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The Danube River near Calarasi, Romania was blocked by eight barges and four other cargo vessels in protest against economic sanctions. Inland-waterway operators are protesting sanctions which have ended business with Yugoslavia.

The Inland Waterway Users Board which is made up of executives from major barge lines and bulk commodity interests, is carrying out a pre-emptive strike in protest of federal moves to implement higher user fees. The shippers and carriers are asking Congress to look into the reorganization and privatization of the Army Corps of Engineers in order to cut costs. They say that the corps is overstaffed and leans toward high cost construction and operations.

A Florida barge company has urged the US Maritime Administration to deny a request from Sea-Land Service Inc to use subsidized vessels on domestic routes. Marine Transportation Services Sea-Barge Group Inc claims that Sea-Land can use unsubsidized domestic vessels which are in serious need of cargo. Sea-Land wants to charter a ship from American President Lines, built with US construction subsidies, on a route between Florida and Puerto Rico while its vessels that serve the route are in drydock for US Coast Guard inspection.