1 00:00:07,520 --> 00:00:10,120 Speaker 1: Hi everyone, this is Lee Clasgow and we're Talking Transports. 2 00:00:10,160 --> 00:00:13,720 Speaker 1: Welcome to Bloomberg Intelligence Talking Transports podcast. I'm your host, 3 00:00:14,080 --> 00:00:18,640 Speaker 1: Lee Klaskow, Senior Freight, Transportation and Logistics analysts at Bloomberg Intelligence, 4 00:00:18,640 --> 00:00:21,680 Speaker 1: Bloomberg's and house research arm of almost five hundred analysts 5 00:00:21,720 --> 00:00:25,280 Speaker 1: and strategists around the globe. A quick public service announcement 6 00:00:25,320 --> 00:00:28,360 Speaker 1: before we dive in. Your support is instrumental to keep 7 00:00:28,360 --> 00:00:31,520 Speaker 1: bringing great guests and conversations to you, our listeners, and 8 00:00:31,560 --> 00:00:34,120 Speaker 1: we need your support. So please, if you enjoy the podcast, 9 00:00:34,240 --> 00:00:36,440 Speaker 1: share it, like it and leave a comment. Also, if 10 00:00:36,400 --> 00:00:39,040 Speaker 1: you've got ideas, feedback, or just want to talk transports, 11 00:00:39,159 --> 00:00:41,040 Speaker 1: I'm always happy to connect. You can find me on 12 00:00:41,080 --> 00:00:44,000 Speaker 1: the Bloomberg terminal LinkedIn, or on ex at Logistics Late. 13 00:00:44,520 --> 00:00:46,840 Speaker 1: I'm very excited to have with us today. Louis Sola 14 00:00:47,080 --> 00:00:50,720 Speaker 1: a partner at the lobbying firm Thorn Run Lewis Springs 15 00:00:50,880 --> 00:00:55,560 Speaker 1: nearly two decades of public and private sector leadership in transportation, trade, infrastructure, 16 00:00:55,600 --> 00:00:59,000 Speaker 1: and maritime policy. He is a former chairman and Commissioner 17 00:00:59,040 --> 00:01:03,240 Speaker 1: of the US Federal Maritime Commission. He previously served as 18 00:01:03,520 --> 00:01:07,080 Speaker 1: a Florida State Commissioner, where he led initiatives on transportation, 19 00:01:07,200 --> 00:01:11,840 Speaker 1: economic development, and infrastructure investment across the state. He also 20 00:01:12,080 --> 00:01:16,520 Speaker 1: is a seasoned maritime entrepreneur. He founded ever Marine, a 21 00:01:16,600 --> 00:01:21,959 Speaker 1: leading gap brokerage firm specializing in luxury vessels across the Americas, 22 00:01:22,000 --> 00:01:25,400 Speaker 1: and he's also a decorated US Army veteran. Welcome to 23 00:01:25,800 --> 00:01:28,440 Speaker 1: talking Transports, Lewis, thanks so much for joining us. 24 00:01:28,800 --> 00:01:29,479 Speaker 2: Thank you very much. 25 00:01:29,560 --> 00:01:31,960 Speaker 3: Lee. I'm very proud to be here and look forward 26 00:01:32,000 --> 00:01:35,200 Speaker 3: to the conversation we're going to have here on Bloomberg Intelligence. 27 00:01:34,920 --> 00:01:37,520 Speaker 1: And also before we start off, so thank you for 28 00:01:37,560 --> 00:01:41,880 Speaker 1: your service, your time in the Army much appreciated. 29 00:01:41,480 --> 00:01:43,360 Speaker 2: Twelve years. I enjoyed every minute of it. 30 00:01:43,520 --> 00:01:46,640 Speaker 1: Super Before we dive in, you want to talk a 31 00:01:46,680 --> 00:01:49,400 Speaker 1: little bit about your experience in the military and how 32 00:01:49,440 --> 00:01:52,600 Speaker 1: that led you into the world of transportation. Well, if 33 00:01:52,640 --> 00:01:54,920 Speaker 1: it wasn't for the military, I definitely wouldn't be where 34 00:01:54,920 --> 00:01:58,360 Speaker 1: I am now. I mean had a young kid growing 35 00:01:58,440 --> 00:02:00,000 Speaker 1: up in Indiana, the son of a barber. 36 00:02:00,560 --> 00:02:03,279 Speaker 2: I never saw the ocean or water before. 37 00:02:03,440 --> 00:02:06,360 Speaker 3: So it was it was the government that you know, 38 00:02:06,480 --> 00:02:08,600 Speaker 3: took me and educated me from eighteen years old. 39 00:02:08,639 --> 00:02:09,520 Speaker 2: I never paid for a. 40 00:02:09,440 --> 00:02:13,600 Speaker 3: Penny of any of my education, and you know, they 41 00:02:13,680 --> 00:02:16,440 Speaker 3: found out that I was good at languages, and next thing, 42 00:02:16,440 --> 00:02:19,079 Speaker 3: you know, I was working in the US Council in Munich, 43 00:02:19,080 --> 00:02:22,120 Speaker 3: Germany when the wall came down. So I think the 44 00:02:22,200 --> 00:02:24,800 Speaker 3: US government and the military for for all that they've 45 00:02:24,800 --> 00:02:25,200 Speaker 3: done for. 46 00:02:25,240 --> 00:02:28,160 Speaker 1: Me, that's great. So from your vantage point, you know, 47 00:02:28,200 --> 00:02:31,840 Speaker 1: you're one of the large lobbying firms there in d C. 48 00:02:32,919 --> 00:02:35,400 Speaker 1: And you're working a lot in the maritime industry. You know, 49 00:02:35,480 --> 00:02:38,080 Speaker 1: what is the state of the maritime industry from your 50 00:02:38,120 --> 00:02:39,000 Speaker 1: vantage point. 51 00:02:38,960 --> 00:02:40,840 Speaker 3: Well, I don't think the state of the maritime industry 52 00:02:40,840 --> 00:02:43,320 Speaker 3: has been like this for a very long time. Probably 53 00:02:43,320 --> 00:02:46,440 Speaker 3: not you know, since World War Two when we had 54 00:02:46,440 --> 00:02:50,639 Speaker 3: the Liberty Ships program and some of the others. President 55 00:02:50,639 --> 00:02:53,480 Speaker 3: Trump has really come out strong with he wants a 56 00:02:53,520 --> 00:02:59,560 Speaker 3: strong maritime and wants a strong trading platform, so to speak, 57 00:03:00,080 --> 00:03:04,040 Speaker 3: not only with shipbuilding but also with ports and with 58 00:03:04,120 --> 00:03:07,240 Speaker 3: trade around the world. So what we're doing is we're 59 00:03:07,240 --> 00:03:10,120 Speaker 3: starting from over on a lot of these initiatives and 60 00:03:10,160 --> 00:03:13,440 Speaker 3: a lot of these programs, and it's very exciting to 61 00:03:13,480 --> 00:03:16,040 Speaker 3: see where they're going. And you know, to have a 62 00:03:16,160 --> 00:03:19,320 Speaker 3: front row seat like I do right now, talking to 63 00:03:19,440 --> 00:03:25,840 Speaker 3: decision makers the Administration, Congress, Senate, Department Transportation. It's very 64 00:03:25,840 --> 00:03:28,160 Speaker 3: exciting and I think that, you know, we're going to 65 00:03:28,200 --> 00:03:30,200 Speaker 3: be in a lot better place in a couple of 66 00:03:30,280 --> 00:03:33,480 Speaker 3: years than we are now or where we have been. 67 00:03:34,160 --> 00:03:36,360 Speaker 1: You know, as I mentioned in the intro, you're past 68 00:03:36,360 --> 00:03:40,320 Speaker 1: commissioner of the FMC. Can you talk about your time there? 69 00:03:40,440 --> 00:03:43,880 Speaker 1: You know, what accomplishments did you kind of see while 70 00:03:43,880 --> 00:03:45,360 Speaker 1: you were there that you're kind of most proud of? 71 00:03:45,760 --> 00:03:48,120 Speaker 3: Well, the Federal Maritime Commissioner, you know, to give a 72 00:03:48,120 --> 00:03:52,280 Speaker 3: background for some of your listeners, you know it was formed. 73 00:03:52,680 --> 00:03:55,880 Speaker 3: The original was was the shipping the shipping board after 74 00:03:55,920 --> 00:03:58,040 Speaker 3: the opening of the Panama Canal, I think was in 75 00:03:58,120 --> 00:04:02,760 Speaker 3: nineteen seventeen, and over the years it's transformed a little bit, 76 00:04:03,120 --> 00:04:07,880 Speaker 3: most notably in nineteen sixty one, I believe that you 77 00:04:07,960 --> 00:04:10,520 Speaker 3: know where we became the Federal Maritime Commission. Some of 78 00:04:10,560 --> 00:04:14,280 Speaker 3: our past chairman's were Joseph Kennedy, John F. Kennedy's father. 79 00:04:15,400 --> 00:04:18,160 Speaker 3: After he was the chairman of the Securities in Exchange Commission, 80 00:04:18,160 --> 00:04:20,760 Speaker 3: he came over and became the chairman of the Federal 81 00:04:20,839 --> 00:04:24,200 Speaker 3: Maritime Commission. So what the Federal Maritime Commission is in 82 00:04:24,279 --> 00:04:27,799 Speaker 3: charge of is basically all commercial activities on the water. 83 00:04:28,360 --> 00:04:32,159 Speaker 3: And last year I believe that we regulated over five 84 00:04:32,320 --> 00:04:35,920 Speaker 3: trillion dollars for goods leaving and entering the United States 85 00:04:36,000 --> 00:04:38,800 Speaker 3: and everything that has to do with those goods in 86 00:04:40,000 --> 00:04:44,159 Speaker 3: connection to the supply chain. So it was really really 87 00:04:44,480 --> 00:04:47,279 Speaker 3: a great awakening for me. The five six years that 88 00:04:47,320 --> 00:04:50,320 Speaker 3: I spent there, was wonderful to see all the different 89 00:04:50,320 --> 00:04:51,479 Speaker 3: aspects of trade. 