In this issue...
Members favor MOLA...Piracy concerns...HENSON, BRIDGE in the news...Locked in by dull, confining newsletters that chain you down and offer no release? We help our captive audience bust loose as we free you with liberating news in an unrestrained, breakout edition that knows no bounds. Want to get away? The Telex Times is the perfect escape!

MEMBERS APPROVE MOLA PACT; MM&P TALLY IS TUESDAY
Members have voted in favor of a cooperation pact between the M.E.B.A. and MM&P, an agreement that will need to be approved by MM&P members at their own tally on Tuesday to become official.

An M.E.B.A. rank and file committee along with an Impartial Administrator from the American Arbitration Association certified the results from the 90-day referendum that resulted in the passage of the MOLA agreement by a large margin. The Tally Committee's report will be available in all the Union halls next week.

The rank and file Tally Committee was represented by Bill Cadden (NY/NJ) who served as chairman, Steve Jablonski (Baltimore) who performed recording secretary duties, Brian Evjen (Houston), Lawrence Young (L.A./Wilmington), and Alana Newman (Seattle). Charles Feist (New Orleans was an alternate. The other elected alternate (Jim Anderson-S.F./Oakland) was unable to attend.

The MOLA, or Merchant Officers' Labor Alliance, charts a path of greater cooperation between the unions which already coordinate on items of parallel interest.

The bylaws did not require that such an agreement be ratified by the membership. However, both M.E.B.A. President Ron Davis and MM&P President Tim Brown decided that both memberships should be involved in this pact throughout each step.

Input was solicited as part of a formal comment period as members were presented MOLA drafts prior to mailing out the ballots. The memberships provided invaluable input that was incorporated into the final version.

President Ron Davis commented, "This agreement validates an already productive and rewarding relationship we have with the Masters, Mates & Pilots. We will continue to seek ways to benefit both memberships as we pursue common goals with our brothers and sisters at the MM&P."

Pres. Davis issued his thanks to the Tally Committee and especially to the members who cast their ballots and participated in the MOLA process from start to finish. He noted, "The results of the 90-day ballot referendum are directly related to hard work and the proper presentation of all issues to the membership that allowed for discussion and debate and the opportunity for the membership to provide feedback. This was a true example of democracy at work," Davis said.

FOURTH ARM OF DEFENSE CELEBRATED BY MSC
Merchant mariners from the Military Sealift Command helped celebrate the 232nd birthday of the U.S. Merchant Marine at a ceremony on June 12 hosted by the U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation in Washington, D.C.

"On this, the birthday of the U.S. Merchant Marine, we pause to honor the incredible contributions mariners make every day to ensure our nation remains strong in an increasingly competitive global economy," said Navy Rear Adm. Robert D. Reilly Jr., in a message read at the ceremony by retired Navy Rear Adm. Richard Buchanan. Reilly is the commander of MSC, the global U.S. Navy command responsible for sea transport of combat equipment and supplies for the Department of Defense.

The birth of the Fourth Arm of Defense is said to have been on June 12, 1775. It hearkens back to the struggle of the 13 colonies for independence from Great Britain. Without a strong Navy, the colonies relied on privately-owned commercial ships and their crews to serve as privateers in the tenuous months after our country declared its independence from Mother England. The "American Merchant Marine at War" website (www.usmm.org) describes the beginnings of the Merchant Marine when privateers engaged the British schooner MARGARETTA:

"Forty men, armed with guns, swords, axes, and pitchforks, headed by Jeremiah O'Brien, on the sloop UNITY and twenty men under the command of Benjamin Foster on a small schooner pursued the MARGARETTA. During the chase they put up planks and other objects to defend themselves against the MARGARETTA's cannon.

On June 12, 1775, near Round Island on Machias Bay the patriots crashed into the MARGARETTA and engaged in hand to hand combat. The British crew was disheartened when their captain was mortally wounded and lost the one hour long battle. Twenty-five of the combatants were killed or wounded. The victors claimed "four double fortifyed three pounders and fourteen swivels" and some smaller guns. This was considered the first sea engagement of the Revolution and the start of the merchant marine's war role."

Back at the ceremony, Rear Adm. Reilly's statement continued: "Now more than ever, we are a maritime nation, relying on the flow of goods to and from our shores to sustain our way of life, guarantee our prosperity and extend opportunities for a better way of life to every citizen on this planet. From Portland, Maine, to Port Everglades, Florida; down the muddy Mississippi to Galveston; from San Diego to Seattle and to the trade wind-swept waters off Honolulu, America's mariners steadfastly continue to go down to the sea in ships," said Reilly. "May we always admire their courage, determination and patriotism."

At the observance at Navy Memorial Plaza in Washington D.C., a wreath was laid at the foot of the Lone Sailor statue, paying tribute to more than two centuries of U.S. merchant mariners and their service to the nation.

INTERVENTION ON PIRACY IN SOMALIA URGED
The head of the International Maritime Bureau has called for international intervention in Somali waters to rid the coast of a deadly spate of piracy. Speaking at the Kuala Lumpur Conference on Piracy and Security Conference, IMB Director Capt. Pottengal Mukundan admitted that weightier measures are needed to combat the menace. IMB was pleased to announce a decline in piracy during the first quarter of 2007 that catalogued in a report issued in April. However, the pace of piracy picked up and 15 attacks off the coast of Somalia have been reported so far this year exceeding a total of 10 during the entire year of 2006. The U.S. Maritime Administration issued another Somali piracy advisory in late May.

