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

MEBA TELEX TIMES           SEPTEMBER 05, 2008

The Official Union Newsletter

NUMBER 36

In this issue...
Aker update...M.E.B.A. ship aids nation of Georgia...MSC info breach...SATURN helps fishing boat crew...PATHFINDER in Ukraine...From Paganini to Perlman, we rosin up our bow and put our fingers on a fretless, violin-playing edition that strikes a chord. Don’t scale down and take it on the chin from wooden, out-of-tune newsletters that come with strings attached. Hitting all the right notes, we orchestrate an instrumental maritime recital that’s music to your ears. The Stradivarius of newsletters, the Telex Times will have you feeling fit as a fiddle!

AKER CONSTRUCTION UPDATE
Aker Philadelphia Shipyard continues to be on schedule as it constructs the next generation of product tankers being crewed up by expert M.E.B.A. officers. The 46,000 dwt OVERSEAS TEXAS CITY has wrapped up its sea trials and is set to be delivered later this month. It will become the fifth product tanker in a series of twelve to be completed by the yard. In line with the rest of the series, this vessel will be sold to American Shipping Company and bareboat chartered to OSG America.

The OVERSEAS BOSTON, the next tanker in the series, was recently skidded forward into its final building location. Sections continue to be lowered into place as the vessel begins to take shape. In total, 43 sections will be lowered into the dock to construct the 46,000 dwt, 600 foot long vessel.

The keel laying for Hull 011, which will be known as the OVERSEAS NIKISKI, recently took place. Following tradition, coins were placed on one of the keel blocks that support 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.

Hull 012, which will become the OVERSEAS TAMPA, is in the pre fabrication stage of construction. Materials continue to be brought in the yard and steel plates are being prepped for construction and moved through the preliminary welding stages. When construction at the yard is completed, 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.

M.E.B.A. SHIP BRINGS AID TO NATION OF GEORGIA
The USS MOUNT WHITNEY, with a civilian crew comprised of M.E.B.A. engineers, MM&P mates and an unlicensed SIU crew arrived in Poti, Georgia today carrying more than 17 tons of humanitarian supplies. The amphibious command ship is delivering juice, powdered milk and hygiene products, as well as 4,000 blankets donated by the U.S. Agency for International Development.

This is the third U.S. ship to deliver aid to Georgia since the country’s recent conflict with Russia. The Coast Guard cutter DALLAS, which is operating under the 6th Fleet, and the destroyer McFAUL delivered more than 115 tons of aid to the port in Batumi, Georgia, in the past few weeks. Three naval aircraft — a C-130, C-9 and C-40 — have flown 20 continuous missions airlifting 325 tons of humanitarian aid into Tbilisi – also as part of Operation Assured Delivery.

PERSONAL INFORMATION COMPROMISED AT MSC
During a Mail Merge, the Military Sealift Command mistakenly dispersed electronic records with personal information of about 1500 MSC employees to others working in the MSC. Approximately 100 M.E.B.A. and MM&P members have reportedly been impacted. Names, social security numbers and salaries, among other information, appear to have been disclosed. The M.E.B.A. is pursuing avenues to help members who may have been affected by this breach of security. Members who have questions or concerns can contact M.E.B.A. Government Fleet Representative Randi Ciszewski at rciszewski@d1meba.org. 

M.E.B.A. MSC SHIP GIVES AID TO STRANDED FISHING BOAT CREW
The M.E.B.A.-crewed Military Sealift Command combat stores ship USNS SATURN recently came to the aid of a stranded fishing vessel about 53 nautical miles south of Costa Rica in late August. SATURN’s watchstanders noticed two crewmembers of the fishing vessel Triple Suerte waiving distress flags. After receiving permission from Joint Interagency Task Force South (JIATF-S), which had tactical control of the ship, SATURN launched a rigid-hull inflatable boat to begin a search and rescue investigation. Once the RHIB crew arrived on-scene, Triple Suerte's master, Edward Jiminez, explained the crew had been stranded for four days due to the vessel's lifeless battery.

SATURN’s M.E.B.A. engineers rendered assistance by providing a new battery. Jiminez accepted the battery and prepared his vessel to return to its homeport of Punta Quepos, Costa Rica. "We gave them water, food, fuel and even batteries just to get them going so that they could make it back home safely and they get to sail another day," said SATURN’s Cargo Mate Kelvin Battle.