90 00:04:51,880 --> 00:04:55,200 Speaker 1: And so, you know, from somebody that's not in Washington, 91 00:04:55,279 --> 00:04:58,920 Speaker 1: you know, from an outsider looking in, most people think 92 00:04:59,040 --> 00:05:02,240 Speaker 1: a lot of things don't get done, but obviously you 93 00:05:02,279 --> 00:05:05,680 Speaker 1: probably have some accomplishments while you're at the FMC. Could 94 00:05:05,720 --> 00:05:07,320 Speaker 1: you just talk about, you know, some of the things 95 00:05:07,320 --> 00:05:09,760 Speaker 1: that you know while you were there that went through 96 00:05:09,800 --> 00:05:13,360 Speaker 1: that were good for shipping and good for the country 97 00:05:13,360 --> 00:05:13,840 Speaker 1: as a whole. 98 00:05:14,560 --> 00:05:18,839 Speaker 3: Yes, absolutely, Well, you know, ninety five percent of what 99 00:05:18,880 --> 00:05:22,800 Speaker 3: the Federal Maritime Commission does is probably cargo coming into 100 00:05:22,880 --> 00:05:26,159 Speaker 3: our ports, the containers that go on to the trucks 101 00:05:26,200 --> 00:05:28,520 Speaker 3: that go on to the rails that goes to the distribution, 102 00:05:29,120 --> 00:05:34,240 Speaker 3: whether it's you know, one of our large importers like Amazon, Walmart, Target, whoever, 103 00:05:34,360 --> 00:05:37,080 Speaker 3: to the big boxes. But another part of it is 104 00:05:37,120 --> 00:05:39,960 Speaker 3: commercial activities that happened on the water is also cruises. 105 00:05:40,440 --> 00:05:44,560 Speaker 3: So being the commissioner from Florida during COVID, I was 106 00:05:44,640 --> 00:05:47,800 Speaker 3: kind of put in charge of getting the cruise industry 107 00:05:47,920 --> 00:05:51,839 Speaker 3: back up and running from you know, complete the IDEs 108 00:05:51,880 --> 00:05:53,919 Speaker 3: of March that it was turned down I think it 109 00:05:54,000 --> 00:05:57,040 Speaker 3: was in twenty twenty and you know, to go ahead 110 00:05:57,080 --> 00:05:59,120 Speaker 3: and put those federal protocols into place. 111 00:05:59,440 --> 00:06:01,359 Speaker 2: So I did that. 112 00:06:02,080 --> 00:06:06,280 Speaker 3: I'm very proud of, you know, getting vaccinations for non 113 00:06:06,400 --> 00:06:10,080 Speaker 3: US members of cruise of cruise ships their crews, also 114 00:06:10,320 --> 00:06:13,839 Speaker 3: sending vaccinations to places that didn't have them at the 115 00:06:13,839 --> 00:06:18,800 Speaker 3: time Bahamas or or Saint Kitts and that were our 116 00:06:18,839 --> 00:06:21,440 Speaker 3: destinations of the cruise ship. So that was one of 117 00:06:20,920 --> 00:06:26,320 Speaker 3: my very big accomplishments that I've been recognized by that 118 00:06:26,440 --> 00:06:29,239 Speaker 3: by you know, my hometown of Miami. 119 00:06:28,920 --> 00:06:31,159 Speaker 2: By c Trade Cruise, by a lot of different people. 120 00:06:32,920 --> 00:06:34,960 Speaker 3: To follow up on that, you know, as my time 121 00:06:35,000 --> 00:06:39,640 Speaker 3: as chairman, I went to the inauguration on January twentieth, 122 00:06:40,560 --> 00:06:43,880 Speaker 3: and after President Trump was sworn as president, his first 123 00:06:43,920 --> 00:06:46,960 Speaker 3: executive order I don't remember what it was, but the 124 00:06:47,000 --> 00:06:49,960 Speaker 3: second one made me chairman and so I walked out 125 00:06:50,000 --> 00:06:52,159 Speaker 3: of the building as chairman, and I kind of felt 126 00:06:52,160 --> 00:06:57,279 Speaker 3: I had a new mandate. With that, I immediately looked 127 00:06:57,279 --> 00:07:00,479 Speaker 3: at some things that I had been tracking as a 128 00:07:00,480 --> 00:07:03,480 Speaker 3: commissioner over the years. The first one was is that 129 00:07:03,560 --> 00:07:08,239 Speaker 3: the the evasion of sanctions mainly by Iran and also 130 00:07:08,279 --> 00:07:11,680 Speaker 3: by Russia, you know, by flags of convenience and other 131 00:07:11,720 --> 00:07:14,120 Speaker 3: type of things, And I really wanted to hammer down 132 00:07:14,160 --> 00:07:18,880 Speaker 3: on that, and I started an investigation Flags of Ultimate 133 00:07:18,920 --> 00:07:22,560 Speaker 3: Convenience as we called it, to see how, you know, 134 00:07:22,680 --> 00:07:25,960 Speaker 3: some of the Iranian tankers you know, were able to 135 00:07:26,720 --> 00:07:29,760 Speaker 3: bypass sanctions and and and then go ahead and fund 136 00:07:30,520 --> 00:07:33,800 Speaker 3: that regime. So that investigation I was very very proud of. 137 00:07:33,840 --> 00:07:35,880 Speaker 3: And I would say that the other thing that I 138 00:07:35,920 --> 00:07:39,000 Speaker 3: did in my short time as as chairman was I 139 00:07:39,040 --> 00:07:42,600 Speaker 3: went ahead and I initiated a choke points investigation, and 140 00:07:42,680 --> 00:07:48,040 Speaker 3: that basically highlights the United States that that economic security 141 00:07:48,160 --> 00:07:50,960 Speaker 3: and trade that we have around the world is also 142 00:07:51,080 --> 00:07:54,760 Speaker 3: our national security. And we saw that during COVID where 143 00:07:54,800 --> 00:07:58,520 Speaker 3: we couldn't get you know, proper supplies in So what 144 00:07:58,560 --> 00:08:01,160 Speaker 3: we did is we highlighted I think seven of the 145 00:08:01,200 --> 00:08:04,360 Speaker 3: top choke points around the world, and and we're really 146 00:08:04,360 --> 00:08:07,400 Speaker 3: going to look at see how US goods moved through them, 147 00:08:07,480 --> 00:08:10,360 Speaker 3: you know, the SEUs Canal, the Patama Canal, the North Sea. 148 00:08:11,360 --> 00:08:14,600 Speaker 3: You know, we were really looked at these uh uh 149 00:08:14,800 --> 00:08:18,240 Speaker 3: the these areas, and those investigations are still ongoing, so 150 00:08:18,360 --> 00:08:20,440 Speaker 3: I look forward to seeing how they come out. 151 00:08:20,920 --> 00:08:23,200 Speaker 1: And were there any things that you you know, hope 152 00:08:23,200 --> 00:08:26,160 Speaker 1: you made a little more progress during your time there 153 00:08:26,160 --> 00:08:26,800 Speaker 1: before you left. 154 00:08:27,240 --> 00:08:31,280 Speaker 3: Well, I will say this that I did personally go 155 00:08:31,400 --> 00:08:35,480 Speaker 3: to heads of state and to ministers of other countries 156 00:08:35,520 --> 00:08:37,120 Speaker 3: and let them know if there was an issue with 157 00:08:37,240 --> 00:08:40,640 Speaker 3: the sanctions or with some of their their flagging procedures 158 00:08:40,760 --> 00:08:43,200 Speaker 3: or deflagging procedures. And I let them know personally that 159 00:08:43,280 --> 00:08:45,280 Speaker 3: this was an issue, it's going to cause an issue, 160 00:08:45,600 --> 00:08:48,719 Speaker 3: and uh, some of those states did take actions on those. 161 00:08:48,760 --> 00:08:51,600 Speaker 3: So I feel very very good that, uh, you know, 162 00:08:51,679 --> 00:08:55,760 Speaker 3: I was able to to to stop you know, some 163 00:08:55,880 --> 00:08:58,760 Speaker 3: of this shenanigans that were going on to go ahead 164 00:08:58,800 --> 00:09:01,600 Speaker 3: and fund our ran so to speed. 165 00:09:02,080 --> 00:09:03,880 Speaker 1: And did you ever get the fly on Air Force one? 166 00:09:04,040 --> 00:09:07,200 Speaker 3: You know, I didn't, you know, I met I met 167 00:09:07,240 --> 00:09:09,920 Speaker 3: President Trump, you know, in twenty fifteen. 168 00:09:09,920 --> 00:09:11,520 Speaker 2: I was one of his earliest supporters. 169 00:09:12,000 --> 00:09:14,600 Speaker 3: I you know, I think I hosted the very first 170 00:09:15,440 --> 00:09:18,520 Speaker 3: fundraiser at mar Largo and also did the very first 171 00:09:18,559 --> 00:09:21,440 Speaker 3: one in Miami because he wasn't taking funds back in 172 00:09:21,480 --> 00:09:22,360 Speaker 3: twenty fifteen. 173 00:09:22,360 --> 00:09:23,480 Speaker 2: He was going to do it out himself. 174 00:09:23,480 --> 00:09:25,280 Speaker 3: And when he decided to, I got a phone call, 175 00:09:26,400 --> 00:09:27,720 Speaker 3: you know, to go ahead and contribute. 176 00:09:28,120 --> 00:09:29,360 Speaker 2: But he owes me that. 177 00:09:29,720 --> 00:09:31,760 Speaker 3: I'd like to say that, you know, I hope, I 178 00:09:32,040 --> 00:09:33,160 Speaker 3: hope I get a right on there soon. 179 00:09:33,600 --> 00:09:36,200 Speaker 1: OK, that'd be great. If you can bring a guest, 180 00:09:36,360 --> 00:09:41,760 Speaker 1: I'm happy to join you. So, you know, just I 181 00:09:41,760 --> 00:09:45,800 Speaker 1: guess switching gears a little bit. You know, you discussed 182 00:09:45,840 --> 00:09:50,319 Speaker 1: earlier talked about shipbuilding, how shipbuilding has become a priority 183 00:09:50,360 --> 00:09:53,720 Speaker 1: of the Trump administration. What's the reality of the US 184 00:09:53,880 --> 00:09:57,640 Speaker 1: kind of reviving at shipbuilding industry. 185 00:09:57,840 --> 00:09:59,760 Speaker 2: Well, I'm a little bit skeptical. 