MARINE ENGINEERS' BENEFICIAL ASSOCIATION (AFL-CIO)
         "On Watch in Peace and War Since 1875"

MEBA TELEX TIMES       AUGUST 28, 2009

The Official Union Newsletter

NUMBER 35

In this issue...
Labor mourns Ted Kennedy...Keel laid for future M.E.B.A.-crewed MSC ship...Somali pirates acting up...From the M.E.B.A. scratching post, we make the fur fly and sink our claws into another week as we let a nine-lives edition out of the bag. Don't pussyfoot around with neutered, stray competitors that cough up a maritime hairball. Come curl up at our feet and put up your paws as we sweeten the kitty with a whisker-tickling issue that'll keep you purring. The Telex Times is the cat's meow!

LABOR MOURNS LOSS OF THE "LION OF THE LEFT "
Labor unions are taking the loss of Sen. Edward Kennedy hard this week as they mourn the death of a champion for unions, health care and numerous other beneficial causes. Sen. Kennedy had served in the Senate since 1962.

M.E.B.A. President Don Keefe said, "He was a great labor guy who deeply cared about working families. But in addition, M.E.B.A. could always count on Sen. Kennedy's support for maritime initiatives that were important to us. He was a general in our trenches for over 46 years and his loss looms large. He will be missed."

Edward Wytkind, president of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), stated, "Senator Kennedy was Congress's moral compass regarding issues affecting working Americans. It was his vision and tenacity as a Senator and national leader that propelled millions of Americans to middle-class jobs and lives. We mourn Senator Kennedy's passing, yet we are inspired by his strength, spirit and legacy of achievement that will live on for generations."

KEEL LAID FOR WASHINGTON CHAMBERS
The keel for the future M.E.B.A.-crewed USNS WASHINGTON CHAMBERS (T-AKE 11) was laid during a ceremony this week at the NASSCO shipyard in San Diego.

As a combat logistics force ship operated by the Military Sealift Command, the WASHINGTON CHAMBERS will help the Navy maintain a forward presence worldwide by delivering ammunition, food, fuel and other dry cargo to U.S. and allied ships at sea. The ship is designed to operate independently for extended periods at sea and can carry and support two helicopters. USNS WASHINGTON CHAMBERS is the 11th ship of the Lewis and Clark-class.

Continuing the tradition of honoring legendary pioneers and explorers, the Navy's newest underway replenishment ship recognizes Capt. Washington Irving Chambers, a pioneer in naval aviation history. Among his many accomplishments, Chambers arranged for the world's first take-off and landing of an airplane on a warship - confirming the potential of carrier-based naval aviation operations.

The T-AKE program has contract options for up to 14 ships and 12 ships are currently fully under contract. To date, seven ships of the Lewis and Clark class have been delivered and have been crewed up with expert M.E.B.A. officers in the engine rom.

USNS BRIDGE KEEPS NAVY MISSION-READY
The U.S. Navy issued a press release this week making notification that the Military Sealift Command (MSC) fast combat support ship USNS BRIDGE - a vessel crewed with skilled M.E.B.A. officers - conducted a replenishment-at-sea (RAS) Aug. 14 with the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS NIMITZ (CVN 68).

The RAS allowed for transfer of fuel and supplies to Nimitz prior to her transit into the 7th Fleet Area of Operations. "It's important for us to do underway replenishments," said Chief Warrant Officer Terry Norris, NIMITZ's first lieutenant. "It saves time and money so that a warship at sea can stay at sea and not have to pull into port to get fuel and supplies." BRIDGE will accompany the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group (CSG) on her Western Pacific deployment.

The Navy release said, "Although she is a noncombatant, BRIDGE and other MSC ships are vital to the Navy's maritime strategy. MSC's mission is to support the nation by delivering supplies and conducting specialized missions across the world's oceans. The logistics support the MSC crew provides Nimitz allows the ship to remain mission ready. For an aircraft carrier, the primary reason for conducting a RAS is to replenish the ship's supply of aviation fuel. The ships also transfer fuel, ammunition and supplies. During this RAS, Nimitz took on approximately more than 1 million gallons of aviation fuel and 42 tons of ammunition.

SOMALI PIRATES FIRE ON NAVY HELICOPTER
At 8:00 a.m. local time on Thursday, Somali pirates aboard a hijacked vessel fired what appeared to be a large caliber weapon at a U.S. Navy helicopter making a surveillance flight. The SH-60B helicopter, which is embarked aboard the USS CHANCELLORSVILLE (CG 62), was not struck and they did not return fire.

The pirates fired from the Motor Vessel WIN FAR, a Taiwanese-flagged vessel that was pirated April 6. During the past 135 days it has allegedly been used as a "mothership" to conduct other known pirate attacks, most notably the U.S. flagged MAERSK ALABAMA in April.

During the flight, aircrew observed activity but could not ascertain they were fired upon until their return to CHANCELLORSVILLE and review of Forward Looking Infrared Radar (FLIR) video, which recorded the incident. The helicopter was approximately 3,000 yards from WIN FAR when it was fired upon. More than 30 crewmembers remain as hostages aboard the WIN FAR.

M.E.B.A. AT MARITIME CONVENTION OVERVIEW
Most of the maritime labor unions were in attendance this week at a Coast Guard/MarAd informational meeting that provided a valuable overview to the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) of 2006. The MLC sets out seafarers' rights to decent conditions of work and helps to create conditions of fair competition for shipowners. It was designed to become the "fourth pillar" of the international regulatory regime for quality shipping complementing key conventions of the International Maritime Organization such as SOLAS, STCW, and MARPOL. The U.S. has not yet ratified the MLC. M.E.B.A. Secretary-Treasurer Bill Van Loo attended the information-filled meeting for the Union which delved into numerous aspects of interest for M.E.B.A. members.

