David Matsuda will be the next official Maritime Administrator when the full Senate meets to check off on his nomination. Matsuda is currently MarAd’s Deputy Administrator and has been serving as Acting Administrator since July 2009, following the retirement of Sean Connaughton from that post. In December, President Obama nominated Matsuda for the permanent job.

The U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation considered the nomination this week in a confirmation hearing that harbored no drama whatsoever. The nomination is expected to be easily passed when put before Senators on the floor for a vote in the near future.

U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), who Matsuda served for six years as a transportation advisor, was effusive in his praise for the nominee. "President Obama and Secretary LaHood have made an excellent choice in nominating David Matsuda to be the head of the Maritime Administration," he said. "David was a trusted adviser in my Senate office who has proven himself to be a dedicated and successful public servant. He has unparalleled expertise in transportation issues and I am confident that he will be an exceptional leader for our nation’s maritime system."

M.E.B.A. members will be powering a new class of ferries this summer when the first of the newbuilds to replace the Steel Electric ferries makes its debut. When hull corrosion was found on the ancient Steel Electric ferries during 2007 inspections, they were subsequently withdrawn from the service. The Washington State Legislature budgeted for a new class of 64-car ferries to be built at Todd Pacific Shipyards in Seattle. The first vessel is set to be completed by summer with two more ferries in the pipeline to be delivered over the next two years.

The Washington State Department of Transportation Ferries Division announced the vessel classification name of its new ferries: the Kwa-di Tabil Class. Kwa-di Tabil, (pronounced kwah DEE tah-bale) means "little boat" in the Quileute language. WSF conducted a contest to name the new vessel classification with fourth-grade students from Chimacum, Port Townsend and Whidbey Island, who are studying Washington state history. Guidelines for contest entries included that the name be unique to Washington State, representative of the local community, have symbolic maritime meaning and be reflective of nature. The winning entry was submitted by a fourth-grade class at Blue Heron Middle School in Port Townsend.

If the funding can be secured, WSF would also like to bring in new 144-car ferries, also built by Todd, to continue the replacement of aging ferries. The last new ferry was brought into the system in 1999.

This week, WSF entered into an agreement with Todd Pacific Shipyards to provide the production ready design for ferry construction of up to four 144-car ferries.

Once the design is completed, the parties will negotiate the price and delivery schedule for construction of the ferries. However, there is uncertainty about the amount of funding that will ultimately be available and how many vessels the State will procure. "Collaboration between Todd and WSF to make incremental progress toward the construction of the 144-Auto Ferries is necessary because, while we don't know when and how much funding will be available, the state needs the new ferries as soon as practically possible," said Steve Welch, CEO of Todd Pacific Shipyards.

The report states that worldwide in 2009, 153 vessels were boarded, 49 vessels were hijacked, 84 attempted attacks and 120 vessels fired upon – compared to 46 ships fired upon in 2008. A total of 1052 crew were taken hostage. Sixty eight crew were injured in the various incidents and eight crew killed. The level of violence towards the crew has increased along with the number of crew injuries.

The total number of incidents attributed to the Somali pirates stands at 217 with 47 vessels hijacked and 867 crewmembers taken hostage. Somalia accounts for more than half of the 2009 figures, with the attacks continuing to remain opportunistic in nature. In 2008, 111 vessels were targeted by Somali pirates resulting in 42 hijackings. While the number of 2009 incidents has almost doubled, the number of successful hijackings is proportionately less. This can be directly attributed to the increased presence and coordination of the international navies along with heightened awareness and robust action by the Masters in transiting these waters.

2009 has however seen a significant shift in the area of attacks off Somalia. While the 2008 attacks were predominantly focused in the Gulf of Aden, 2009 has witnessed more vessels also being targeted along the east coast of Somalia. Since October increased activity has been observed in the Indian Ocean with 33 incidents reported, including 13 hijackings. Thirteen of these last quarter incidents occurred east of the recommended east of 60° east – including four hijacked vessels. Many of these attacks have occurred at distances of approximately 1000 nautical miles off Mogadishu. IMB Director, Captain Pottengal Mukundan stated, "Motherships have traditionally posed as fishing vessels or dhows to avoid detection. Reports of such crafts so far from the coast should be questioned and investigated."