186 00:10:00,679 --> 00:10:04,559 Speaker 3: I'm just and I'm not skeptical of the administration's motive 187 00:10:04,960 --> 00:10:07,240 Speaker 3: or how they're going forward about it. 188 00:10:07,559 --> 00:10:09,760 Speaker 2: I'm just skeptical because it's such. 189 00:10:09,679 --> 00:10:14,800 Speaker 3: A quagmire so to speak, that you know, if you 190 00:10:14,880 --> 00:10:18,560 Speaker 3: push on one thing to other things fall apart. So, 191 00:10:19,200 --> 00:10:21,760 Speaker 3: you know, we've we're really in a rut right now, 192 00:10:21,800 --> 00:10:23,079 Speaker 3: and we kind of got to break it down. And 193 00:10:23,120 --> 00:10:25,439 Speaker 3: it's going to take a president like President Trump who's 194 00:10:25,440 --> 00:10:27,640 Speaker 3: not afraid of a lot of things, to go ahead 195 00:10:27,679 --> 00:10:29,880 Speaker 3: and you know, kind of level the playing field and 196 00:10:29,920 --> 00:10:32,520 Speaker 3: make it forward. And I could give you lots of 197 00:10:32,559 --> 00:10:37,200 Speaker 3: examples on how you know, there's a kind of a brewing. 198 00:10:38,360 --> 00:10:39,520 Speaker 2: I wouldn't call it a war. 199 00:10:39,559 --> 00:10:42,200 Speaker 3: I would call it just a disparity that we have 200 00:10:42,440 --> 00:10:46,240 Speaker 3: between DO O D. You know, military ships being built 201 00:10:46,800 --> 00:10:50,079 Speaker 3: for commercial purposes and then US trying to do commercial purposes. 202 00:10:50,160 --> 00:10:52,880 Speaker 3: And what it does is there's a great disparity there. 203 00:10:52,960 --> 00:10:58,120 Speaker 3: So if you know, the Navy will build a ship, 204 00:10:59,000 --> 00:11:01,800 Speaker 3: you know, to carry car or fuel, that ship's going 205 00:11:01,880 --> 00:11:04,880 Speaker 3: to cost a billion dollars, right, And if we try 206 00:11:04,920 --> 00:11:06,960 Speaker 3: to do the exact same ship here in the United 207 00:11:07,000 --> 00:11:09,880 Speaker 3: States on their Jones Act and all us, you know, 208 00:11:09,920 --> 00:11:12,920 Speaker 3: we could probably do it for one hundred million dollars, 209 00:11:13,280 --> 00:11:16,240 Speaker 3: where that same ship if we buy it in in 210 00:11:16,400 --> 00:11:20,680 Speaker 3: Asia or even Europe, probably cost thirty million dollars. So 211 00:11:21,440 --> 00:11:24,440 Speaker 3: you know, there's a lot of overhead that's that's there. 212 00:11:24,640 --> 00:11:26,720 Speaker 3: And you know, I would say the biggest problem that 213 00:11:26,760 --> 00:11:29,280 Speaker 3: we have is, you know, if a yard is doing 214 00:11:29,360 --> 00:11:31,360 Speaker 3: a ship for a billion dollars. They're not going to 215 00:11:31,400 --> 00:11:33,520 Speaker 3: want to stop and do one for one hundred million 216 00:11:33,679 --> 00:11:36,760 Speaker 3: or thirty million. So it's really hard for us to 217 00:11:36,800 --> 00:11:39,080 Speaker 3: go ahead and try to get, you know, to be 218 00:11:39,120 --> 00:11:43,880 Speaker 3: competitive in this space when we have you know, DoD 219 00:11:44,600 --> 00:11:47,880 Speaker 3: writing these great big checks and having all this program management. 220 00:11:48,000 --> 00:11:50,720 Speaker 3: And the other thing is is that if you have 221 00:11:50,960 --> 00:11:53,840 Speaker 3: a ship that's going to go into commercial operations, it's 222 00:11:53,880 --> 00:11:56,800 Speaker 3: a pretty standard contract. When the ship is done, you know, 223 00:11:57,040 --> 00:11:59,079 Speaker 3: you send the surveyor in there, you send the people 224 00:11:59,120 --> 00:12:01,120 Speaker 3: in there. They go ahead and the inspect that and said, okay, 225 00:12:01,200 --> 00:12:03,800 Speaker 3: let's put it in the service, and the people who 226 00:12:03,960 --> 00:12:06,920 Speaker 3: are buying the ship, the ship's owners need that asset 227 00:12:07,280 --> 00:12:11,120 Speaker 3: producing revenue form as soon as possible. Well, just the 228 00:12:11,160 --> 00:12:15,439 Speaker 3: opposite is true in the United States government, where once 229 00:12:15,480 --> 00:12:18,320 Speaker 3: the ship is done and they start doing the inspection process, 230 00:12:18,440 --> 00:12:21,400 Speaker 3: rather than a couple months process, it's a couple of 231 00:12:21,480 --> 00:12:22,479 Speaker 3: years process. 232 00:12:22,640 --> 00:12:23,800 Speaker 2: So you know, that. 233 00:12:23,760 --> 00:12:26,559 Speaker 3: Ship is sitting in the dry dock, its sitting at 234 00:12:26,600 --> 00:12:29,079 Speaker 3: the port, it's you know, at the pier, it's taking 235 00:12:29,160 --> 00:12:32,320 Speaker 3: up valuable resources while this one or two years of 236 00:12:32,360 --> 00:12:34,880 Speaker 3: program management you know, kind of goes through it. So 237 00:12:35,080 --> 00:12:39,200 Speaker 3: it's highly ineffective that we have. And I and I 238 00:12:39,320 --> 00:12:42,600 Speaker 3: definitely you know, take my hat off the administration. They 239 00:12:42,679 --> 00:12:47,000 Speaker 3: just got to go through a lot of you know issues, uh, 240 00:12:47,200 --> 00:12:48,600 Speaker 3: you know, to try to get there right. 241 00:12:48,679 --> 00:12:50,920 Speaker 1: Well, and I guess I never realized that that it 242 00:12:51,000 --> 00:12:53,360 Speaker 1: takes that long for a ship to go into service 243 00:12:53,400 --> 00:12:56,760 Speaker 1: once it's been complete. So what's driving these inefficiencies. 244 00:12:57,080 --> 00:13:01,920 Speaker 3: Well, the military industrial complex driving these these things. I mean, 245 00:13:02,240 --> 00:13:06,840 Speaker 3: there's so much program management, there's so much overhead. When 246 00:13:06,840 --> 00:13:09,840 Speaker 3: you talk about a d D ship, you know, I 247 00:13:09,840 --> 00:13:13,400 Speaker 3: would say it's probably fifty sixty percent overhead. The money 248 00:13:13,400 --> 00:13:15,600 Speaker 3: that we're giving that billion dollars is not going to 249 00:13:15,640 --> 00:13:17,839 Speaker 3: the yards, it's not going to the union workers or 250 00:13:17,880 --> 00:13:20,599 Speaker 3: the you know, the laborers or even for materials. I 251 00:13:21,040 --> 00:13:24,040 Speaker 3: would estimate that fifty percent of it is probably going 252 00:13:24,080 --> 00:13:27,040 Speaker 3: to you know, to different programs or check you know, 253 00:13:27,600 --> 00:13:30,920 Speaker 3: different type of things, consultants or whatever. Whereas in a 254 00:13:30,960 --> 00:13:33,480 Speaker 3: commercial aspect, you know, they've done this so many times. 255 00:13:33,480 --> 00:13:35,600 Speaker 3: They know what a cargo ship is supposed to look like, 256 00:13:35,640 --> 00:13:38,560 Speaker 3: they know what its the uses are, and they they're 257 00:13:38,600 --> 00:13:43,120 Speaker 3: pretty defined on that. So and then as we you know, 258 00:13:43,160 --> 00:13:45,280 Speaker 3: and this is where I'm kind of skeptical a little bit, 259 00:13:45,760 --> 00:13:48,280 Speaker 3: uh Lee, is that you know, we we see all 260 00:13:48,320 --> 00:13:52,480 Speaker 3: these great announcements that we're signing ship building agreements with Japan, 261 00:13:52,800 --> 00:13:57,520 Speaker 3: with Korea, with Finland, you know, and and it's kind 262 00:13:57,520 --> 00:14:01,240 Speaker 3: of insulting to think that somebody from Finland's going to 263 00:14:01,320 --> 00:14:04,160 Speaker 3: come over here and tell us what we're doing wrong 264 00:14:04,200 --> 00:14:06,280 Speaker 3: and how we can you know, how we can improve it. 265 00:14:06,320 --> 00:14:09,040 Speaker 3: How we can take a ship to cost a billion dollars, 266 00:14:09,200 --> 00:14:10,800 Speaker 3: you know, and then go ahead and sell it for 267 00:14:10,840 --> 00:14:14,560 Speaker 3: fifty million. So you know, there's a lot more at 268 00:14:14,600 --> 00:14:16,760 Speaker 3: it than meets us, or you know that you could 269 00:14:16,760 --> 00:14:18,240 Speaker 3: see on the service, right. 270 00:14:19,160 --> 00:14:22,560 Speaker 1: I don't think there's very little argument about, like, I 271 00:14:22,560 --> 00:14:25,560 Speaker 1: guess why we want to do this from whether it's 272 00:14:25,600 --> 00:14:31,840 Speaker 1: a you know, in the public interest or for defense 273 00:14:31,920 --> 00:14:39,040 Speaker 1: reasons of having a robust shipping building complex. But like 274 00:14:39,960 --> 00:14:44,440 Speaker 1: for that to happen, what has to happen. I mean, 275 00:14:44,720 --> 00:14:47,080 Speaker 1: you know, if if we want to actually do this, 276 00:14:47,200 --> 00:14:50,560 Speaker 1: is it just heavily subsidizing an industry. 277 00:14:52,080 --> 00:14:54,160 Speaker 3: I'm so glad that you asked at least, So the 278 00:14:54,200 --> 00:14:55,960 Speaker 3: first two things I don't think that we want to 279 00:14:55,960 --> 00:14:59,760 Speaker 3: do is one is have restrictive policies more so than 280 00:14:59,800 --> 00:15:02,000 Speaker 3: we have. So you know, we don't want to say 281 00:15:02,120 --> 00:15:07,080 Speaker 3: unless a ship is built in uh, Indiana you know 282 00:15:07,200 --> 00:15:08,240 Speaker 3: where I grew up. 283 00:15:08,680 --> 00:15:10,720 Speaker 2: Uh. You know, we can only hold hold things we 284 00:15:10,760 --> 00:15:11,040 Speaker 2: want to. 285 00:15:11,080 --> 00:15:14,040 Speaker 3: We want to stop the restrictiveness and we definitely want 286 00:15:14,080 --> 00:15:18,280 Speaker 3: to provide tax incentives and other type of things for 287 00:15:18,400 --> 00:15:21,520 Speaker 3: ship building here. But we need a complete new program. 