MEBA Edition

MARINE ENGINEERS' BENEFICIAL ASSOCIATION (AFL-CIO)
         "On Watch in Peace and War Since 1875"
MEBA TELEX TIMES                          JULY 28, 2006

The Official Union Newsletter
NUMBER 30

In this issue...
MAUNALEI christened...Connaughton hearing...NFOPAPE officials re-elected...Harry Bridges, ANDREA DORIA anniversaries... Abracadabra! With nothing up our sleeves, we wave an industry wand and pull the latest spellbinding news out of a MEBA hat. We prove baffling in our journalistic wizardry and conjure up a charmed and hypnotic issue from our bag of tricks using maritime sleight of hand. Presto change-o...hocus-pocus... It's no illusion - the Telex Times has the magic touch!

FOURTH MATSON NEWBUILD CHRISTENED AT AKER
An MEBA contingent led by President Ron Davis helped welcome the latest newbuild into Matson Navigation's fleet last weekend at Aker Kvaerner shipyard in Philadelphia. The ceremony for the M/V MAUNALEI went off without a hitch as Millie Akaka, wife of Senator Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii), christened the ship on Saturday. The vessel is the fourth new containership built by the shipyard for Matson in the past four years. A large group of industry and government representatives attended the ceremony including Calhoon School Director Joyce Matthews and Instructor Barry Van Vechten, SIU's President Mike Sacco, Executive V.P. Augie Tellez, Secretary-Treasurer Dave Heindel and West Coast V.P. Nick Marrone, MM&P's Atlantic V.P. Richard May and Pacific ports agent Dave Boatner as well as SUP President Gunnar Lundeberg. Also participating in the ceremony were USTRANSCOM's General Norton Schwartz and Rep. Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii) among others.

In his remarks, Abercrombie stressed the importance of the U.S. maritime industry. "What needs to be understood is the firm connection between a vibrant and healthy U.S. maritime industry and the prosperity of our nation," said Abercrombie. "I'm proud to say we were able to revive the cruise industry in Hawaii with American-owned, American-flagged cruise ships, with 4,000 jobs created, all union jobs, from stem to stern, paid American wages, obeying U.S. environmental, labor and health laws, with taxes paid to this country." He also emphasized the key role of the U.S. Jones Act as it pertains to national security.

The event included a video tour of the modern containership by the officers of the MAUNALEI, highlighting its state-of-the-art bridge technology, fuel efficient engine and numerous "green" features. A series of Calhoon MEBA graduates work aboard the ship including permanent 1st A/E Bryan Rusk, permanent 1st A/E Mark Newberg, permanent C/E Rick Davies and the Matson Manager of Marine Engineering Scott Hauck. The other permanent Chief Engineer is member Gary Blakesley.

The MAUNALEI will enter service in September and be deployed in the company's Hawaii, Guam and China services. It has the capacity for 2,500 TEUs (twenty foot equivalent units).

TOP NFOPAPE OFFICIALS RE-ELECTED; MEBA PRES. SPEAKS AT CONVENTION
MEBA President Ron Davis helped launch our largest affiliate's bi-annual convention last week with an address before the National Federation of Public and Private Employees (NFOPAPE) in South Florida. Among other topics, President Davis spoke about the splintering of the AFL-CIO, the "Change to Win" coalition and MEBA's (and by affiliation NFOPAPE's) place within the new AFL-CIO.

The address kicked off the union's three-day Convention which culminated in the re-election of NFOPAPE President Dan Reynolds and Secretary-Treasurer Pat Lambert for new four year terms. Both ran unopposed.

MARAD NOMINEE POISED FOR NEXT STEP TOWARD CONFIRMATION
The Senate Commerce Committee this week spent almost an hour peppering questions at Sean Connaughton, the nominee to head the Maritime Administration. Connaughton held up well addressing issues from short sea shipping to cargo preference laws and is well positioned for confirmation following a full Senate vote.

