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

MEBA TELEX TIMES           OCTOBER 10, 2008

The Official Union Newsletter

NUMBER 41

In this issue...
NASSCO starts work on next T-AKE...Short Sea Shipping moves ahead...Earlier TWIC compliance for some COTP zones...Obama letter to M.E.B.A...It all hits the fan as we clear the air, vent the latest news and breeze through a five-bladed, oscillating issue. Pull the plug on noisy, poorly circulating newsletters that send you into a spin! We frustrate those long-winded blowhards at every turn with a steady flowing, energy-efficient edition that revolves around you. Don't sweat it! Take a twirl with the Telex Times, it'll help you keep your cool!

HALLS & OFFICES CLOSED ON MONDAY FOR COLUMBUS DAY
M.E.B.A. halls and offices will be shuttered on Monday in observance of Columbus Day and the original Admiral of the Ocean Seas - Christopher Columbus. It was in August of 1492 that the great mariner climbed aboard the SANTA MARIA with 90 men and sailed west accompanied by the NIÑA and the PINTA. Funded by Spain's King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, Columbus sought a new route to Asia and India. He was mocked by naysayers who believed his ship would be swallowed by monsters or that it would fall off the edge of the world. After two months of sailing while trying to keep a disgruntled crew contained, Columbus avoided a mutiny when the ship spotted land on October 11th. He landed on several islands including the Bahamas which he claimed for Spain. He also landed in Cuba and Hispaniola before the SANTA MARIA was wrecked on Christmas Eve of that year. He made three more voyages through 1502 with varying degrees of success. Columbus never knew he had not set foot in the islands near India and believed it until his dying day in 1506. Columbus has been alternately described as a visionary who opened up the New World and also as a greedy imperialist who signaled the beginning of the end for the indigenous peoples of the Americas.

NASSCO STARTS WORK ON TENTH T-AKE; KEEL LAID FOR NINTH
San Diegos NASSCO Shipyard has begun construction on the tenth dry cargo ammunition ship in the Navy's T-AKE program. The ship will be named later and is scheduled to be delivered to the Navy in the third quarter of 2010. Upon completion, the vessels in the program are transferred to the Military Sealift Command and crewed up with M.E.B.A. engineers.

In addition, the yard recently laid the keel for the ninth dry cargo-ammunition ship in the program. Construction of the ship began in April. The ninth ship is also nameless so far. It is scheduled to be delivered to the Navy in the first quarter of 2010. The T-AKE ships incorporate international marine technologies and commercial ship-design features, including integrated electric-drive propulsion systems to minimize operating costs over their projected 40-year service lives. The primary mission of the ships is to deliver as much as 10,000 tons of food, ammunition, fuel and other provisions to combat ships at sea. NASSCO has delivered the first five ships of the T-AKE class and has construction contracts for five additional ships. The Navy is expected to order the construction of a total of 14 ships.

MARAD PUSHES AHEAD WITH SHORT SEA SHIPPING INTERIM RULE
The Maritime Administration has published an interim rule that formally launches Americas Marine Highway otherwise known as short sea shipping. The initiative calls for the selection and designation of key maritime inland and coastal maritime corridors as marine highways. These routes will be eligible for up to $25 million in existing federal capital construction funds and ensures that these communities will continue to qualify for up to $1.7 billion in federal highway congestion mitigation and air quality (CMAQ) funds.

It would make it easier for companies to take advantage of the new maritime routes by providing businesses with assistance in locating shippers willing to move goods by water.

Congestion is one of the single largest threats to Americas economic prosperity and way of life. Overall, the Department of Transportation estimates that congestion on our roads, bridges, railways, and in certain ports costs the United States as much as $200 billion a year and this figure will continue to grow. In addition to significant existing congestion, an increasing growth in trade will place even more demands on our capability to move freight and people through an already strained transportation network. Over the next 15 years, experts project that cargoes moving through our ports will nearly double.

The Interim Rule is effective as of Nov. 10, 2008 with comments due by Feb. 6, 2009.

Further information can be obtained from Michael Gordon, Office of Intermodal System Development, Marine Highways and Passenger Services, at (202) 3665468, via e-mail at michael.gordon@DOT.gov,  or by writing to the Office of Marine Highways and Passenger Services, MAR520, Suite W21315, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 20590.