INFORM PLANS AND HQ OF ADDRESS CHANGES
Be sure to inform Headquarters if you recently changed your contact information. There is an address change form on our website to help expedite the process. Address changes require a signature for validation along with your new information. You can get the form in either a .pdf or a Word document from www.mebaunion.org. The form can be printed out by the member or retiree, filled out completely with a signature and faxed or mailed to Headquarters. Those of you with scanners can complete the document with your signature then scan and e-mail it back to us.

Active and retired members who have not received mailings from Headquarters such as the Marine Officer or other important information may want to log onto our website to clarify their address. Because the M.E.B.A. Plans office in Baltimore and Headquarters databases are NOT linked you must also forward a signed change of address form to the Plans Office if you wish to update your information with them.

GREEK CHIEFS INDICTED FOLLOWING ILLEGAL OIL DISCHARGES
A federal grand jury in Houston has returned an indictment charging two crewmembers of the oil tanker GEORGIOS M with making false statements, violating federal law designed to prevent pollution from ships and obstruction of justice. According to the indictment, Ioannis Mylonakis and Argyrios Argyropoulos, served as Chief Engineers aboard the oil tanker GEORGIOS M and each have been charged with violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS), making material false statements to the U.S. Coast Guard and obstruction of justice. Both are accused of maintaining false oil record books aboard the oil tanker that concealed deliberate discharges of oil-contaminated waste directly into the ocean. Discharges allegedly also occurred during port visits in Texas from 2006 to 2008 including Corpus Christi, Texas City and Houston. Violations of APPS are punishable by up to 6 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Making false statements are punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, while obstruction of justice is punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

MARAD TO RECYCLE TWO MORE JAMES RIVER SHIPS
The Maritime Administration has awarded contracts to recycle two more obsolete government-owned ships currently moored in the James River Reserve Fleet (JRRF) in Virginia. The two ships being recycled are the ESCAPE and the CAPE COD. These two vessels will be the 83rd and 84th ships to leave the JRRF since 2001.

The ESCAPE (ARS-6) was built as a Navy rescue ship in 1942 by Basalt Rock Co. in Napa, Calif. The vessel supported the nation's "Mercury" manned spaceflight program in the early 1960s. The ESCAPE will be recycled at Bay Bridge Enterprises, LLC, of Chesapeake, Va., at a cost to the federal government of $115,200. The CAPE COD (AK-5041) was built as a break-bulk cargo ship in 1962 by Bethlehem Steel in Sparrows Point, Md. The CAPE COD will be recycled by All Star Metals, LLC, of Brownsville, Texas, for $328,122.

MCTF ENDORSES CUSTOMS EFFORT TO STRENGTHEN JONES ACT ENFORCEMENT
Non-Jones Act qualified vessels will no longer be able to engage in activities properly reserved for U.S.-flag vessels once Customs and Border Protection ("CBP") implements its proposal to correct or eliminate several rulings that failed to take due account of all the factors set forth in a key 1976 decision. The Maritime Cabotage Task Force recently issued a press release praising the CBP proposal. MCTF is a coalition of maritime interests vigilant in the safeguarding of the Jones Act and other cabotage laws. The statement reads:

"MCTF strongly supports CBP's proposal, which will help ensure that our coastwise laws are properly applied with respect to the transportation of certain merchandise between U.S. points," the coalition stated in comments submitted on August 14. The proposal focuses largely on correcting the incremental misapplication of a 1976 decision in which CBP evaluated a range of activities undertaken by a pipeline repair vessel on the outer continental shelf. Over the years, factors underlying the decision have been cited out of context, eroding the fundamental analysis, with the result that non-coastwise qualified vessels engaged in activities properly reserved for Jones Act-qualified vessels. The Jones Act requires that merchandise moving between points in the United States by water be carried in a vessel that is built in the U.S., owned by U.S. citizens, documented under U.S. registry, and crewed by U.S. seafarers. The Jones Act was enacted in 1920, but the United States has reserved the domestic trades to U.S. vessels since 1817 and had other laws to promote a U.S.-flag fleet since 1789.

"A close reading of the 1976 decision makes clear that CBP never intended the definition of vessel equipment to depend solely on the mission of the vessel or to change dramatically from one vessel to the next," stated the MCTF. "Permitting non-coastwise qualified vessels to carry equipment, supplies, or other articles that are not needed to navigate, operate, or maintain the vessel undermines the coastwise laws because it permits transportation that should be reserved for U.S. coastwise qualified vessels." Maritime Cabotage Task Force was founded in 1995 to promote the U.S.-flag fleet engaged in domestic waterborne commerce. With more than 400 members, MCTF is the largest coalition ever assembled to represent the domestic segment of the U.S. Merchant Marine. Nationwide, there are more than 39,000 vessels engaged in Jones Act commerce and they annually move more than 1 billion tons of cargo and 100 million passengers. The Act has been broadly supported by every Congress and Administration since its passage in 1920 and is considered a key element in the nation's national defense capabilities.

REGULAR MONTHLY MEETINGS
Monday, September 7 - Labor Day - No Meetings
Tuesday, September 8 - Baltimore/Calhoon School (at CMES), Boston, Houston, Jacksonville, San Francisco (Oakland), Seattle;
Wednesday, September 9 - Charleston, New Orleans;
Thursday, September 10 - L.A. (Wilmington), New York (New Jersey), Norfolk, Tampa;
Friday, September 11 - Honolulu.

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