An attorney and Kings Point graduate, the 45-year old Connaughton is currently serving as Chairman At-Large of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors in Virginia.

In his statement, Connaughton noted that MarAd "must focus its efforts on the strategic areas of commercial mobility and congestion relief, maritime and port development, national security, and environmental stewardship." Virginia Senators John Warner and George Allen as well as Rep. Tom Davis (R-VA) praised the nominee as a more-than-qualified candidate for the job. Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) who chairs the Committee announced that he did not foresee any problems with the nomination.

The Committee, at an as-yet unscheduled hearing or mark up, will likely vote to advance the Connaughton nomination with a favorable recommendation. The nomination would then go before the full Senate for a final vote.

WEST COAST PORTS HONOR HARRY BRIDGES
MEBA Union halls on the West Coast were closed today in honor of Harry Bridges who was born 105 years ago today. Bridges was a larger-than-life figure who was active on the waterfront for well over 50 years. He stood tall during the events surrounding "Bloody Thursday" in 1934 that resulted in vastly improved labor conditions and established the International Longshoremen's and Warehousemen's Union (ILWU) in 1937. He died in 1990.

FIFTY YEARS SINCE ANDREA DORIA SINKING
July 25, 2006 marked the fiftieth anniversary of the sinking of the Italian luxury liner ANDREA DORIA 50 miles south of Nantucket. Fifty one people perished - 46 aboard the Italian ship and five crewmembers aboard the Swedish passenger ship STOCKHOLM which collided with the ANDREA DORIA.

Each ship was steaming along at 20 knots in opposite directions and although each vessel was picked up on the other's radar no effort was made to communicate between the ships. ANDREA DORIA was sailing in heavy fog with the STOCKHOLM on the edge of the fog bank. Both ship captains made faulty assumptions about what the other vessel would do and in an attempt to widen the passage between the ships one vessel veered 20 degrees starboard while the other went to port ensuring a collision course. The STOCKHOLM's prow, which had been reinforced for icebreaking, rammed into the starboard side of the ANDREA DORIA.

The impact rendered many of the Italian ship's lifeboats unusable. However, with 15 vessels in close enough range to respond, having received the vessel's desperate S.O.S. call, 1,660 people aboard the ANDREA DORIA were saved in one of the greatest sea rescues ever. The ship slid down to Davy Jones locker the next day. The STOCKHOLM, after assisting in rescue operations, managed to limp back to port. The sinking is marked as the last high profile cruise ship disaster before the airlines really took off as the more accepted mode of travel.

Since then, the wreck of the ANDREA DORIA, 225 feet below the surface, has become the "Mount Everest of scuba diving." At least 14 divers have died exploring the wreck including one just this month who succumbed with decompression sickness.

FIVE MORE APPLICATIONS FOR MD MEBA LICENSE PLATE NEEDED FOR INITIAL ORDER
The Union can put its first order in for MEBA license plates in the State of Maryland as soon as we receive five more applications. Right now, we've made it even easier for active and retired members living in the State of Maryland to get an MEBA license plate. The State recently okayed the special MEBA license plate available for cars registered in Maryland for the low, low price of $25. MEBA has placed a link to the form on our website. Go to our homepage at www.meba.us. Once you click the scrolling license plate article at left you will be able to view what the plate looks like and will be provided a link to the form (in .pdf format). Fill out the form and send it back to Bette Doranz at Headquarters along with your $25. We expect to process the orders as soon as we get the five new applications. Call or e-mail Bette for further information at (202) 638-5355 or e-mail bdoranz@d1meba.org.

TB SCARE ABOARD USS RONALD REAGAN
The Navy has expanded its efforts to screen those who came in contact with a sailor onboard the aircraft carrier USS RONALD REAGAN who was diagnosed with active tuberculosis. Thousands of sailors and civilians may end up being tested. Initial screening indicated that 34 of the first 776 tested showed signs for TB though they were absent of symptoms of active infection and were not declared contagious. However, the 34 were being treated.