GUSTAV CLOSES NEW ORLEANS HALL, DIAGNOSTIC CENTER FOR THE WEEK
Ongoing restrictions and power outages necessitated the closure of our New Orleans Union hall this week as the city recovers in the wake of Hurricane Gustav. It appears that M.E.B.A. members and retirees in the area as well as our building on Carondelet Street is safe following the damaging storm. The M.E.B.A. Diagnostic Center also shuttered its doors but, like the Union hall, expects to reopen on Monday.

On Friday, with the Gulf Coast in the bulls-eye of the hurricane, Union officials secured our New Orleans hall in preparation for the storm and city-wide evacuation. The needs of our shipping fleet in the area were attended to by a combined effort of our Gulf Coast halls before the weekend including additional manning for the MarAd Ready Reserve Force fleet vessels in the area. The CAPE KENNEDY and CAPE KNOX, with the assistance of three tugs and dedicated M.E.B.A. deck and engine officers on board, were prepared for the worst but fortunately remained safe at their moorings in the Mississippi River during the storm.

Louisiana parishes began allowing reentry, but many of those returning to the City were without power since feeder lines were toppled by high winds. Local lines were also knocked out by wind and falling trees. Landline telephone systems were down in most areas. Storm drains were filled with debris and caused localized flooding and water and sewage service was limited. Traffic signal outages and scattered debris were blocking various roads creating problems. Emergency crews continue to clean up and repair damage.

The Port of New Orleans was in relatively good shape following the storm. It reportedly received “very minimal wind damage” to fencing, transformers, doors and signage. A few empty containers were knocked over, and some cargo facilities endured varying degrees of flooding. Cargo traffic resumed on Thursday but the Port said that operations were limited.

CALHOON SCHOOL RELEASES 2009 COURSE SCHEDULE
The Calhoon M.E.B.A. Engineering School has released its 2009 curriculum featuring 44 courses to choose from over the next calendar year. The complete schedule will be contained in next week’s edition of the Telex Times.

Enrollment periods for 2009 classes have changed from previous years. You WILL NOT be allowed to enroll for all classes at the beginning of the registration period. Registration will begin on October 4, 2008 for classes held during January 5 through June 26, 2009. Registration will begin on April 6, 2009 for classes held during July 27 through December 18, 2009. Any applications for July - December classes received prior to April 6, 2009 will be disregarded with no notification to the applicant.

► For classes held between January 5 to June 26, applications will be accepted beginning October 4, 2008.

► For classes held between July 27 to December 18, applications will be accepted beginning April 6, 2009. Any applications for July - December classes received prior to April 6, 2009 will be disregarded with no notification to the applicant.

► Class application forms can be obtained at Union Halls, the CMES web site (www.mebaschool.org), or by calling the School at (410) 822-9600.

USNS PATHFINDER PARTICIPATES IN AT-SEA DEMONSTRATION
Military Sealift Command oceanographic survey ship USNS PATHFINDER arrived in Sevastopol, Ukraine this week to pick up Ukrainian personnel and members of the U.S.-based Institute for Exploration for an upcoming at-sea capabilities demonstration with Ukraine's Department of Underwater Heritage. The T-AGS vessel is managed by Horizon Lines and crewed with M.E.B.A. officers in the engine room. In April 2008, the Ukrainian government invited the U.S. Navy's 6th Fleet to demonstrate U.S. Navy hydrographic survey capabilities and to help search for SS Armenia, a sunken, World War II Soviet hospital ship. During the at-sea demonstration, civilian surveyors from the Naval Oceanographic Office Institute for Exploration and Ukraine's Department of Underwater Heritage will work together to search for the downed vessel.

"The Naval Oceanographic Office will be providing our state-of-the-art survey equipment," said civilian Naval Oceanographic Office hydrographer Marian Clough. "We will also be providing oceanographic support to everyone involved." PATHFINDER is one of seven oceanographic survey ships operated by the Military Sealift Command and crewed by the M.E.B.A.

"For the crew this is an opportunity to take the ship somewhere we have not been before, and that is always a very exciting event," said PATHFINDER’s civilian master Capt. Troy Erwin. "The data we will collect in Ukrainian territorial waters will improve the navigational accuracy of charts used in this area for many ships." In May 2008, PATHFINDER collaborated with Estonian naval forces to search for Kaleva, a commercial aircraft that exploded over the Gulf of Finland after taking off from the Tallinn airport in June 1940.

