waiver for Anacortes-built fishing vessel | Bellingham Herald

×
  • E-edition
  • Home
    • Customer Service
    • Mobile & Apps
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Newsletters
    • News Tips
    • Share a Photo
  • Dealsaver

    • All News
    • Local
    • Crime
    • Databases
    • Northwest
    • Nation & World
    • Weird News
    • Local Elections
    • Videos
    • Galleries
    • Traffic Cams
    • Webcam
    • Reader Photos
    • Columnists
    • Rules of the Road
    • All Sports
    • Seahawks
    • Mariners
    • Outdoors
    • Colleges
    • Politics
    • Elections
    • All Business
    • National Business
    • All Entertainment
    • Calendar
    • Restaurants
    • Movie News & Reviews
    • Movie Showtimes
    • Celebrities
    • Comics
    • Puzzles & Games
    • Horoscopes
    • All Living
    • Celebrations
    • Food & Drink
    • Families
    • Primetime Seniors
    • All Opinion
    • Editorial Cartoons
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Local Obituaries
    • Submit an Obituary

  • Public Notices
  • Cars
  • Jobs
  • Moonlighting
  • Homes
  • Classifieds
  • Place An Ad
  • Mobile & Apps

Local

Trump signs waiver for Anacortes-built fishing vessel

Bellingham Herald Staff

    ORDER REPRINT →

December 06, 2018 12:14 PM

President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed legislation that includes a federal maritime law waiver for a $75 million fishing vessel that has been stuck in an Anacortes shipyard because it was built with too much foreign steel.

The Coast Guard Reauthorization Act grants the waiver to the 264-foot America’s Finest — a nearly completed factory trawler built at Dakota Creek Industries of Anacortes to fish off Alaska, The Seattle Times reported.

The vessel’s owner, Fishermen’s Finest of Kirkland, contracted with Dakota Creek Industries but the construction shipyard ran afoul of the federal Jones Act because the steel used in its hull was cut and bent in Holland.

Dakota Industries shipyard officials have said they didn’t realize that the overseas work was extensive enough to violate the federal law.

SIGN UP

Sign Up and Save

Get six months of free digital access to The Bellingham Herald

SUBSCRIBE WITH GOOGLE

#ReadLocal

The legislation offers a kind of conditional waiver, authorizing the U.S. Commerce secretary to revoke the waiver should an investigation determine the violation was intentional.

The U.S. Coast Guard will now complete a 30-day review of whether Dakota Creek or Fisherman’s Finest, the company that contracted Dakota Creek to build America’s Finest, knew components used to build the vessel violated the Jones Act.

Before clearing Congress last week, the waiver failed to get through Congress twice in the past two years.

Dakota Creek has let go more than half its employees since learning of the Jones Act violation, company Vice President Mike Nelson said.

“This has been a very difficult and stressful two years for Dakota Creek,” Nelson said in a press release. “The signing of this bill is a huge relief for all our employees.”

Now that the waiver has been secured, he said the company has started hiring again, according to the Skagit Valley Herald.

The waiver puts some limitations on the ship’s fishing capacity by capping the amount of fish the vessel can harvest and deliver.

  Comments  

Videos

Blaze destroys feed store in downtown Bellingham

Hohl’s Feed & Seed in Bellingham destroyed by early morning fire

View More Video

Trending Stories

Downtown landmark business burns early Monday

February 18, 2019 08:16 AM

Having trouble finding an apartment rental in Whatcom County? Here’s why

February 17, 2019 05:00 AM

‘We might see one fire death in a year. But three in one week? That’s very abnormal.’

February 17, 2019 05:00 AM

Here’s where people turn for groceries when they’re feeling broke in Bellingham

February 18, 2019 05:00 AM

Travel nightmare ‘was one of those instances in your life where people help each other’

February 18, 2019 05:00 AM

things to do

Read Next

Downtown landmark business burns early Monday
Video media Created with Sketch.

Local

Downtown landmark business burns early Monday

By David Rasbach

    ORDER REPRINT →

February 18, 2019 08:16 AM

Hohl’s Feed and Seed on Railroad Avenue in Bellingham burned Monday with the fire department dispatched at 4:20 a.m., according to the Pulse Point app.

KEEP READING

Sign Up and Save

#ReadLocal

Get six months of free digital access to The Bellingham Herald

SUBSCRIBE WITH GOOGLE

MORE LOCAL

Here’s where people turn for groceries when they’re feeling broke in Bellingham

Local

Here’s where people turn for groceries when they’re feeling broke in Bellingham

February 18, 2019 05:00 AM

Local

Whatcom County on the weather line for U.S.-Canada snow forecasts Tuesday

February 18, 2019 10:27 AM
Travel nightmare ‘was one of those instances in your life where people help each other’

Local

Travel nightmare ‘was one of those instances in your life where people help each other’

February 18, 2019 05:00 AM
‘We might see one fire death in a year. But three in one week? That’s very abnormal.’

Local

‘We might see one fire death in a year. But three in one week? That’s very abnormal.’

February 17, 2019 05:00 AM

Local

Weather offers a weekend reprieve, but here’s when to expect more snow

February 16, 2019 05:00 AM
Here’s what you need to know Friday as snowmageddon wraps up

Local

Here’s what you need to know Friday as snowmageddon wraps up

February 15, 2019 05:24 AM
Take Us With You

Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand.

Icon for mobile apps

Bellingham Herald App

View Newsletters

Subscriptions
  • Start a Subscription
  • Subscriber Service
  • eEdition
  • Vacation Hold
  • Pay Your Bill
  • Rewards
Learn More
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletters
  • News in Education
  • Archives
Advertising
  • Information
  • Place a Classified
  • Place an Obituary
  • Place a Celebration
  • Local Deals
Copyright
Privacy Policy
Terms of Service


Back to Story