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

MEBA TELEX TIMES           MAY 30, 2008

The Official Union Newsletter

NUMBER 22

In this issue...
Aker starts work on next tanker...Farm bill/food aid passed Horizon MSC ship searching for ship downed 68 years ago...MarAd says U.S. mariners are in demand...Our crack-up edition makes an impact with a head-on collision of full-force industry items as we steer you through a crash course of maritime info. Put the brakes on hit-and-run, airbag newsletters that ride roughshod over the news and make you a totaled nervous wreck. It's no accident -- a smashing success, the Telex Times does a bang-up job!

D.I.C. GETTING READY TO DROP NON-DUES PAYING MEMBERS
The District Investigating Committee (DIC) is getting ready to put those members and applicants who haven't been paying their dues under review. At that point, any member or applicant two or more years in arrears on their dues and/or service charges WILL BE DROPPED from the membership or applicant rolls. If you are in arrears and desire to retain your membership or applicant status, you must contact Headquarters IMMEDIATELY to make payment on your arrearage and return to good standing.

AKER BEGINS CONSTRUCTION OF NEXT TANKER
A ceremonial steel cutting took place at Aker Philadelphia Shipyard this week as the yard began production on the eighth tanker in a series of twelve. This eighth vessel in a series of 12 will be named the OVERSEAS TAMPA. So far, four of the ships have been delivered and crewed up with M.E.B.A. officers. They are the OVERSEAS HOUSTON, OVERSEAS LONG BEACH, OVERSEAS LOS ANGELES and the OVERSEAS NEW YORK. The other three in various stages of construction are the OVERSEAS TEXAS CITY, OVERSEAS BOSTON & OVERSEAS NIKISKI. The 12th and last of the series is scheduled for completion by early 2011.

As part of the building methodology utilized for this series, the first plates cut on the yard's state-of-the-art plasma cutter will be assembled into the engine room of the 600-foot long vessel. All together, 45 sections, weighing up to 650 tons, are fabricated and assembled in Philadelphia to complete the 46,000 dwt tanker.

After delivery from Aker Philadelphia Shipyard, the tanker will be converted to a shuttle tanker for use in the deepwater U.S. Gulf of Mexico and will be the first Jones Act vessel to serve this new market with strong growth potential. Shuttle tankers transport crude oil from deepwater areas where there are no available pipelines. When completed, the vessel will be sold to the yard's sister ship owning company, Aker American Shipping, and in turn, leased to OSG America.

FARM BILL/CARGO PREFERENCE FOOD AID PASSED DESPITE PRESIDENTIAL VETO
House and Senate overrode the Bush Administration's veto of H.R. 2419 - The Food, Conservation & Energy Act, a bill that contains important cargo preference funding. The five-year measure continues and in some cases expands traditional farm subsidies, and provides billions of dollars of new money for anti-hunger programs, conservation programs, fruit and vegetable growers, and the bio-fuels industry. More importantly to the membership was President Bush's call to modify the current structure of P.L. 480 - the Food for Peace Program. The food aid generated by P.L.-480 is key piece of preference cargo that helps to maintain the U.S. Merchant Marine.

Under current law, U.S. food assistance for famine stricken countries around the globe must be spent purchasing U.S. crops. The President had requested that up to 25% of the P.L. 480 Title II Food for Peace program funding be given directly to designated countries in the form of cash payments, instead of taking American grown food and shipping it overseas aboard U.S.-flag vessels.

Proponents of a cash-based program claim that providing cash is quicker and more efficient than providing U.S. grown and shipped commodities. However, these proponents ignore the inherent risks associated with providing large direct cash payments to third world countries, such as corruption, and the market distorting effects that cash can have on struggling economies.

Through months of aggressive grassroots political action and the combined efforts of M.E.B.A. & American Maritime Congress, Members of Congress realized that, while in theory the modification would cut costs, the economic pitfalls of removing U.S.-flagged ships from the process far outweigh the minimal benefits of curbing shipping costs.