288 00:15:21,560 --> 00:15:23,520 Speaker 3: We need, as I'd like to say a lot of 289 00:15:23,520 --> 00:15:25,680 Speaker 3: time is you know, we need the Model T or 290 00:15:25,680 --> 00:15:28,560 Speaker 3: we need the Liberty Ship. We need one thing that 291 00:15:28,600 --> 00:15:31,160 Speaker 3: we can do better than anyone else, kind of as 292 00:15:31,240 --> 00:15:34,640 Speaker 3: Rockefeller said, John D. Rockefeller, you know, and I think 293 00:15:34,680 --> 00:15:37,000 Speaker 3: that once we look at it, what's what's a ship 294 00:15:37,040 --> 00:15:40,280 Speaker 3: that could be used for commercial aspects and also for military. 295 00:15:40,520 --> 00:15:43,760 Speaker 3: It's probably one of these you know, cargo fuel type ships. 296 00:15:44,480 --> 00:15:45,920 Speaker 3: You know that we can go ahead and do it 297 00:15:46,000 --> 00:15:48,000 Speaker 3: and hopefully we could mass produce it. You know. 298 00:15:48,160 --> 00:15:50,480 Speaker 2: Yes, we need automation in the shipyard. 299 00:15:50,720 --> 00:15:52,760 Speaker 3: We need a lot of different things, and we also 300 00:15:52,800 --> 00:15:55,400 Speaker 3: need to train up our union workers to know how 301 00:15:55,400 --> 00:15:56,520 Speaker 3: to do those type of things. 302 00:15:56,560 --> 00:15:58,480 Speaker 2: And I think it's a win win situation. 303 00:15:59,600 --> 00:16:02,280 Speaker 3: You know, we have now for every union worker that 304 00:16:02,360 --> 00:16:05,600 Speaker 3: we have in a shipyard, we probably have ten support 305 00:16:05,640 --> 00:16:08,320 Speaker 3: people you know in the back, you know, supporting them. 306 00:16:08,360 --> 00:16:12,320 Speaker 3: So we just need a little bit uh better distribution 307 00:16:13,000 --> 00:16:14,840 Speaker 3: of our assets, gotcha. 308 00:16:14,920 --> 00:16:17,480 Speaker 1: And for that to happen. What has to happen in 309 00:16:17,640 --> 00:16:20,840 Speaker 1: Washington is this stuff that Congress has to enact. Is 310 00:16:20,840 --> 00:16:22,760 Speaker 1: this stuff that the president could just do? 311 00:16:23,200 --> 00:16:23,480 Speaker 2: Well? 312 00:16:23,840 --> 00:16:27,479 Speaker 3: Uh, the President ken and I think he has highlighted 313 00:16:27,520 --> 00:16:31,080 Speaker 3: and prioritized ship building and why it's important and why 314 00:16:31,120 --> 00:16:34,480 Speaker 3: it's important in national security. You know, we are the 315 00:16:34,560 --> 00:16:38,040 Speaker 3: largest consumer nation in the world, you know, by without 316 00:16:38,080 --> 00:16:40,600 Speaker 3: any question, so we need the goods coming into the 317 00:16:40,720 --> 00:16:45,400 Speaker 3: United States. You know, Congress has dabbled in it a lot, 318 00:16:45,600 --> 00:16:50,680 Speaker 3: but you know, Congress is uh, very complex. So for 319 00:16:51,000 --> 00:16:52,960 Speaker 3: as I said before, you know, if you push on 320 00:16:52,960 --> 00:16:55,840 Speaker 3: one thing to others fall out somewhere else. So it's 321 00:16:55,960 --> 00:16:58,920 Speaker 3: very delicate in there. I think it's going to take 322 00:16:58,960 --> 00:17:02,320 Speaker 3: the initiative and we're seeing this. I think JP Morgan 323 00:17:02,400 --> 00:17:04,159 Speaker 3: Chase came out and said that they're going to invest 324 00:17:04,440 --> 00:17:07,200 Speaker 3: something like five trillion dollars in the next ten years 325 00:17:07,200 --> 00:17:10,200 Speaker 3: and infrastructure in these type of programs. So we need 326 00:17:10,359 --> 00:17:12,240 Speaker 3: you know, this needs to come from the private sector, 327 00:17:12,400 --> 00:17:15,439 Speaker 3: and you know, it needs to come from investment. The 328 00:17:15,520 --> 00:17:19,560 Speaker 3: same way that Tesla and their way of building vehicles 329 00:17:19,600 --> 00:17:23,800 Speaker 3: and selling vehicles revolutionized the auto industry, we kind of 330 00:17:23,840 --> 00:17:27,119 Speaker 3: need something similar in ship in ship building. 331 00:17:28,080 --> 00:17:31,160 Speaker 1: And so you know, a lot of the issues stems 332 00:17:31,200 --> 00:17:33,639 Speaker 1: from the Jones AC. So are you a fan of 333 00:17:33,680 --> 00:17:36,520 Speaker 1: the Jones AC. Are you in the camp where we 334 00:17:36,600 --> 00:17:39,879 Speaker 1: need to totally rehaul the Jones AC or do you 335 00:17:40,000 --> 00:17:41,680 Speaker 1: like it how it stands? 336 00:17:42,160 --> 00:17:44,639 Speaker 3: Well, I'm one hundred percent in favor of the Jones 337 00:17:44,640 --> 00:17:48,080 Speaker 3: AC when it's applied properly. And you know, when it's 338 00:17:48,359 --> 00:17:51,600 Speaker 3: applied properly, what we're doing is we're giving great pain 339 00:17:51,800 --> 00:17:55,159 Speaker 3: jobs to our cadets coming out of maritime academies, and 340 00:17:55,520 --> 00:17:59,000 Speaker 3: you know, we're promoting them to be on the seas. 341 00:17:59,440 --> 00:18:02,320 Speaker 2: But you know, not all the time that's the priority. 342 00:18:02,400 --> 00:18:06,879 Speaker 3: Sometimes the priority gets into other things on commercial aspects, 343 00:18:07,040 --> 00:18:10,480 Speaker 3: other Jones Actor, on restrictiveness or other type of things. 344 00:18:10,920 --> 00:18:13,080 Speaker 3: You know, I think that the Jones Act is made 345 00:18:13,119 --> 00:18:18,959 Speaker 3: to to go ahead and preserve the US Mariner and 346 00:18:19,000 --> 00:18:21,359 Speaker 3: that needs to be the priority there. And that's that's 347 00:18:21,359 --> 00:18:22,840 Speaker 3: what I'm going to say about the Jones Act. 348 00:18:23,400 --> 00:18:26,720 Speaker 1: Okay, And if there's one aspect of it, what would 349 00:18:26,760 --> 00:18:29,560 Speaker 1: be the one aspect that you'd like to see change. 350 00:18:29,880 --> 00:18:31,680 Speaker 2: Well, I don't know if you know what I would 351 00:18:31,720 --> 00:18:32,440 Speaker 2: like to see changed. 352 00:18:32,480 --> 00:18:34,480 Speaker 3: It's uh, you know, it's a law that's been in 353 00:18:34,480 --> 00:18:37,280 Speaker 3: in the books for over one hundred years now. And 354 00:18:37,359 --> 00:18:39,919 Speaker 3: anything that you get something that good, it's kind of 355 00:18:39,920 --> 00:18:42,679 Speaker 3: like uh, you know, you know, changing the smile on 356 00:18:42,720 --> 00:18:45,200 Speaker 3: the Mona Lisa. Uh, you know, we need to take 357 00:18:45,320 --> 00:18:50,879 Speaker 3: very very careful brushstrokes onto onto that painting. 358 00:18:51,680 --> 00:18:54,600 Speaker 1: All right, Well, I'm all for a different smile on 359 00:18:54,640 --> 00:19:00,560 Speaker 1: her face anyway. Actually I was. I saw that the 360 00:19:00,560 --> 00:19:04,120 Speaker 1: painting two years ago, and it was it was disappointed. 361 00:19:04,160 --> 00:19:05,920 Speaker 1: It was smaller than I thought it was going to be. 362 00:19:06,080 --> 00:19:07,800 Speaker 1: It was gonna be a much bigger painting. 363 00:19:08,440 --> 00:19:10,560 Speaker 3: And they and they pushed you aside in the louver too. 364 00:19:10,600 --> 00:19:12,480 Speaker 3: You know you got there for one second. 365 00:19:13,200 --> 00:19:17,840 Speaker 1: Cattle, Yes, very much. It felt like cattle. So you know, 366 00:19:18,000 --> 00:19:20,159 Speaker 1: you know we mentioned earlier, you know you were at 367 00:19:20,160 --> 00:19:22,680 Speaker 1: throwing run to a large lobbying firm. Kind of what 368 00:19:22,680 --> 00:19:25,679 Speaker 1: what are your priorities as a partner there? Uh when 369 00:19:25,720 --> 00:19:29,200 Speaker 1: it relates to uh, you know, your practice. 370 00:19:29,480 --> 00:19:31,840 Speaker 3: Well, I've been here for three months and I have 371 00:19:31,880 --> 00:19:34,800 Speaker 3: to say I'm probably one of the happiest people in 372 00:19:34,920 --> 00:19:36,680 Speaker 3: the entire city of Washington, d C. 373 00:19:36,880 --> 00:19:38,560 Speaker 2: It's a it's a great place to work. It's a 374 00:19:38,560 --> 00:19:39,560 Speaker 2: great team that we have. 375 00:19:40,720 --> 00:19:46,120 Speaker 3: The information that we have is is unbelievable. Uh, we're bipartisans, 376 00:19:46,160 --> 00:19:49,560 Speaker 3: so you know, every morning at nine o'clock we have 377 00:19:49,600 --> 00:19:52,000 Speaker 3: a call between the Republicans and the Democrats and we 378 00:19:52,040 --> 00:19:54,720 Speaker 3: talk about, you know, what the priorities are, what things 379 00:19:54,760 --> 00:19:56,639 Speaker 3: are happening on the hill. And it's very great to 380 00:19:56,640 --> 00:19:59,480 Speaker 3: hear those all those perspectives. And you know when I 381 00:19:59,520 --> 00:20:02,119 Speaker 3: said with a client at eleven o'clock or you know, 382 00:20:02,200 --> 00:20:05,440 Speaker 3: for lunch, I'm much more intelligent and I can go 383 00:20:05,440 --> 00:20:08,080 Speaker 3: ahead and talk about things from from different angles, not 384 00:20:08,119 --> 00:20:11,680 Speaker 3: only you know, from a ten thousand foot aspect. 