Doing nothing is not an option

The recent article “Guam lawmakers push affordable sea transportation between Guam, CNMI” is clearly a move in the right direction. It is important that CNMI leaders look at Resolution 279-32 introduced by Sen. Tina Muña Barnes, Rory Respecio, and Speaker Won Pat and respond or act accordingly to reinforce or support their intention through similar action. That is exactly what we need to work on “promoting an affordable alternative regional transportation between Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands by means of a commuter and cargo vessel service.”

Rota is most affected by the present shipping service. Many times the vessel servicing the island simply forgoes calling port even in perfectly good weather for reasons that point to the fact that Rota is simply not a priority on the shipping company’s list. And when they do provide the service, their demands are often ridiculous. For example, their agent will provide a very limited time for cargo preparation and delivery that are at times impossible to accomplish. Consolidators request empty containers on a timely basis just to be denied and when they are provided the container, there is no time to prepare or fill the containers or worse, they simply never provide the container at all. I know this as a fact because I am one of the customers who regularly ship and I do have the facts to prove what I say.

Not only is the service extremely poor, it is also extremely expensive. It is cheaper to ship containers from the U.S. to Guam than from Guam to Rota. A car shipped from California to Guam is cheaper than from Guam to Rota. Back in 2010, I asked the U.S. Coast Guard if there is any rule requiring cars to be containerized when shipping between the islands. They responded that it is “perhaps a milk run.” Of course, it is the shipping company that is milking us with their practices. When I was the operations manager of a shipping company that used to service Rota, we allowed cars to be shipped without a container so that the freight cost will be lower for the customer. Requiring cars to be shipped containerized triple or quadruple the cost and as a result milks the customers.

Leaders should look closer and deeper at our transportation issues and seriously question the practices of shippers’ milking practices and perhaps correct the problems that exist either through oversight, subsidy, regulation, or improvements in infrastructures that will invite competition. The existing service is certainly killing our economy and our people. Prove me wrong! At least Guam legislators are doing something. What are we doing here in the CNMI when such development will only benefit the CNMI more than Guam? Let’s act. Doing nothing is not an option.