The RONALD REAGAN returned home from its maiden deployment on July 6. During the final phase of the cruise, approximately 4,800 Sailors were embarked. Also, about 1,200 civilian friends and family guests joined the ship for her cruise from Hawaii to San Diego.

An MEBA ship, the USNS RAINIER, is part of the Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group. The RAINIER is a Military Sealift Command fast combat support vessel. It was not clear at press time whether any of the RAINIER's crew had come in contact with the infected member.

GREEK COMPANY, TANKER CREW GOING DOWN OVER OIL POLLUTION
A grand jury in Delaware has returned a five-count indictment charging two Greece-based shipping companies and three individuals with conspiracy to commit environmental crimes and obstructing Coast Guard investigations related to the operation of the IRENE E/M. The tanker is owned and operated by Chian Spirit.

The indictment alleges that in late 2005 the IRENE crewmembers and officers conspired to create and maintain a false Oil Record Book and attempted to influence a vessel inspection by members of the U.S. Coast Guard. It further alleges that, as part of the conspiracy, the 1st A/E aboard the ship both discharged and ordered the discharge of untreated oily sludge and unprocessed bilge water directly into the ocean from the ship through the use of a magic pipe, which bypassed the oily water separator as much as four times per week. Additionally, it was alleged that the officer failed to record these discharges in the vessel's Oil Record Book.

To further the conspiracy, the company and officers are alleged to have directed and encouraged members of IRENE's crew to lie to the Coast Guard about the dumping of oily sludge and oil-contaminated bilge water into the sea and to conceal material facts about the system used to perform overboard discharges of oily sludge and bilge water. The companies face up to $2.5 million in fines and five years probation. Indicted crewmembers face from 5-15 years in prison and potential fines.

LOST BOXES DAMAGED SANCTUARY TO THE TUNE OF $3.2 MILLION
The owners and operators of the foreign-flagged container vessel MED TAIPEI have agreed to pay $3.25 million to the U.S. to resolve allegations that the 15 containers lost overboard in 2004 resulted in long-term damage to the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. This is the largest reparation ever awarded for damage to a national marine sanctuary.

In February 2004, 15 containers fell overboard from the MED TAIPEI when the vessel was traveling in rough seas from San Francisco to Los Angeles. The containers, 40 feet long by 8 feet wide by10 feet tall, contained a variety of cargo furniture, thousands of tires, several hundred thousand plastic items, miles of cyclone fencing, hospital beds, wheelchairs, recycled cardboard and clothing items. A U.S. Coast Guard report revealed the containers were inappropriately loaded on board the vessel - there were faulty welds on anchor points for the containers, as well as missing d-rings from the deck of the vessel.

"The funds provided as a result of today's settlement will be used to restore habitats within the national marine sanctuary, an area of high biological productivity and diversity," said Sue Ellen Wooldridge, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division. "These alternative restoration projects will help mitigate some of the anticipated resource injuries."

The potential impact of the lost containers on natural resources includes the crushing and smothering of benthic organisms, the introduction of foreign habitat structure and shifts in local ecology. In addition, there is likely to be an expanding benthic footprint over time as the containers degrade and collapse, spreading their contents along the ocean floor. There is potential for entrapment of marine species by the cyclone fencing, ingestion of plastic wrappers and bags as they are released from the containers over time, as well as deposition of plastics and other oil-based products.

NEXT REGULAR MONTHLY MEETINGS
Monday, August 7 - Boston, Seattle;
Tuesday, August 8 - Baltimore, Houston, Jacksonville, San Francisco;
Wednesday, August 9 - Calhoon School, Charleston, New Orleans, Portland;
Thursday, August 10 - Los Angeles, New York, Norfolk, Tampa;
Friday, August 11 - Honolulu.
 

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