385 00:20:11,800 --> 00:20:13,840 Speaker 2: So it's been great. 386 00:20:14,720 --> 00:20:17,320 Speaker 3: The things that I've been doing since i've been here 387 00:20:17,440 --> 00:20:21,640 Speaker 3: is I've been doing national security around the world. Naturally, 388 00:20:22,000 --> 00:20:24,879 Speaker 3: I was a very proponent on that. I'm a former 389 00:20:24,960 --> 00:20:29,680 Speaker 3: counter intelligence agent, you know, from the Army. I'm doing 390 00:20:29,720 --> 00:20:34,639 Speaker 3: a lot of export related stuff as in, you know, 391 00:20:35,000 --> 00:20:39,720 Speaker 3: making sure that our ports are able to access the 392 00:20:40,400 --> 00:20:42,760 Speaker 3: vessels that are coming in to pick up our exports. 393 00:20:43,280 --> 00:20:48,119 Speaker 3: I'm working with energy with LNG with compressed gas, a 394 00:20:48,160 --> 00:20:53,080 Speaker 3: lot of different things that I think that the last administration, unfortunately, 395 00:20:53,119 --> 00:20:54,439 Speaker 3: and I wrote a lot of letters. I was very 396 00:20:54,520 --> 00:20:56,920 Speaker 3: vocal about this. You know, I believe that they kind 397 00:20:56,920 --> 00:20:59,440 Speaker 3: of had this war going on on fossil fuels and 398 00:20:59,440 --> 00:21:01,040 Speaker 3: and I just don't believe that we're going to be 399 00:21:01,040 --> 00:21:05,720 Speaker 3: able to jump from you know, a zero emission hydrogen. 400 00:21:05,880 --> 00:21:07,240 Speaker 2: You know, from one day to the next. 401 00:21:07,280 --> 00:21:09,680 Speaker 3: You know, there needs to be some sort of mix 402 00:21:09,720 --> 00:21:12,080 Speaker 3: as we get more efficient and effective. 403 00:21:12,480 --> 00:21:15,080 Speaker 1: So can you talk a bit a bit about you know, 404 00:21:15,119 --> 00:21:18,480 Speaker 1: Trump administration. They've obviously have a lot more protectionist policies 405 00:21:18,480 --> 00:21:20,639 Speaker 1: than we've seen in the past, whether it's tariffs or 406 00:21:20,760 --> 00:21:23,720 Speaker 1: the US t R fees. Can you talk about how 407 00:21:23,760 --> 00:21:26,920 Speaker 1: that's impacted shipping and you know, where do you think 408 00:21:26,920 --> 00:21:32,080 Speaker 1: to see that going during the remainder of his presidency. 409 00:21:32,720 --> 00:21:36,280 Speaker 3: Well, I think so far that I'm one hundred percent 410 00:21:36,320 --> 00:21:40,480 Speaker 3: in favor of the tariffs that we've seen. And you know, 411 00:21:40,520 --> 00:21:42,399 Speaker 3: it might be a little bit hard to swallow in 412 00:21:42,440 --> 00:21:45,840 Speaker 3: the beginning, but the long term effects are going to 413 00:21:45,840 --> 00:21:46,160 Speaker 3: be good. 414 00:21:46,160 --> 00:21:46,919 Speaker 2: And I tracked this. 415 00:21:47,040 --> 00:21:50,000 Speaker 3: I tracked this during Trump one where I saw that 416 00:21:50,080 --> 00:21:53,080 Speaker 3: we had certain restrictive tariffs on certain countries. And what 417 00:21:53,119 --> 00:21:55,760 Speaker 3: I saw is that we started to trade more with 418 00:21:55,840 --> 00:22:00,360 Speaker 3: our friends, and we did a lot more business with 419 00:22:00,359 --> 00:22:06,120 Speaker 3: with you know, Malaysia or Vietnam, or Brazil or Argentina 420 00:22:06,480 --> 00:22:08,920 Speaker 3: rather than you know, the people the race to the 421 00:22:08,960 --> 00:22:10,520 Speaker 3: bottom to get the best, you know, to get the 422 00:22:10,920 --> 00:22:14,040 Speaker 3: cheapest product into the country. So I'm very much in 423 00:22:14,119 --> 00:22:17,440 Speaker 3: favor of the tariffs if they're applied correctly. One thing 424 00:22:17,480 --> 00:22:19,879 Speaker 3: that that that we've been tracking was and that I 425 00:22:19,960 --> 00:22:24,520 Speaker 3: worked on when I was in the administration, was the 426 00:22:24,520 --> 00:22:30,680 Speaker 3: the three oh one USTR against Chinese built ships. And 427 00:22:31,720 --> 00:22:33,800 Speaker 3: you know, we worked very much to you know, find 428 00:22:33,840 --> 00:22:36,600 Speaker 3: exclusions for a lot of the shippers that we had 429 00:22:36,640 --> 00:22:40,000 Speaker 3: in Florida. For example, almost all of the sized ships 430 00:22:40,040 --> 00:22:44,280 Speaker 3: that are in the smaller range from one thousand, two thousand, 431 00:22:44,400 --> 00:22:49,560 Speaker 3: three thousand TEUs twenty foot containers ships, they're all built 432 00:22:49,560 --> 00:22:50,040 Speaker 3: in China. 433 00:22:50,119 --> 00:22:52,480 Speaker 2: So these people don't have an option. 434 00:22:52,520 --> 00:22:54,720 Speaker 3: But to use those and to go ahead and put 435 00:22:54,760 --> 00:22:58,400 Speaker 3: a million dollars or one point five you know penalty 436 00:22:58,400 --> 00:23:00,440 Speaker 3: every time that ship comes into a port to pick 437 00:23:00,520 --> 00:23:03,520 Speaker 3: up goods to bring to uh, you know, Saint Kitts 438 00:23:03,640 --> 00:23:05,679 Speaker 3: or the Bahamas, uh, you know it's going to be 439 00:23:05,920 --> 00:23:08,919 Speaker 3: it was really going to devastate US trade. So we 440 00:23:09,040 --> 00:23:11,280 Speaker 3: worked a lot on that to go ahead and carve 441 00:23:11,280 --> 00:23:12,320 Speaker 3: out those exemptions. 442 00:23:14,480 --> 00:23:19,000 Speaker 1: And obviously there's there's been a rest between the US 443 00:23:19,200 --> 00:23:23,520 Speaker 1: and you applying these fees and China also, you know, 444 00:23:24,040 --> 00:23:28,640 Speaker 1: pausing their implementation of their fees similar to ours. Where 445 00:23:28,680 --> 00:23:30,160 Speaker 1: do you how do you see this playing out? 446 00:23:31,760 --> 00:23:36,720 Speaker 2: Well? I see this playing now right now. 447 00:23:36,840 --> 00:23:40,000 Speaker 3: The fees are suspended, and they're suspended for a very 448 00:23:40,000 --> 00:23:43,199 Speaker 3: good reason, and that is because the majority of US 449 00:23:43,240 --> 00:23:46,640 Speaker 3: agriculture moves out of the United States on Chinese bill 450 00:23:46,760 --> 00:23:51,080 Speaker 3: chips period. I mean, there's no if ends and buds 451 00:23:51,280 --> 00:23:54,280 Speaker 3: about that. And the majority of the US agriculture that's 452 00:23:54,320 --> 00:23:56,840 Speaker 3: being exported is usually from the West Coast and it's 453 00:23:56,840 --> 00:24:00,600 Speaker 3: and it's headed to Asia. So by putting the restrictiveness 454 00:24:01,200 --> 00:24:04,840 Speaker 3: or a million dollar fine on some of those Chinese 455 00:24:04,840 --> 00:24:08,960 Speaker 3: built ships when there are no US equivalents, you know this, 456 00:24:08,960 --> 00:24:11,440 Speaker 3: this is what we have to understand. There's there are 457 00:24:11,520 --> 00:24:15,440 Speaker 3: no US built ships that are twenty thousand TEUs are 458 00:24:15,600 --> 00:24:18,040 Speaker 3: this going in that route from Asia. So what we're 459 00:24:18,080 --> 00:24:20,439 Speaker 3: doing is put into restrictiveness and a fine on US 460 00:24:20,440 --> 00:24:21,960 Speaker 3: for something that doesn't exist. 461 00:24:23,280 --> 00:24:25,639 Speaker 2: I knew that something was going to happen. 462 00:24:25,680 --> 00:24:28,320 Speaker 3: I'm very very happy that it's been suspended for a year, 463 00:24:28,560 --> 00:24:31,520 Speaker 3: and I believe that it's a negotiation tactic for other 464 00:24:31,560 --> 00:24:34,280 Speaker 3: type of things. The last thing that the President wants 465 00:24:34,320 --> 00:24:38,200 Speaker 3: to do is is impact negatively. You know, US farmers, 466 00:24:38,640 --> 00:24:41,840 Speaker 3: so Ibean farmers, Hay farmers, everybody else in that group 467 00:24:42,560 --> 00:24:44,680 Speaker 3: that has these agricultural exports. 468 00:24:44,920 --> 00:24:48,359 Speaker 1: Right, and then you know, I guess you can you 469 00:24:48,400 --> 00:24:51,520 Speaker 1: talk a little bit about you know, ag exports as 470 00:24:51,520 --> 00:24:56,919 Speaker 1: it relates to the tariffs, how that has impacted you know, trade. 