Twenty eight incidents were reported for Nigeria in 2009. Of these 21 vessels were boarded, three vessels were fired upon, one vessel was hijacked and three Masters reported an attempted attack on their vessel. One crew was reported killed as the robbers tried to escape after looting the vessel. Vessels attacked include, general cargo, bulk carriers, reefers, and all types of tankers. The majority of incidents related to the oil industry and fishing vessels go unreported. Information from external sources would suggest at least a further 30 unreported attacks occurred in Nigeria in 2009.

This is the second year in a row where incidents in the Singapore Straits have increased. Nine incidents were reported in 2009 as compared to six in 2008. Of these six vessels were boarded and three reported attempted attacks.

Horizon Lines, Inc. has been awarded the "2009 Platinum Carrier Award" by home improvement retailer Lowe’s Companies Inc., based in Mooresville, N.C.

Horizon received the award for achieving 99.9% on-time service. It is the fourth consecutive Platinum award, and the ninth consecutive time Horizon Lines has been honored by the Fortune 500 Company.

The Coast Guard released a bulletin to emphasize long standing agency policy regarding delaying the issuance of a Merchant Mariner Credential for renewal applicants to closely coincide with the expiration date of a current credential. The Coast Guard first codified Delayed Issuance in NMC Policy Letter 09-03. Recent changes to the Code of Federal Regulations eliminate the need to codify this practice in a formal manner. Policy Letter 09-03 is no longer valid and will be removed from circulation, however, the long standing business process for Delayed Issuance will remain in place. In keeping with the letter and spirit of the regulation, mariners may request that the issuance of their MMC be delayed to closely coincide with the expiration of their current credential under the following conditions:

• Mariners must specifically request Delayed Issuance of their credential in writing on their application (719B) when it is submitted to the Coast Guard. Requests received after application acceptance will be considered on a case by case basis. The Coast Guard will not be able to approve requests for delayed issuance once the credential is issued.

1. The Coast Guard will, if Delayed Issuance has been requested, hold the credential in a ready to print status for up to twelve months from the date that the Coast Guard accepts the application, which is normally the date it is received by the Regional Exam Center.
2. Credentials will be issued approximately 1-month prior to the expiration date of the current credential to allow adequate time for delivery. The production process cannot accommodate requests for specific issue dates.
3. Under Delayed Issuance the Coast Guard cannot delay the issuance of specific MMC Endorsements. We will not issue a partial credential while delaying a particular endorsement.

This process is considered a standard business practice that assists the mariner by minimizing the potential for what has long been termed "License Creep". This information will be further published in various places on the National Maritime Center's Website and incorporated in future changes to the 719B Application Form.

Union Plus has committed $100,000 through a dollar-for-dollar donation match to help Haitian earthquake relief efforts. "Despite the millions of dollars raised already, the people of Haiti continue to need our help. That’s why we are committing $100,000 to double the donations made by union members to the Solidarity Center," Union Plus President Leslie Tolf said.

The Solidarity Center is providing immediate life-saving relief supplies including food, clean water, medical supplies, blankets and tents to the Haitian people. Goods are currently being delivered to the Confederation of Haitian Workers training center, which is providing shelter, food, and medical assistance for hundreds.

Donations can be made at UnionPlus.org/Haiti or by sending a check to: Solidarity Center Education Fund, Attn: Joan Welsh, 888 16th Street, N.W., Suite 400, Washington, DC, 20006. Please designate "Earthquake Relief for Haitian Workers" in the memo line of the check.

The Superintendent of the US Merchant Marine Academy is responsible for the development of scholastic standards which encourage the intellectual, professional growth and physical well-being of midshipmen, and effective and economical operation of the Academy's facilities. They are looking for a candidate with experience that reflects the ability to provide executive leadership for planning, implementing and evaluating a comprehensive academic program at the Nation's maritime academy.

They also want a candidate with in-depth executive management experience and a history of proven success in the merchant marine industry or academic organization. This includes knowledge of maritime transportation including commercial and military logistics and maritime industry leadership. Among other things, the winning candidate will have demonstrated experience in developing and executing communications plans within the organization, with key external stakeholders, and with senior Department officials. This includes the ability to think strategically, set a strategic direction for a large organization, develop tactics to achieve the strategy, and experience measuring, monitoring, and managing to performance.

Monday, Feb. 8 – Boston; Jacksonville; Seattle;
Tuesday, Feb. 9 – Baltimore/Calhoon School@CMES, Houston, San Francisco (Oakland);
Wednesday, Feb. 10 – Charleston, New Orleans;
Thursday, Feb. 11 – L.A. (Wilmington), New York (New Jersey), Norfolk, Tampa;
Friday, Feb. 12 – Honolulu.