The ongoing US government shutdown doesn't appear to have the shipping industry sweating.
"I don't believe there's been any impact" from the shutdown, American Maritime Congress president James Caponiti said Friday.
The federal government was shut down nearly two weeks ago over President Donald Trump's demand for a border wall between the US and Mexico. An estimated 350,000 federal employees have been furloughed, leaving only employees deemed essential.
Others are working without pay — a feature of the shutdown that nearly affected active duty members of the US Coast Guard, for whom the federal government later cut checks.
It is unclear how the shutdown has affected the Maritime Administration (MarAd), the US Department of Transportation agency tasked with managing shipping, as press officers for the agency are among those furloughed.
Among MarAd's programs is the $300m Maritime Security Program, where 60 US-flag ships receive $5m annual subsidies in exchange for use by the Department of Defense in the case of national emergencies and war.
Caponiti said he had not heard of the enrolled shipowners — which include APL and Maersk — not receiving money from the programme.
But if the federal government misses payments "it would just accrue and they would get it later on," he said.
Thursday, the House of Representatives approved a spending plan that does not include funding for the wall, but would reopen the government. It is not expected to get Senate approval.
Friday, Trump met with members of Congress, but reportedly refused to compromise on border wall funding.
Caponiti said the longer the shutdown goes on, the greater the chance the shipping industry gets hurt.
In the near-term, the concern is more civic-minded.
"Every citizen should be concerned. I think everybody would love to see this thing resolved sooner rather than later, that's just common sense," he said.
"I don't think there's been a negative effect [for shipping]."