471 00:24:57,320 --> 00:25:01,000 Speaker 3: Well, I can say this that, you know, I believe 472 00:25:01,040 --> 00:25:03,840 Speaker 3: when a lot of the tariffs were announced and a 473 00:25:03,880 --> 00:25:05,760 Speaker 3: lot of the you know, the US t R three 474 00:25:05,800 --> 00:25:08,919 Speaker 3: oh one was announced, you know, there was panic on 475 00:25:08,960 --> 00:25:11,239 Speaker 3: the streets. There really was, because how am I going 476 00:25:11,280 --> 00:25:13,320 Speaker 3: to get my goods from here to there? This is 477 00:25:13,359 --> 00:25:15,320 Speaker 3: the carrier that I've been using, this is the ship 478 00:25:15,400 --> 00:25:17,399 Speaker 3: that I've been using, and now all of a sudden, 479 00:25:17,680 --> 00:25:20,119 Speaker 3: you know, it's it's gone where. You know, it's a 480 00:25:20,119 --> 00:25:22,720 Speaker 3: blank sailing. You know they're not going to have that 481 00:25:22,720 --> 00:25:26,320 Speaker 3: that thing. So I think that you know, calmer heads, 482 00:25:26,840 --> 00:25:29,480 Speaker 3: you know, the policy in general was very good, but 483 00:25:29,720 --> 00:25:31,639 Speaker 3: the nuts and bolts weren't done yet. And now we 484 00:25:31,720 --> 00:25:33,399 Speaker 3: kind of have the nuts and bolts in the place, 485 00:25:33,800 --> 00:25:35,760 Speaker 3: and we're in a lot better place now to go 486 00:25:35,800 --> 00:25:38,679 Speaker 3: ahead and negotiate further. And and what you know, what 487 00:25:38,800 --> 00:25:41,080 Speaker 3: China did was basically the same thing that I would 488 00:25:41,080 --> 00:25:45,000 Speaker 3: have done as a federal regulator. If somebody would have 489 00:25:45,000 --> 00:25:47,879 Speaker 3: put restrictiveness on me or on my ships or on 490 00:25:47,960 --> 00:25:50,000 Speaker 3: my cargo, I would did the same thing to them. 491 00:25:50,040 --> 00:25:51,959 Speaker 2: And we've done that many times at the FMC. 492 00:25:52,640 --> 00:25:55,840 Speaker 3: So you know what's going to happen now is, you know, 493 00:25:56,000 --> 00:26:00,640 Speaker 3: the administration with US Commerce Department and US tr are 494 00:26:00,640 --> 00:26:04,240 Speaker 3: going to and negotiate with our trading partners. And I'm 495 00:26:04,280 --> 00:26:07,080 Speaker 3: sure that the Federal Maritime Commission, where I was chairman, 496 00:26:07,440 --> 00:26:09,919 Speaker 3: is going to negotiate or going to have bilaterals and 497 00:26:09,920 --> 00:26:12,880 Speaker 3: trilatters with our European and Asia counterparts. 498 00:26:13,240 --> 00:26:16,080 Speaker 1: You mentioned earlier you talked about emissions and how difficult 499 00:26:16,119 --> 00:26:19,919 Speaker 1: it is to get to zero. You know, you know, 500 00:26:20,480 --> 00:26:22,560 Speaker 1: maybe we don't get to zero, maybe we get to zero, 501 00:26:22,640 --> 00:26:26,800 Speaker 1: but what's the best way for the industry, the global 502 00:26:26,840 --> 00:26:30,040 Speaker 1: marine shipping industry to reduce its carbon footprint. 503 00:26:30,440 --> 00:26:34,000 Speaker 2: Well, the industry as a whole have been working towards 504 00:26:34,040 --> 00:26:38,679 Speaker 2: us for a long time. And as chairman, you know, 505 00:26:38,720 --> 00:26:42,200 Speaker 2: I got to meet with a lot of the heads 506 00:26:42,200 --> 00:26:44,760 Speaker 2: CEOs of shipping lines from all over the world would 507 00:26:44,800 --> 00:26:46,960 Speaker 2: come in and you know, visit Washington, and I'd ask 508 00:26:47,040 --> 00:26:50,320 Speaker 2: them what keeps you up at night? And one of 509 00:26:50,320 --> 00:26:54,919 Speaker 2: the things that they said was that they've invested billions 510 00:26:54,960 --> 00:27:00,760 Speaker 2: of dollars into these dual fuel machines propulsions, engines, uh, 511 00:27:00,840 --> 00:27:03,800 Speaker 2: you know, for their ships, but they were unable to 512 00:27:03,840 --> 00:27:07,720 Speaker 2: get any type of ultimate marine fuels anywhere. And what 513 00:27:07,760 --> 00:27:09,600 Speaker 2: I mean by ultimate marine fuels, I mean. 514 00:27:09,800 --> 00:27:14,160 Speaker 3: LNG, which is UH or you know, methane or some 515 00:27:14,200 --> 00:27:16,520 Speaker 3: sort of mix of these. So they were starting to 516 00:27:16,560 --> 00:27:18,119 Speaker 3: be able to get them in Rotterdam, but here in 517 00:27:18,119 --> 00:27:21,560 Speaker 3: the United States is very very limited. If you take 518 00:27:21,760 --> 00:27:25,080 Speaker 3: all the capacity of all the bunkering vessels that we 519 00:27:25,200 --> 00:27:28,240 Speaker 3: have for LNG or anything else in the United States, 520 00:27:28,359 --> 00:27:30,040 Speaker 3: I don't even think that we could fill up one 521 00:27:30,080 --> 00:27:34,520 Speaker 3: container ship, uh, you know, with their tank. So you know, 522 00:27:34,560 --> 00:27:37,119 Speaker 3: we're we're very much lacking. And hopefully you know, we 523 00:27:37,160 --> 00:27:40,200 Speaker 3: can go ahead and and move, you know, move towards 524 00:27:40,280 --> 00:27:43,440 Speaker 3: having more availability of these marine fuels. 525 00:27:44,680 --> 00:27:48,080 Speaker 1: And so you know what else is facing the maritime 526 00:27:48,119 --> 00:27:53,040 Speaker 1: industry that's under radar from from a from a legislative standpoint. 527 00:27:53,680 --> 00:27:56,320 Speaker 3: Well, I wouldn't say so much as a leg as 528 00:27:56,320 --> 00:28:01,240 Speaker 3: a legislative standpoint, uh, I would say that probably the 529 00:28:01,560 --> 00:28:06,000 Speaker 3: Surface Reauthorization Act is coming up in twenty twenty six. 530 00:28:07,080 --> 00:28:09,639 Speaker 3: That's the mother of all infrastructure bills. It's going to 531 00:28:09,640 --> 00:28:13,720 Speaker 3: be the largest and most expensive infrastructure bill the world 532 00:28:13,800 --> 00:28:17,240 Speaker 3: has ever seen. The build back Better or what do 533 00:28:17,240 --> 00:28:21,400 Speaker 3: they call it, that bipartisan infrastructure build that Biden did 534 00:28:21,720 --> 00:28:24,679 Speaker 3: five years ago. It expires in twenty twenty six, and 535 00:28:24,880 --> 00:28:26,960 Speaker 3: everything is on the table, and this bill is being 536 00:28:26,960 --> 00:28:30,959 Speaker 3: written right now. It should be in markup in you know, 537 00:28:31,040 --> 00:28:33,120 Speaker 3: three four months, and hopefully, you know. 538 00:28:33,080 --> 00:28:34,480 Speaker 2: We get to see it in June or July. 539 00:28:34,840 --> 00:28:36,640 Speaker 3: So the idea to go ahead and work on one 540 00:28:36,640 --> 00:28:41,880 Speaker 3: of these transitional, you know, epic bills is very exciting 541 00:28:41,960 --> 00:28:45,640 Speaker 3: to me legislatives. So that legislatively, i'd say that we 542 00:28:45,680 --> 00:28:51,560 Speaker 3: also have the NDAA coming up, where it's not just defense. 543 00:28:51,960 --> 00:28:54,680 Speaker 3: They like to go ahead and put the Coastguard or 544 00:28:54,880 --> 00:28:57,920 Speaker 3: FMC Federal Maritime Commission, or other things they like to 545 00:28:57,960 --> 00:29:00,800 Speaker 3: bundle it in, put it into a sausage, so to speak, 546 00:29:01,000 --> 00:29:02,640 Speaker 3: you know, and hopefully you know, we're looking at. 547 00:29:02,520 --> 00:29:03,160 Speaker 2: That right now. 548 00:29:03,960 --> 00:29:06,120 Speaker 3: But those are those are our legislative things that we're 549 00:29:06,160 --> 00:29:06,880 Speaker 3: looking at. 550 00:29:06,880 --> 00:29:12,200 Speaker 1: Right And then that NDA is a National Defense Authorization. 551 00:29:11,680 --> 00:29:15,040 Speaker 2: Act, Yes, exactly, Wow, look at that? 552 00:29:15,160 --> 00:29:20,240 Speaker 1: What a guess? So on the surface Reauthorization Act that 553 00:29:20,320 --> 00:29:23,720 Speaker 1: you mentioned, what do you think is definitely going to 554 00:29:23,800 --> 00:29:25,760 Speaker 1: get cut out of it? And what do you think 555 00:29:25,880 --> 00:29:28,920 Speaker 1: is going to get added to it given the different 556 00:29:28,960 --> 00:29:31,280 Speaker 1: priorities of the current administration. 557 00:29:32,440 --> 00:29:35,400 Speaker 3: Well, I think, you know, it's it's very obvious that 558 00:29:35,440 --> 00:29:39,760 Speaker 3: we've seen a shift away from some of the green 559 00:29:40,960 --> 00:29:45,160 Speaker 3: energy propulsions that we had out, so you know where 560 00:29:45,280 --> 00:29:47,600 Speaker 3: I don't believe that there's any way to jump from 561 00:29:47,760 --> 00:29:50,880 Speaker 3: where we're at now to you know, hydrogen power or 562 00:29:50,960 --> 00:29:52,440 Speaker 3: other type of things. So we're going to take it 563 00:29:52,440 --> 00:29:54,840 Speaker 3: a little bit more gradual as we go through there. 564 00:29:54,840 --> 00:29:58,800 Speaker 3: And it also needs to make economic sense. So I 565 00:29:58,800 --> 00:30:01,240 Speaker 3: think that's one of the highlight. Uh, you know, wind 566 00:30:02,440 --> 00:30:05,480 Speaker 3: is probably uh, you know, being being pushed down a 567 00:30:05,560 --> 00:30:10,240 Speaker 3: little bit now, where other type of uh infrastructure is 568 00:30:10,280 --> 00:30:13,960 Speaker 3: definitely going to be uh be more attractive. 569 00:30:14,960 --> 00:30:16,680 Speaker 1: I think could this be good for the the US 570 00:30:16,720 --> 00:30:17,800 Speaker 1: ship building industry. 571 00:30:18,880 --> 00:30:19,560 Speaker 2: Absolutely. 