In this issue...
New work for members in gas and oil industry...OVERSEAS HOUSTON delivered...Connaughton addresses Propeller Club... Jeez Louise! Getting a Frank, big Bertha edition "down Pat," the Jack-of-all-trades maritime weekly steps up to the Mike with an issue that any Tom, Dick or Harry can enjoy in Ernest. For Pete's sake, don't go Willie-nillie for Luke-warm, Nancy-boy newsletters that sell a Bill of goods to the average Joe. No way José! Mark my words - a real Johnny-on-the-spot, the Telex Times is making a name for itself!

M.E.B.A. ENTERS INTERNATIONAL SUBSEA OIL & GAS INDUSTRY
M.E.B.A. President Ron Davis is pleased to announce that the Union signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) today with an established subsidiary of a major energy company. Effective immediately, M.E.B.A. is requesting résumés from the membership for two Captains, two Chief Engineers and two Second Engineers for this diesel/motor vessel. The MOU is a major step forward for M.E.B.A. in the international flag fleet for the exploration of natural resources including natural gas and oil. It has great wages and benefits, including day for day vacation as the company will be paying contributions into the various M.E.B.A. benefit plans. The Officers selected will be sent to a Singapore shipyard for the overhaul, fitting and refurbishment of one of the vessels. Officers, once in Singapore, will be rotated to a similar operating vessel in Indonesia for training and vessel familiarization. Once the Company’s vessel departs the shipyard in the spring of 2007, it will head to the Beaufort Sea to conduct operations in the oil and gas subsea industry.

LNG certification and tankerman endorsements are not a requirement at this time. The ship is being completely refurbished and will have a non-shipboard operation working crew of approximately 120 people. M.E.B.A. may have an opportunity to fill some of the specialized non-shipboard operation positions as well. Success in this operation should lead to future opportunities in the Oil and Gas industry. Please send résumés to Mark Gallagher at mgallagher@d1meba.org or fax to Headquarters at 202-638-5369. The MOU will be available in the halls next week.

FIRST OF UP TO 16 NEWBUILD PRODUCT TANKERS FROM AKER DELIVERED
Aker Philadelphia Shipyard has delivered the first vessel in what could be, with options, total of 16 vessels the yard will produce through an arrangement with Overseas Shipholding Group. The first of the MT46 Veteran Class product tankers, the 600-foot long OVERSEAS HOUSTON, was delivered this week. M.E.B.A. officers crew this ship and will crew each of these Veteran Class tankers constructed at Aker.

The project was originally announced in April 2005 with a series of 10 ships. Last week, Aker American Shipping announced an agreement in principal with OSG for up to six additional product tankers in the series which would extend the order book into 2012.

“Delivery of the first product tanker in the series is a satisfying achievement for the shipyard and product of the hard work of our employees and partners.” said Aker American Shipping President and CEO Dave Meehan. “With our first vessel now in operation the second dimension of Aker American Shipping’s exciting build and own strategy in the Jones Act is now in place.”

Eric Smith, Chief Commercial Officer and Head of Government Affairs for OSG America commented, “OSG America is very excited to have taken delivery of the OVERSEAS HOUSTON today. Our relationship with Aker American Shipping is excellent. We use our combined resolve to deliver new Jones Act tonnage to our customers like Shell who will employ this vessel for many years to come.”

In the coming days, the OVERSEAS HOUSTON will sail from the yard to the Gulf of Mexico where she will soon begin service transporting refined petroleum products for Shell Oil Company under that company’s time charter agreement with OSG. There are three other product tankers in the series currently under production at the yard with the second due to be delivered this summer.