Captain Mukundan said, "In the absence of any effective law enforcement in Somalia, the only forces able to assist vessels under attack are the navies of the international coalition. We request that they interrogate suspicious craft in international waters off southern Somalia and prevent hijacked vessels from being taken into Somali waters. If these acts of piracy continue unchecked, commercial shipping in this region will remain threatened."

The most recent attack occurred on the Denmark-flagged general cargo vessel MV DANICA WHITE during her voyage from the United Arab Emirates to Kenya. Pirates in three small vessels hijacked the ship and five crewmembers over one hundred nautical miles off the coast of Somalia. Coalition aircraft spotted the vessel with three boats in tow, reportedly heading towards Mogadishu. The hijackers are believed to be armed. This attack is the latest in several incidents that have occurred at a similar distance off shore where the Somali coastline heads into the Indian Ocean. This suggests that the pirates may be operating from a mother ship in that area.

There are also reports of the killing of a seaman taken hostage in Somalia on another vessel. The vessel has reportedly been held in Somali waters since mid-May after being hijacked by an armed gang. Negotiations over the release of the vessel appear to have come to a standstill. IMB statistics indicate that the murder of hostages held by Somali pirates is rare. Attacks in this region are ordinarily economically motivated, in pursuit of a ransom. If the murder report is accurate it would represent a serious escalation in the violence against kidnapped seafarers.

TWO MORE GHOST FLEET SHIPS MAKE THEIR FINAL VOYAGE
Two more ships will soon be leaving the James River Reserve Fleet in Newport News, Va., and heading to recycling yards, under contracts announced this week by the Maritime Administration.

The STATE, which was first launched as the PRESIDENT JACKSON, was awarded to Bay Bridge Enterprises of Chesapeake, VA., which will recycle the ship at a cost of $851,194 to the U.S. Government. The CAPE CLEAR will be dismantled at Esco Marine in Brownsville, Texas, at a cost of $537,726. Under the terms of both contracts, the ships must leave the fleet site within 30 days. When they depart, they will be the 58th and 59th ships to leave the James River site since January 1, 2001. After their departure, there will be 43 ships slated for disposal left at the site.

"This progress has been made possible by close cooperation among the Maritime Administration, the Commonwealth of Virginia, and members of Congress," said Maritime Administrator Sean T. Connaughton. "We can now look forward to a day when we can dispose of ships as soon as they become obsolete."

When the STATE was first launched as a passenger ship in 1950, it was considered a prime example of futuristic streamline design. The ship was taken over by the Navy and served as a troop transport named USNS BARRETT. While the STATE has been in the James River site, it has occasionally been used by army units as a platform for exercises. The CAPE CLEAR is a freighter built in 1963.

USNS HENSON SAILS TO FINLAND
M.E.B.A. members aboard a Military Sealift Command T-AGS Oceanographic Survey vessel have wrapped up an assignment in Finland as part of an effort to strengthen international ties. The USNS HENSON, managed by Horizon Lines, pulled into Turku, Finland in late May on a mission to enhance our partnership with Finland and to build cooperation between U.S. and Finnish naval forces. The HENSON hosted tours for high school science students and conducted underway survey demonstrations with Finnish sailors and scientists. Oceanographic survey ships like HENSON examine the world's oceans using a variety of sonar systems and other oceanographic equipment to collect environmental data in either coastal or deep sea waters. The information gathered is used to develop accurate maritime charts and models of the ocean. Survey ships are also used in special situations to locate downed aircraft or chart wrecks that pose hazards to safe ship navigation.

"HENSON is a truly unique ship with a big mission - to help us learn more about the world's vast oceans," said Navy Capt. Nick Holman. "It is a privilege to be here sharing that mission with our neighbors in Finland."

USNS BRIDGE COMPLETES UNREPS IN PERSIAN GULF
M.E.B.A. members aboard the Military Sealift command Fast Combat support ship USNS BRIDGE helped conduct underway replenishments with nine U.S. ships from June 1-3 in the Persian Gulf. More than 865,000 gallons of jet fuel, 2.3 million gallons of diesel fuel, 560 pallets of food, ammunition and stores were transferred over the three-day period. BRIDGE's embarked Helicopter Squadron Combatant (HSC) 23, conducted a vertical replenishment with USS JOHN STENNIS (CVN 74), transporting pallets of supplies between the ships via helicopters.

BRIDGE conducted line-transfer replenishments with USS NIMITZ (CVN 68), USS HAWES (FFG 53), USS PRINCETON (CG 59), USS ANTIETAM (CG 54), USS O'KANE (DDG 77), USS BONHOMME RICHARD (LHD 6), USS DENVER (LPD 9) and USS RUSHMORE (LSD 47), during which BRIDGE used tethered lines and mechanical pulleys between it and the receiving ships to transfer the pallets. Fuel was transferred via extendable and retractable fuel lines.

NEXT REGULAR MONTHLY MEETINGS
Monday July 2 - Boston, Seattle;
Tuesday, July 3 - Baltimore, Houston, Jacksonville, Portland; San Francisco;
Thursday, July 5 - Charleston, New Orleans, New York, Norfolk, Tampa;
Friday, July 6 - Honolulu, L.A.