572 00:30:19,640 --> 00:30:21,800 Speaker 3: I mean this build that's coming out is going to 573 00:30:21,880 --> 00:30:28,040 Speaker 3: go ahead and provide funds for dredging, for ports, for shipyards, 574 00:30:28,040 --> 00:30:33,160 Speaker 3: for rail bridges, everything, so right now, and this is 575 00:30:33,200 --> 00:30:35,600 Speaker 3: what I'm trying to do here is try to get 576 00:30:35,680 --> 00:30:40,040 Speaker 3: a lot of these stakeholders interested and active and a 577 00:30:40,120 --> 00:30:43,640 Speaker 3: seat at the table for these for this largest infrastructure 578 00:30:43,640 --> 00:30:46,520 Speaker 3: build that's ever coming out here next year. So as 579 00:30:46,560 --> 00:30:49,400 Speaker 3: I continue to talk to stakeholders, we continue to add 580 00:30:49,440 --> 00:30:52,160 Speaker 3: one or two every week, you know, to kind of 581 00:30:52,200 --> 00:30:55,280 Speaker 3: build a coalition, and uh, you know, what's good for 582 00:30:55,440 --> 00:30:57,480 Speaker 3: what's good for many needs to be good for us 583 00:30:57,480 --> 00:30:59,760 Speaker 3: as well. And let me give you an example of 584 00:30:59,760 --> 00:31:02,840 Speaker 3: this that five years ago when they did this infrastructure bill, 585 00:31:04,080 --> 00:31:07,760 Speaker 3: we had a tax credit for for alternate fuels so 586 00:31:07,800 --> 00:31:11,800 Speaker 3: to speak, and it was granted for trucking, it was 587 00:31:11,840 --> 00:31:14,720 Speaker 3: granted for rail, it was granted. There's even one for aviation, 588 00:31:15,240 --> 00:31:18,160 Speaker 3: but there was nothing for maritime. And that was because 589 00:31:18,160 --> 00:31:21,320 Speaker 3: the maritime stakeholders just weren't at the table. So it 590 00:31:21,400 --> 00:31:24,120 Speaker 3: was something it could have been an easy fix, but 591 00:31:24,600 --> 00:31:28,240 Speaker 3: you know, they don't engage the way that other industries do. 592 00:31:28,720 --> 00:31:33,200 Speaker 3: If you look at Delta, American Airlines or United you 593 00:31:33,200 --> 00:31:37,400 Speaker 3: know they spent five million dollars a year on lobbying, right, 594 00:31:37,440 --> 00:31:39,280 Speaker 3: where if you get somebody in the maritime things, I 595 00:31:39,280 --> 00:31:41,880 Speaker 3: don't think you know, to get five million dollars, you're 596 00:31:41,880 --> 00:31:43,640 Speaker 3: going to add up a lot of different clients to 597 00:31:43,640 --> 00:31:45,160 Speaker 3: go ahead and to get that five million. 598 00:31:45,000 --> 00:31:45,880 Speaker 2: Dollars, right. 599 00:31:46,120 --> 00:31:49,320 Speaker 1: Absolutely, So, is there anything else on your reader in 600 00:31:49,640 --> 00:31:52,200 Speaker 1: the shipping industry or an infrastructure that you're kind of 601 00:31:52,200 --> 00:31:52,760 Speaker 1: focused on. 602 00:31:53,440 --> 00:31:56,200 Speaker 3: Well, the one thing that I brought up when I 603 00:31:56,240 --> 00:31:58,880 Speaker 3: was chairman, and I've been bringing up for a long 604 00:31:58,880 --> 00:32:04,959 Speaker 3: time was the International Maritime Organizations you know, carbon carbon 605 00:32:05,040 --> 00:32:10,520 Speaker 3: penalty that they had out and I looked at this extensively. 606 00:32:10,640 --> 00:32:13,440 Speaker 3: I'm probably one of the subject matter experts on this, 607 00:32:14,000 --> 00:32:17,760 Speaker 3: and I think that everybody has the right or the 608 00:32:17,800 --> 00:32:22,120 Speaker 3: same goal of reducing our carbon footprint and shipping, which 609 00:32:22,160 --> 00:32:27,560 Speaker 3: is three percent of the world's emissions. And what we 610 00:32:27,720 --> 00:32:32,520 Speaker 3: saw the United Nations through the IMO do is basically 611 00:32:32,720 --> 00:32:36,760 Speaker 3: they've provided away a taxi mechanism. And what that does 612 00:32:37,120 --> 00:32:40,120 Speaker 3: is if you're not at zero net carbon, if you're 613 00:32:40,160 --> 00:32:42,120 Speaker 3: not at net carbon zero, then you're going to be 614 00:32:42,200 --> 00:32:44,480 Speaker 3: You're going to be given a fine, and that fine 615 00:32:44,520 --> 00:32:48,440 Speaker 3: would be dispersed between all of your cargo. So every 616 00:32:48,480 --> 00:32:50,720 Speaker 3: single container on board is going to have to pay 617 00:32:50,800 --> 00:32:53,560 Speaker 3: up to one hundred dollars or more because you're not 618 00:32:53,600 --> 00:32:56,560 Speaker 3: at net carbon zero, something that's impossible to come to, 619 00:32:57,000 --> 00:32:59,560 Speaker 3: or even the cruises. So you know, if you're taking 620 00:32:59,560 --> 00:33:02,920 Speaker 3: a cruise from Miami to Bahamas and back and you're 621 00:33:02,920 --> 00:33:05,080 Speaker 3: not at net carbon zero, you know you're going to 622 00:33:05,160 --> 00:33:11,280 Speaker 3: get fifty dollars additional carbon tax onto your. 623 00:33:10,360 --> 00:33:11,760 Speaker 2: Your your your cruise bill. 624 00:33:12,360 --> 00:33:14,840 Speaker 3: And what the United Nation wanted to do was take 625 00:33:14,960 --> 00:33:17,880 Speaker 3: all this money we're talking five to ten billion dollars 626 00:33:17,880 --> 00:33:20,200 Speaker 3: a year, send it to the United Nations and put 627 00:33:20,240 --> 00:33:24,560 Speaker 3: it into a development fund for developing nations. So when 628 00:33:24,600 --> 00:33:26,520 Speaker 3: we looked at this, we said, wait a second, we're 629 00:33:26,560 --> 00:33:28,840 Speaker 3: going to fund this the United States. The consumers here 630 00:33:28,880 --> 00:33:31,520 Speaker 3: are going to fund this forty five percent. So it 631 00:33:31,560 --> 00:33:33,480 Speaker 3: didn't make sense for you know, to go ahead and 632 00:33:33,480 --> 00:33:35,720 Speaker 3: add attacks onto the United States to give them money 633 00:33:35,800 --> 00:33:38,960 Speaker 3: to the United Nations to do that. With that being said, 634 00:33:39,000 --> 00:33:44,320 Speaker 3: there's so in August or not August, in September, you know, 635 00:33:44,480 --> 00:33:48,200 Speaker 3: the IMO had a vote and we decided to delay 636 00:33:48,200 --> 00:33:51,040 Speaker 3: it for a year. So we're working very strongly right 637 00:33:51,080 --> 00:33:53,800 Speaker 3: now with a lot of different coalitions to go ahead 638 00:33:53,840 --> 00:33:56,240 Speaker 3: and make sure that what comes out next is going 639 00:33:56,280 --> 00:34:00,600 Speaker 3: to be acceptable to the American public. You know, I'm 640 00:34:00,600 --> 00:34:02,400 Speaker 3: what they're going to be taxed on or what they're 641 00:34:02,440 --> 00:34:05,560 Speaker 3: going to be uh. You know, we don't want any 642 00:34:05,600 --> 00:34:08,600 Speaker 3: fines for for technology that doesn't exist. But we're going 643 00:34:08,680 --> 00:34:10,200 Speaker 3: to try to make this better and I think that's 644 00:34:10,200 --> 00:34:12,440 Speaker 3: going to be something that's going to be very very 645 00:34:12,520 --> 00:34:17,160 Speaker 3: important for twenty twenty six, just alongside the Surface Reauthorization Act. 646 00:34:18,040 --> 00:34:21,200 Speaker 1: And so you know, you mentioned earlier that you're in 647 00:34:21,239 --> 00:34:24,080 Speaker 1: that you're in your current role for only three months, 648 00:34:24,680 --> 00:34:28,160 Speaker 1: so you're probably learning a lot about the lobbying world. 649 00:34:29,000 --> 00:34:30,560 Speaker 1: What's been the biggest surprise to you? 650 00:34:30,960 --> 00:34:31,320 Speaker 3: Uh? 651 00:34:31,440 --> 00:34:31,879 Speaker 1: So far? 652 00:34:32,480 --> 00:34:37,239 Speaker 3: Well, I would say that I'm very fortunate because I've 653 00:34:37,680 --> 00:34:40,360 Speaker 3: I come from the private sector, I don't come from government, 654 00:34:41,560 --> 00:34:45,560 Speaker 3: and I believe in outcomes. So I'm able to say 655 00:34:45,640 --> 00:34:48,399 Speaker 3: yes or no to to clients that I want to 656 00:34:48,400 --> 00:34:50,520 Speaker 3: to go ahead and work with. And those are ones 657 00:34:50,520 --> 00:34:53,759 Speaker 3: that want an outcome, believe it or not. A lot 658 00:34:53,800 --> 00:34:55,879 Speaker 3: of people here in DC, or a lot of stakeholders, 659 00:34:56,600 --> 00:34:59,160 Speaker 3: they want a lobbyist just in case, you know, just 660 00:34:59,200 --> 00:35:03,120 Speaker 3: in case someday I need them. But I'm a problem solver. 661 00:35:03,239 --> 00:35:05,960 Speaker 3: I like to look at complex problems. I like to 662 00:35:06,000 --> 00:35:08,520 Speaker 3: look at how to fix things. And these are the 663 00:35:08,560 --> 00:35:11,920 Speaker 3: things that I've really been promoting. So, you know, if 664 00:35:11,920 --> 00:35:14,520 Speaker 3: a client just wants a picture with somebody, no I'm not. 665 00:35:14,880 --> 00:35:15,640 Speaker 2: I'm not your guy. 666 00:35:15,680 --> 00:35:17,040 Speaker 3: If you want to go ahead and figure out how 667 00:35:17,080 --> 00:35:20,759 Speaker 3: to put an LNG gas line underneath a railroad or 668 00:35:20,800 --> 00:35:24,799 Speaker 3: a highway, and you know, build an export terminal, I 669 00:35:24,840 --> 00:35:25,399 Speaker 3: am your guy. 670 00:35:25,719 --> 00:35:30,040 Speaker 1: You know you mentioned the private sector. Prior to you know, 671 00:35:30,480 --> 00:35:34,000 Speaker 1: your role in government, you were a yacht broker. It 672 00:35:34,080 --> 00:35:36,360 Speaker 1: sounds like a pretty sexy industry to be in with. 673 00:35:36,520 --> 00:35:38,880 Speaker 1: Can you provide any color about some of the transactions 674 00:35:38,920 --> 00:35:42,320 Speaker 1: that you're involved in, like the largest yacht that you've sold? 675 00:35:43,200 --> 00:35:45,360 Speaker 2: Well, thank you. Yes, I still am a yacht broker. 