MARITIME ADMINISTRATOR CHATS UP MARITIME LUNCH GROUP
Just around the corner from M.E.B.A. Headquarters, Maritime Administrator Sean Connaughton addressed the D.C. Chapter of the Propeller Club today about various agency projects. He mentioned MarAd’s renewed efforts on short sea shipping (see related article in this issue) as well as their hard work in prying open opportunities for U.S. seamen. M.E.B.A. has been working together with MarAd to create a niche for American mariners in the burgeoning LNG trade. Connaughton pointed out that the U.S. will be increasing the amount of LNG imported to this country “dramatically” and that he has been active, with the help of organized labor and the maritime academies, in helping to form a regimen so that we can take advantage of upcoming opportunities. He has also been talking with various applicants for LNG terminal licenses and encouraging them to utilize U.S. mariners. The agency has already begun to see some successes on this front and has put together agreements with several of these applicants.

He mentioned how MarAd is becoming more involved in national security and is well positioned with custodianship of the Maritime Security Program, Ready Reserve Force fleet and the National Defense Reserve Fleet. He discussed how the RRF ships are being seen in a new light since the latest success stories during and after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Those ships were deployed on a number of hurricane relief missions, served as control centers and barracks and delivered supplies. M.E.B.A. officers had a huge hand in those efforts. In Beaumont, TX, two M.E.B.A. ships were also used to shelter 200 emergency vehicles and other equipment as Hurricane Rita bore down on the coast.

He also mentioned the 1% across-the-board cut, as proposed in the President’s budget, that affects many Government programs including the Maritime Security Program. Connaughton pointed out that he feels the cut should not apply to the MSP and that they’ll see what can be done to restore the MSP to full funding. The M.E.B.A. will be fighting the 1% cut tooth and nail.

Before introducing the Maritime Administrator to the maritime industry luncheon attendees, D.C. Propeller Club President Darrell Conner held a moment of silence to remember maritime industry stalwart Peter Finnerty, former Sea-Land executive, who died suddenly last week at the age of 64.

MEMBER RESCUES THREE KIDS FROM APARTMENT FIRE
M.E.B.A. member Andrew Lee is continuing to make news for all the right reasons after he rescued three children from a burning apartment last week. Lee, has had several write-ups of his notable achievements that have appeared in various national newspapers as well as the Marine Officer and Telex Times. Brother Lee, has not been shipping out lately. After September 11, 2001, he joined the Marines and did three tours of duty in Iraq. A month after wrapping up his service there, he became a firefighter, following in the footsteps of his grandfather who was a decorated fireman in Boston. Last week, his department got a call that a Roxbury, MA apartment was ablaze. A neighbor had reported thick black smoke oozing out of the apartment and the terrible sounds of children screaming.

Returning from another call, Andrew’s team was able to respond in moments. Andrew charged up four flights of stairs, and burst into the burning apartment. “You couldn’t see anything,” he said later. “But we could hear screaming. All I was thinking was, ‘Get the kids out.’” He was able to locate two children – a 4- and a 5-year old - and handed them off to firefighters who rushed them downstairs to a waiting ambulance. Doing a quick room-to-room check, Andrew felt around on the floor near a bed and found a limp 11-month old boy lying helpless. He scooped him up and dashed down the stairs where the baby was soon attended to in the ambulance. All three children were treated for smoke inhalation but all escaped without serious injury. A Fire Department spokesman announced that the cause of the flames was “children playing with matches.” Inexplicably, the three children were home alone. Andrew played down his role in saving the kids, “There are 1,599 other guys who would have done what I did. I just happened to be that guy. It could have been anyone.” The Boston Sunday Globe recently ran an article on the rescue.

The Telex Times previously reported on the 33-year old Andrew when he received a write-up in the Boston Herald after signing up with the Marines and serving as a platoon leader with the First Marine Division in Iraq.

Before that, M.E.B.A. ran a brief article detailing how Lee had climbed the “Matterhorn of the Himalayas” – Mount Ama Dablam in Nepal. Asked before his attempt on the mountain what he was doing to prepare for the climb, Andrew told the Marine Officer, “I just got off a ship. I guess I’ve been changing fuel oil filters and cleaning lube oil purifiers to get ready.”

SMOKING BAN ON VESSELS IN U.K. WATERS BEING DISCUSSED
British Transport Secretary Douglas Alexander who also serves as Secretary of State for Scotland has launched a “consultation” on smoking restrictions that will be introduced aboard seagoing and inland waterway vessels operating in UK waters.