USNS PATHFINDER SEARCHING FOR AIRCRAFT LOST 68 YEARS AGO
The Military Sealift Command oceanographic survey ship USNS PATHFINDER (T-AGS 60) arrived in Tallinn, Estonia this week for a special and unusual mission. The T-AGS vessels are managed by Horizon Lines and crewed with M.E.B.A. officers in the engine room. The vessel is scheduled to conduct undersea mine warfare demonstrations with the Estonian military in conjunction with a search for the Finnish airplane Kaleva that crashed off the coast of Estonia in the Gulf of Finland on June 14, 1940.

Kaleva, which was carrying nine passengers, including U.S. diplomatic courier Henry W. Antheil, Jr., mysteriously exploded 10 minutes after taking off from Tallinn's airport on the first day of the Soviet-blockade of Estonia during World War II. News of the blockade and of Kaleva's crash was overshadowed by the Nazi occupation of Paris, which also occurred on June 14. The wreckage of Kaleva and the remains of its nine passengers have never been found.

Estonia's Minister of Defense, Jaak Aaviksoo, requested the assistance of a U.S. Navy survey ship in searching for the downed airplane in a January 2008 letter to U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates.

"We are excited to collaborate with the Estonian military and to search for Kaleva," said Capt. Nicholas H. Holman, the commander of CTF-63/Sealift Logistics Command Europe, who oversees all U.S. Navy noncombatant ships and aircraft operating in Europe and Africa. "This is a wonderful opportunity for us to work together and build upon the already strong partnership between our two nations."

Oceanographic survey ships have a history of being asked to find missing aircraft. In January 2007, Pathfinder's sister ship, the M.E.B.A.-crewed USNS MARY SEARS (T-AGS 65), was part of a team that successfully located a commercial jetliner that disappeared off the coast of West Sulawesi, Indonesia.

MARAD SAYS U.S. MARINERS ARE 'IN DEMAND'
There are plenty of job openings in the American maritime industry for qualified people, according to a survey issued by the Maritime Administration. Almost two-thirds of the operators of U.S.-registered vessels who responded said they had trouble in the past year finding enough qualified people to fill all their jobs.

"The maritime industry is a great place to look for long-term employment now," noted Maritime Administrator Sean T. Connaughton. "It used to be that there were too few jobs and too many people looking. This study shows that the tide has turned, and that situation is reversed."

The survey results were drawn from self-administered questionnaires returned to the Maritime Administration from U.S.-flag vessel operators. Key highlights of the survey include:

Eighty-nine percent of the respondents tried to hire mariners in the past year, but 71 percent of them encountered problems in recruitment. The largest area of concern is in the hiring of licensed deck mariners. Over half of the respondents indicated a degree of difficulty in retaining qualified mariners, with 88 percent of those respondents indicating that retention issues have impacted business operations. . Seventy-one percent of respondents facing retention issues believe the problems will persist for at least five years.

In order to further understand the workforce issues impacting the U.S. maritime industry, the Maritime Administration will conduct a more in-depth analysis of the current state of the mariner workforce. Additionally, the Maritime Administration will continue its efforts to raise awareness of the workforce shortage and develop more training opportunities for U.S. citizens to become qualified mariners.

"With applications to attend the United States Merchant Marine Academy as well as the six State Maritime Academies around the country at an all-time high, the Maritime Administration will continue to find new and innovative ways to recruit, train and retain qualified U.S. mariners," stated Connaughton. "In order for our Nation to continue its economic prosperity we must ensure the next generation of mariners is prepared to lead the U.S. maritime industry."

ENGINEERS NEEDED ON CAL MARITIME TRAINING SHIP
Unforeseen circumstances have generated a critical need for a marine engineering instructor and a licensed watch engineer aboard the California Maritime Training Ship GOLDEN BEAR for the upcoming training cruise. The cruise begins in Honolulu on June 19 and ends with the ship's return to Vallejo on August 18, 2008.