676 00:35:45,400 --> 00:35:47,880 Speaker 1: By the way, Oh, I might be in the market, 677 00:35:48,000 --> 00:35:50,240 Speaker 1: you know, so I'm looking for something around one hundred 678 00:35:50,320 --> 00:35:52,279 Speaker 1: to three hundred feet. 679 00:35:52,560 --> 00:35:54,680 Speaker 2: Yes, we got we got something for you. 680 00:35:54,760 --> 00:36:00,480 Speaker 3: So myself and my family became a yacht We've become 681 00:36:00,480 --> 00:36:04,440 Speaker 3: a yacht dealer, not really broker, a dealer for Asthma 682 00:36:04,560 --> 00:36:05,840 Speaker 3: Yachts and Benetti yachts. 683 00:36:05,840 --> 00:36:08,200 Speaker 2: So we've been a dealer now for twenty years. 684 00:36:09,280 --> 00:36:13,800 Speaker 3: We service mainly our head offices out of the Republic 685 00:36:13,840 --> 00:36:19,040 Speaker 3: of Panama, great maritime location, and you know, we've been 686 00:36:19,080 --> 00:36:22,879 Speaker 3: selling for twenty years. And you know, the normal size 687 00:36:22,920 --> 00:36:27,239 Speaker 3: of our yachts are probably between five to seven million dollars. 688 00:36:27,600 --> 00:36:29,520 Speaker 2: We usually will well will. 689 00:36:29,280 --> 00:36:31,759 Speaker 3: Sell some that are in the twenty, thirty, forty or 690 00:36:31,800 --> 00:36:36,200 Speaker 3: fifty million euros and I've done some. I've met some 691 00:36:36,400 --> 00:36:39,160 Speaker 3: very exciting people. I mean, you know, if you look 692 00:36:39,200 --> 00:36:41,880 Speaker 3: at if you google Asthma of yachts and look at 693 00:36:41,880 --> 00:36:44,040 Speaker 3: some of the pictures, you're going to see Christinado, Ronaldo 694 00:36:44,120 --> 00:36:46,600 Speaker 3: has two, You're going to see the Kardashians. You're going 695 00:36:46,640 --> 00:36:49,120 Speaker 3: to see a lot of really famous and cool people. 696 00:36:50,040 --> 00:36:53,200 Speaker 3: And I really enjoy the lifestyle. I really do. 697 00:36:53,320 --> 00:36:55,759 Speaker 2: So look, I look for it and it's been great. 698 00:36:55,800 --> 00:37:00,160 Speaker 3: I've got to meet people, gone to places and done everything. 699 00:37:00,239 --> 00:37:02,799 Speaker 2: So it's been wonderful. So when you're ready to buy 700 00:37:02,840 --> 00:37:03,799 Speaker 2: your yacht, you let me. 701 00:37:03,760 --> 00:37:06,160 Speaker 1: Know, okay, And you said you're you're based in Miami, 702 00:37:06,239 --> 00:37:09,239 Speaker 1: so I'm assuming you have your own I don't know 703 00:37:09,280 --> 00:37:12,000 Speaker 1: if it's a yacht or a boat that you liked 704 00:37:12,000 --> 00:37:13,640 Speaker 1: to tool around on. 705 00:37:14,360 --> 00:37:17,640 Speaker 2: Well, I just I just ordered one. It's for delivery 706 00:37:17,840 --> 00:37:19,640 Speaker 2: next year in Italy. 707 00:37:19,840 --> 00:37:21,920 Speaker 3: And what we usually do is we use it in 708 00:37:21,960 --> 00:37:24,800 Speaker 3: the season for Italy, So I try to get it 709 00:37:24,800 --> 00:37:28,080 Speaker 3: in a May or June delivery time, uh, and then 710 00:37:28,080 --> 00:37:32,000 Speaker 3: I'll use it there until September or October, and then 711 00:37:32,040 --> 00:37:35,520 Speaker 3: ship it to for Lauderdale just in time for the 712 00:37:35,520 --> 00:37:38,160 Speaker 3: boat show, use it in the Bahamas, and then we 713 00:37:38,200 --> 00:37:40,520 Speaker 3: take it down to Panama where it's usually the you know, 714 00:37:40,800 --> 00:37:42,160 Speaker 3: we'll we'll. 715 00:37:42,080 --> 00:37:43,520 Speaker 2: Sell it and we'll do it again next year. 716 00:37:43,600 --> 00:37:49,040 Speaker 1: All right, So I guess you know, could you talk 717 00:37:49,120 --> 00:37:53,040 Speaker 1: about you know, you mentioned kind of what you what 718 00:37:53,120 --> 00:37:55,360 Speaker 1: you kind of liked about the role. Is there anything 719 00:37:55,360 --> 00:37:57,919 Speaker 1: that you're just like, Oh, I didn't realize to deal 720 00:37:57,960 --> 00:38:01,000 Speaker 1: with this is a as a lobbyist and in DC. 721 00:38:02,120 --> 00:38:07,240 Speaker 3: Well, you know the majority of my clients don't require 722 00:38:07,320 --> 00:38:07,920 Speaker 3: lobbying at all. 723 00:38:07,960 --> 00:38:09,360 Speaker 2: It's usually business development. 724 00:38:09,640 --> 00:38:13,319 Speaker 3: Okay, So I'm not I've only been on the hill 725 00:38:13,520 --> 00:38:17,160 Speaker 3: once working on a lobbying issue. The rest of it 726 00:38:17,200 --> 00:38:20,160 Speaker 3: is just putting things together or just insight kind of 727 00:38:20,200 --> 00:38:22,200 Speaker 3: like how we've been talking on Okay, what's going to 728 00:38:22,239 --> 00:38:24,160 Speaker 3: happen next on tariffs? What's going to happen next in 729 00:38:24,239 --> 00:38:27,319 Speaker 3: shipbuilding and stuff like that. And I believe I kind 730 00:38:27,320 --> 00:38:31,040 Speaker 3: of got a really good crystal ball on what's going 731 00:38:31,120 --> 00:38:34,239 Speaker 3: to happen. And you know, as businesses need to have 732 00:38:34,280 --> 00:38:38,680 Speaker 3: that information and information is power going forward. So I 733 00:38:38,760 --> 00:38:40,720 Speaker 3: kind of feel bad on the people who are competing 734 00:38:40,760 --> 00:38:44,440 Speaker 3: against some of the stakeholders that don't have that information, 735 00:38:45,200 --> 00:38:47,680 Speaker 3: but you know, I'm here to provide it. 736 00:38:48,800 --> 00:38:50,680 Speaker 1: And you know, I like to ask this of all 737 00:38:50,719 --> 00:38:53,880 Speaker 1: my guests on the podcast, do you have a favorite 738 00:38:53,920 --> 00:38:56,480 Speaker 1: book about transportation or leadership that's kind of close to 739 00:38:56,520 --> 00:38:58,080 Speaker 1: your heart that you've read over the years. 740 00:38:58,560 --> 00:39:03,200 Speaker 3: Well, I would say that probably a soldier story or 741 00:39:04,600 --> 00:39:08,400 Speaker 3: by uh by uh General Omar Bradley. 742 00:39:10,960 --> 00:39:13,640 Speaker 2: It's probably one that that really. 743 00:39:14,520 --> 00:39:19,359 Speaker 3: Lightened uh, you know, transportation and logistics more so than 744 00:39:19,440 --> 00:39:22,880 Speaker 3: ever before. You know, where he said that strategy is 745 00:39:22,920 --> 00:39:26,640 Speaker 3: for novices and logistics is for you know, is for 746 00:39:26,760 --> 00:39:28,960 Speaker 3: the experts that that do these type of things. 747 00:39:29,000 --> 00:39:30,839 Speaker 2: And when you look at World War Two, you look. 748 00:39:30,760 --> 00:39:33,480 Speaker 3: At any of these these operations, the United States always 749 00:39:33,480 --> 00:39:35,719 Speaker 3: had just overwhelming logistics. 750 00:39:36,680 --> 00:39:38,200 Speaker 2: You know, we don't believe in a fair fight. 751 00:39:38,280 --> 00:39:40,680 Speaker 3: We want ten of ours against one of theirs every 752 00:39:40,760 --> 00:39:43,600 Speaker 3: single time, and we can't do that without the logistics. 753 00:39:43,920 --> 00:39:47,680 Speaker 1: Yeah, absolutely, absolutely, Well, Lewis, I really appreciate your time 754 00:39:47,719 --> 00:39:50,960 Speaker 1: and insights today and thanks you for coming onto the 755 00:39:50,960 --> 00:39:52,280 Speaker 1: Talking Transports podcast. 756 00:39:52,719 --> 00:39:53,200 Speaker 2: Thank you, Lee. 757 00:39:53,239 --> 00:39:55,720 Speaker 3: I'm a big fan and I look forward to hearing 758 00:39:55,760 --> 00:39:57,040 Speaker 3: this one and many more. 759 00:39:57,360 --> 00:39:59,160 Speaker 1: All right, great, and I also want to thank you 760 00:39:59,160 --> 00:40:01,200 Speaker 1: for tuning in. If you you liked the episode, please 761 00:40:01,200 --> 00:40:03,919 Speaker 1: subscribe and leave a review. We've lined up a number 762 00:40:03,920 --> 00:40:05,920 Speaker 1: of great guests for the podcast and please check back 763 00:40:05,960 --> 00:40:10,200 Speaker 1: to hear conversations with C suite executives, shippers, regulators, and 764 00:40:10,280 --> 00:40:13,400 Speaker 1: decision makers within the freight markets. Also, we want to 765 00:40:13,440 --> 00:40:16,600 Speaker 1: learn more about freight transportation markets. Check out our work 766 00:40:16,600 --> 00:40:19,680 Speaker 1: on the Bloomberg Terminal at Bigo and on social media. 767 00:40:19,960 --> 00:40:22,359 Speaker 1: This is Lee Clasgow signing off and thanks for talking 768 00:40:22,360 --> 00:40:25,640 Speaker 1: to Transports with me. Talk to you soon. Bye.