Under the Health Act 2006, restrictions on smoking in enclosed work and public places are going into effect in England beginning on July 1 of this year. The Government is seeking to apply the restrictions to ships under the Merchant Shipping Act of 1995. Alexander noted, "The Government announced last year that restrictions on smoking in enclosed workplaces, public places and vehicles would be introduced in England from July. This will save thousands of lives over the next decade by reducing both exposure to hazardous second-hand smoke and overall smoking rates. We now intend to introduce similar provisions to provide protection from second-hand smoke for people on vessels operating in UK waters, both at sea and on inland waterways."

The consultation paper asks for comments from stakeholders and others on how the provisions should be introduced and enforced.

SYSTEM FOR ADDRESS CHANGES ONLINE REVISED
As reported last week, M.E.B.A. has revised its system for accepting address changes online to make it more secure. Because we are now requiring a signature for validation along with address change info, the webform previously available online has been removed. In its place we have provided a copy of the actual address change form, in either a .pdf or a Word document, that can be printed out by the member or retiree, filled out completely with a signature and returned to Headquarters.

The forms can be mailed or faxed. Those of you with scanners can complete the document add your signature then scan it and e-mail it back to us.

From the main M.E.B.A. webpage (http://www.meba.us) go to the “Members Only” tab and scroll down to “Address Change.” That will take you to another page with instructions and the link to the actual form.

Those 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.

MARAD RELAUNCHING SHORT SEA SHIPPING EFFORTS
The Maritime Administration is pushing ahead on promoting a short sea shipping system and are moving the program ahead under a new moniker: “America’s Marine Highway Initiative.” Maritime Administrator Sean Connaughton believes the new name “more accurately describes the nation’s waterborne transportation system and the promise of its extensive capacity.” The initiative seeks to ease congestion on the nation’s highways by setting up an intra-coastal waterborne system for goods going to market.

A new website has been set up and can be accessed at www.marad.dot.gov/Programs/America's%20Marine%20Highways/Marine%20highways.html . Connaughton testified yesterday at a Congressional hearing before the House Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation subcommittee. Chairman Elijah Cummings (D-MD) called the oversight hearing to look into possible Government assistance necessary for the short sea shipping initiative to become a viable solution to traffic congestion. The hearing was a good step forward in bringing to fruition many of the ideas and proposals discussed over the last decade. Former MarAd boss Capt. William Schubert was a strong proponent of short sea shipping and new Administrator Connaughton is looking to take the initiative to a new level.

GHOST FLEET SHIP TO BECOME ARTIFICIAL REEF
The Maritime Administration found a creative solution to rid the James River of another obsolete “ghost ship” when it announced an agreement to convert one of the oldest vessels in the rotting fleet into an artificial reef. The GEN. HOYT S. VANDENBERG was built as a troop transport vessel and saw action in World War II, the Hungarian Revolution and in the Cold War. It also made an appearance in a movie called “Virus” after she was decommissioned. As an artificial reef in Key West, FL, the ship be a recreational resource for divers and fishermen and serve as an underwater classroom for the Florida Keys Community College. It will also be a platform for groundbreaking research in reef monitoring as mandated by the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Management Plan.

MarAd usually pays a scrapyard to cut up an unwanted ship, sell its parts and steel, and dispose of the rest. VANDENBERG’s fate is “good for the economy, good for the environment and a great deal for U.S. taxpayers,” said Sean T. Connaughton, MarAd Administrator. Local and state agencies in Florida, along with private donations from diving and fishing groups, will cover most of the expected costs of the cleanup, towing and sinking of the vessel.

NEXT REGULAR MONTHLY MEETINGS
Monday March 5 – Boston, Seattle;
Tuesday, March 6 – Baltimore, Houston, Jacksonville, San Francisco;
Wednesday, March 7 - Calhoon M.E.B.A. School, Charleston, New Orleans, Portland;
Thursday, March 8 - Los Angeles, New York, Norfolk, Tampa;
Friday, March 9 - Honolulu.