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

MEBA TELEX TIMES           AUGUST 08, 2008

The Official Union Newsletter

NUMBER 32

In this issue...
NIKISKI keel laying...Nominations needed for heroism at sea... M.E.B.A. MSC ship helps out in Guatemala...Surf's up! We find our place in the sun and 'lay out' another issue as we bask in the glow of a tropical, Maui-style edition. Don't get burned by Speedo-wearing, crabby competitors that have their brains on vacation - they're 'no day at the beach!' We tan their hides, kick sand in their faces and turn the tide as we shore up another issue. The coast is clear! Hang loose, slip on your shades and catch some maritime rays with the Telex Times - it's a little slice of paradise!

KEEL LAYING FOR LATEST M.E.B.A. SHIP
Aker Philadelphia Shipyard held a ceremonial keel laying this week for the seventh in a series of twelve product tankers being constructed at the yard for OSG America and bareboat chartered to Tesoro Corp. The OVERSEAS NIKISKI is one of the Veteran Class MT-46 product tankers that will be crewed up by M.E.B.A. officers upon completion.

At the ceremony, coins were placed on one of the keel blocks that supports the vessel during construction before the first section of the ship was lowered into place. These coins are a ceremonial sign of good fortune and safe travels.

USS WANTS SEAFARER HEROISM NOMINATIONS
As part of the United Seamen's Service (USS) 2008 Admiral of the Ocean Sea Awards ceremony, special awards will be presented to seafarers who performed acts of heroism at sea in the last year. The 2008 AOTOS Award Dinner will be held on November 7, 2008 in New York City.

An important segment of the AOTOS program each year is the Honored Seafarer Awards which commends heroism of American seafarers who risked their lives to save others and rewards the outstanding seamanship of officers and crews of vessels participating in rescue operations.

To honor seafarers who have performed acts of bravery and outstanding seamanship, USS is asking unions, government agencies, shipping companies, and other organizations in the industry to recommend candidates deserving of either the Mariners' Plaque, given to the officers and crews of vessels, or the Mariner's Rosette, awarded to individual seafarers. Nominations should be drawn from events that took place over the past 12 months.

In order for the AOTOS Committee to review all recommendations and select the recipients, they would appreciate your response no later than September 5th. Please contact Mark Beukema, USS Director of Operations, if you have any questions about the Honored Seafarer program or the nomination process. Your nominations may be emailed to his attention at ussammla@ix.netcom.com or faxed on (718) 369-3024.

M.E.B.A. COMBAT STORES SHIP AIDS GUATEMALAN COMMUNITY
Crewmembers of the M.E.B.A.-crewed Military Sealift Command combat stores ship USNS SATURN recently participated in a Community Relations project in Municipio de Ztapa, Guatemala.

The SATURN crew took a day during the ship's in-port maintenance period to deliver Project Handclasp medical supplies and hygiene products to the Centro de Salud Clinic. Additionally, they delivered toys and first aid kits to a pair of elementary schools. Project Handclasp is a collection of donated humanitarian, educational and goodwill items the Navy delivers to people in need around the world.

Although consisting of only two doctors and eighteen staff members, the Centro de Salud Clinic provides care for many local pediatric, adult, and elderly residents who suffer from pneumonia, respiratory infections, and various skin infections. "Any little bit helps," said Information Systems Technician 3rd Class (Surface Warfare/ Aviation Warfare) Raven Williams. "This event was certainly worthwhile." "There is nothing more beautiful to see than children happy and smiling," said Information Systems Technician 3rd Class (Surface Warfare) Alfredo Felizola.

SATURN is currently deployed to Latin America and the Caribbean providing logistical support to counter illicit-trafficking missions in the U.S. Southern Command area of focus.

HOUSTON HALL AUGUST MEETING CANCELED
Tropical Storm Edouard forced the closure of the Houston hall on Tuesday leading to the cancellation of the regular membership meeting that had been scheduled that day. On Monday, the storm had been predicted to "mess with Texas" by midday Tuesday threatening to develop into a hurricane. As a precaution, local authorities closed down the ship channel which services the ports of Houston, Texas City and Galveston - thus bringing vessel traffic in the area to a standstill. Airlines canceled flights and residents in Houston, Galveston and surrounding areas boarded up their houses and battened down the hatches. Edouard never graduated to hurricane status but high winds and buckets of rain caused hours of anxiety and minor damage. Some areas around Houston absorbed over six inches of rain which caused flooding in certain neighborhoods.