- A current USCG license is preferred for both positions.
- Although a full cruise commitment is preferred, the licensed watch engineer position could be split between two or more individuals.
- Cal Maritime will pay travel expenses and provide appropriate compensation.

If you are willing and able to sail for all or part of the cruise, review Job Bulletin 25-0708 on the CMA website (http://www.csum.edu) and contact Tom Mader, Engineering Technology, by E-mail or telephone (707) 654-1035, as soon as possible. If you know of someone who might be interested in sailing with us, pass this message along.

The cruise itinerary follows:
- Honolulu, 19-23 June
- Lahaina, 24-27 June
- Noumea, 12-15 July
- Tonga, 19-22 July
- Tahiti, 28-31 July
- San Diego, 15-16 August
- Vallejo, 18 August

COAST GUARD SAYS IT WELCOMES ALJ PROGRAM REVIEW
The Coast Guard's Chief Administrative Law Judge, Joseph Ingolia, announced that the Coast Guard is "welcoming" a pending U.S. Government Accountability Office review of the Coast Guard's Administrative Law Judge program.

The GAO audit calls for a review of Coast Guard rules and regulations governing proceedings conducted under the Administrative Procedure Act and a comparison of them to those used by other federal agencies.

Coast Guard ALJs are bound by law and regulation to adjudicate civil administrative matters in a fair and impartial manner. They possess the same training, and are bound by the same ethical standards and administrative requirements, as counterparts at other federal agencies.

In 2007, allegations were made that the Coast Guard's ALJ system was weighed against U.S. merchant mariners in favor of the Coast Guard in cases heard before administrative law judges. In a June 24, 2007 article, Baltimore Sun reporter Robert Little interviewed numerous sources alleging that the Coast Guard administrative court system "isn't merely tough on mariners but is stacked against them." The article detailed potential ethical breaches and possible violations of federal laws.

Since then, the Coast Guard implemented a number of ALJ program improvements.

"Objective review of our processes, policies and practices by entities outside of the Coast Guard is a welcome opportunity," said Ingolia. "This program review provides us with another opportunity to improve upon the complex practices and procedures involved in our administrative proceedings."

CAA REUNION FILLING UP - ACT NOW!!!
Calhoon Alumni Association President Mike Fanning encourages you to get your act together and sign up soon for this year's CAA Reunion. Procrastinators risk getting shut out of the event of the Summer that surely will be fodder for the grand kids one day. The CAA hosts the Reunion for members and retirees as well as their friends and families. It is set to take place at the Calhoon M.E.B.A. Engineering School from June 27-29. How will you be able to look yourself in the mirror if you miss this barn-burning blowout!? Rooms are going quick, so sign up now. More participants for the golf tournament that kicks off the long weekend are needed.

At the very least, members who are at sea or anyone else who can't get out to Easton, MD during that weekend can make their presence felt by sponsoring a golf hole, a keg, or a bushel of crabs. Mike will make sure to let people know about your generosity! Further Reunion details and the necessary forms can be accessed from the School's website at www.mebaschool.org.

If you want to reserve a room at the School, book it soon. They are on a first-come, first-served basis and no phone reservations will be accepted. Mike states that you should leave your fireworks and pets at home that weekend but says that boaters and RVs are welcome (electrical hook-ups are only available on a limited basis). If you have any questions or concerns please contact Mike Fanning at caa@mebaschool.org."

REGULAR MONTHLY MEETINGS
Monday, June 2 - Boston, Jacksonville, Seattle;
Tuesday, June 3 - Baltimore, Houston, San Francisco;
Wednesday, June 4 - Calhoon School, Charleston, New Orleans, Portland;
Thursday, June 5 - L.A., New York, Norfolk, Tampa;
Friday, June 6 - Honolulu.  

--------FINISHED WITH ENGINES---------