HEARD AT THE HEAD – SHORESIDE SCUTTLEBUTT
The D.C. Propeller Club has established a new website. You can visit it at www.propellerclubdc.org. Check it out and add it to your “favorites!”...Somali pirates seized a French yacht this week kidnapping two French nationals in the process. They have demanded a ransom of over a million dollars for their return. They were taken in the Gulf of Aden and apparently were being transported to a “pirate den” in Northern Somalia...An Egyptian cargo ship with a crew of 25 aboard was also hijacked by pirates in the Gulf of Aden near Somalia. The ship was seized late on Wednesday, making it the 10th vessel to be hijacked in the pirate-infested waterway since July 20.

MARINE TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM STRATEGY MAPPED OUT
The U.S. Committee on the Maritime Transportation System (CMTS), a cabinet-level, interagency committee, has announced the release of its strategic policy framework, the National Strategy for the Marine Transportation System: A Framework for Action. Approved on July 10, the document is designed to address the most pressing needs of America’s Maritime Transportation System. The framework includes more than 30 actions in five priority areas that will help address signs of strain within the nation’s otherwise thriving Marine Transportation System (MTS).

“The Marine Transportation System is crucial to our national economy,” said Maritime Administrator Sean Connaughton, chair of the CMTS Coordinating Board. “This strategy provides much-needed coordination and direction for government agencies and for all stakeholders.” The Coordinating Board directs much of the day-to-day work of the CMTS and develops recommendations for the CMTS cabinet-level principals.

The U.S. MTS is complex, decentralized, and composed of an array of interdependent components that link with our country’s navigable waterways, ports, harbors and landside access points. Total freight volumes in the U.S. are expected to increase by 50 percent by the year 2020 while international cargo container traffic is expected to double from 1998 levels, pushing the capacity limits of our ports and waterways. Significant rises in commuter ferry operations, recreational boating traffic and cruise ship operations are also forecast.

Steven L. Stockton, Director of Civil Works for the US Army Corps of Engineers added, "The infrastructure that makes up the MTS has been faithfully serving its intended purpose, some of it for more than 100 years. It is now showing its age. We owe it to the American people to protect and invest in an energy efficient and environmentally friendly means of moving the people and commerce of this country. The CMTS National Strategy for the MTS provides a vision to do just that."

The CMTS is a federal interagency partnership that was created by the President to improve federal MTS coordination and policies and to recommend strategies and implement plans to maintain and improve the Marine Transportation System. It is chaired by DOT Secretary Mary Peters.

NY/NJ SEAMEN’S INSTITUTE STUDY SAYS SHORE LEAVE RESTRICTIONS STILL PREVALENT
The Seamen’s Church Institute (SCI) of New York and New Jersey reports that shore leave restrictions at U.S. ports are still widespread after years of focus on the problem. Since 2002, SCI has conducted annual surveys of seafarers’ shore leave detentions and restrictions on seafarers’ and chaplains’ access through terminals in United States ports.

In late July, seafarers’ centers in thirty-four U.S. ports and one Canadian port participated in the survey, with twenty three ports detailing instances of shore leave denial or terminals imposed restrictions on chaplains’ or seafarers’ access through the terminals. The survey revealed that on approximately 20% of the ships visited, one or more seafarers were not allowed shore leave. They said U.S. visa requirements remain the greatest obstacle to shore leave in the United States. Some reports indicated that time and travel constraints limited some seafarers’ ability to obtain required visas. Other cited reasons for shore leave denials included high fees charged by terminals for transportation or escort through the terminals, and restrictions imposed by vessel operators. Terminals that impose conditions on access, such as exorbitant security or escort fees, effectively deny seafarers and chaplains access through the terminals. Further, in several ports, chaplains depend upon ships’ agents to provide them authorization to access ships. This potentially bars access to ships that need visits the most – ‘problem ships’ operated by those seek to limit any outside intervention. Analysis of the survey data attempts to discern relationships between denial of shore leave and the types of vessels with detained crewmembers, nationalities of detained seafarers, and reasons why shore leave was denied. You can see the full text of the report online at www.seamenschurch.org/images/upload/July%2008%20Shore%20leave%20survey%20FINAL.pdf.

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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