The Houston hall informed our members on their registration list ahead of time that the membership meeting would not be held. The hall was opened bright and early the next day and regular business resumed.

McNABB CONFIRMED AS TRANSCOM BOSS
Gen. Duncan McNabb has been confirmed by the U.S. Senate allowing him to take over the leadership of the U.S. Transportation Command. General McNabb, 34-year Air Force veteran, is the ninth USTRANSCOM commander, succeeding Gen. Norton A. Schwartz who was recently tapped to be the next Air Force Chief of Staff.

Air Force Lt. Gen. William M. Fraser III was originally penciled in to replace Schwartz, who had announced his retirement. But when the Air Force position was offered to him, Gen. Schwartz accepted and President Bush instead recommended Fraser as the Air Force Vice Chief of Staff. Gen. Schwartz, who will be the recipient of a special AOTOS Award at the annual United Seamen's Service ceremony in New York later this year, was also confirmed by the Senate this week.

"I know U.S. Transportation Command's success depends on the strength of the total force and of our industry partners. I will work to continue to strengthen and leverage these partnerships across the entire joint deployment and distribution enterprise," said Gen McNabb.

MARAD WEBSITE SET UP TO SUPPORT MTS
The Maritime Administration has set up a new website targeted to support the strategic requirement of the U.S. Marine Transportation System (MTS) and its contribution to the economic viability of the nation. MarView, established at www.marview.gov provides the ability to fuse data together to create models and simulations for capacity planning, economic impact analysis, on-demand forecasting, plans for mitigating and reacting to emergency situations.

Available information includes:
- Over 2500 links of transportation data sources
- Most comprehensive collection of vessel tracking information through Automated Identification System (AIS) and Voluntary Observation Ships (VOS) program
- Physical attributes information on national and international ports and related facilities
- Vessel characteristics
- Information on U.S. Waterways and facilities
- Waterborne domestic and foreign trade (cargo, passenger, and vessel movement)
- Intermodal freight transportation
- Information about domestic and foreign shipbuilding and repair yards
- Statistics on trained and licensed Mariners

Capabilities include:
- Crisis Tracking and Emergency Notification (CTEN)
- Geospatial information on the MTS and Intermodal Transportation
- Distance calculator
- Innovative electronic collaboration room
- Business intelligence tools for data analysis and data manipulation.

This varied array of data can be rapidly combined and recombined to assist meaningful analysis throughout the MTS, from end to end. Registration is required.

USGS SAYS ARCTIC CIRCLE IS RICH WITH UNDISCOVERED OIL & GAS
A U.S. Geological Survey assessment report says that the area north of the Arctic Circle has an estimated 90 billion barrels of undiscovered, technically recoverable oil, 1,670 trillion cubic feet of technically recoverable natural gas, and 44 billion barrels of technically recoverable natural gas liquids in 25 geologically defined areas thought to have potential for petroleum. The assessment is the first publicly available petroleum resource estimate of the entire area north of the Arctic Circle.

These resources account for about 22 percent of the undiscovered, technically recoverable resources in the world. The Arctic accounts for about 13 percent of the undiscovered oil, 30 percent of the undiscovered natural gas, and 20 percent of the undiscovered natural gas liquids in the world. About 84 percent of the estimated resources are expected to occur offshore.

Of the estimated totals, more than half of the undiscovered oil resources are estimated to occur in just three geologic provinces - Arctic Alaska, the Amerasia Basin, and the East Greenland Rift Basins. On an oil-equivalency basis, undiscovered natural gas is estimated to be three times more abundant than oil in the Arctic. More than 70 percent of the undiscovered natural gas is estimated to occur in three provinces - the West Siberian Basin, the East Barents Basins, and Arctic Alaska.

REGULAR MONTHLY MEETINGS
Monday, September 8 - Boston, Jacksonville, Seattle;
Tuesday, September 9 - Baltimore, Houston, San Francisco;
Wednesday, September 10 - Calhoon School, Charleston, New Orleans, Portland;
Thursday, September 11 - L.A., New York, Norfolk, Tampa;
Friday, September 12 - Honolulu.

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