EARLIER TWIC COMPLIANCE DATES IN CERTAIN COTP ZONES ANNOUNCED
The U.S. Coast Guard and the Transportation Security Administration have announced that Feb. 28, 2009, will be the Transportation Worker Identification Credential compliance date for owners and operators of facilities located within the U.S. Coast Guard Captain of the Port Zones of Portland, Ore., Puget Sound, Wash., and San Francisco Bay, Calif., while the compliance date for Captain of the Port Zone of New York will be March 23, 2009.

Ports affected by the Feb. 28, 2009, compliance date include, among others, Astoria, Portland, Pacific City, Coos Bay and Port Orford, Ore., Longview, Blaine, Neah Bay, Anacortes, Everett, Seattle, Tacoma and Olympia, Wash., and Crescent City, Humboldt, Bodega Bay, Stockton, San Francisco, Santa Cruz and Monterey Harbor, Calif. Ports affected by the March 23, 2009, compliance date include, among others, New York City, Tarrytown, Hempstead and Albany, N.Y.

Mariners may use their valid Coast Guard-issued merchant mariner's document, license or certificate of registry, along with a valid photo ID, to be eligible for unescorted access in secure areas of any facility regulated under the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002 that has a TWIC compliance date earlier than April 15, 2009. The date by which owners and operators of vessels and outer continental shelf facilities must implement access control procedures utilizing TWIC is also April 15, 2009.

The Coast Guard plans to announce additional dates for the compliance phase of the TWIC program in coming weeks. Compliance will be phased in by Captain of the Port Zones between Oct. 15, 2008 and April 15, 2009, after which all ports must be in compliance and all credentialed mariners must be in possession of a TWIC.

Workers are encouraged to enroll as soon as possible for their transportation worker identification credential and can pre-enroll online at www.tsa.gov/twic.  Pre-enrollment speeds the process by allowing workers to provide biographic information and to schedule a time to complete the application process in person. The pre-enrollment process reduces the time it takes to fully enroll in the TWIC program and eliminates waiting at enrollment centers. Additional information and a framework showing expected compliance dates by Captain of the Port Zone is available on the U.S. Coast Guard's Homeport Web site at http://homeport.uscg.mil/twic.  Also, Captain of the Port Zone maps with ports annotated are available on that Web site under General Information, COTP Zone Maps. You may also call 1-866-DHS-TWIC (1-866-347-8942) or 1-877-MTSA-AID (1-877-687-2243) for more information. For assistance via e-mail, please send queries to credentialing@dhs.gov.

U.S. RATIFIES ANNEX VI OF MARPOL ON SHIP EMISSIONS
The U.S. has ratified Annex VI of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) with the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

Annex VI, which was adopted in 1997 and entered into force in May 2005, regulates the discharge of atmospheric pollutants from ships. Among other things, it set limits on sulphur oxide (SOx) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from ships' exhausts; prohibited deliberate emissions of ozone-depleting substances and put a global cap on the sulphur content of fuel oil.

This latest ratification brings the percentage of gross world merchant shipping tonnage covered by the regulations to almost 82%.

OBAMA CAMPAIGN APPRECIATES M.E.B.A. SUPPORT
Sen. Barack Obama and his campaign have sent the M.E.B.A. a letter of appreciation and support for the maritime industry as a result of our Unions endorsement of his candidacy for President. M.E.B.A. announced the Obama endorsement in June. Sen. Obama earlier issued strong support for the Jones Act, Maritime Security Program and cargo preference laws and, in the letter sent to M.E.B.A. President Don Keefe, he reinforced his belief in a robust U.S. Merchant Marine. The text of the letter follows:

Dear President Keefe:

It is an honor to have the endorsement of the Marine Engineers Beneficial Association and your members. Working Americans like you at M.E.B.A. are the backbone of the American economy, and your commitment and effort this election cycle will help restore a sense of shared prosperity and security to our nation.

It's clear to me that America needs a strong and vibrant U.S.-Flag Merchant Marine, and that means investing in our maritime workers and infrastructure. It's vital for commerce and our national security it's vital to the American way of life.

That is why you and your members can continue to count on me to support the Jones Act (which also includes the Passenger Vessel Services Act) and the continued exclusion of maritime services in international trade agreements. American Merchant Mariners always have answered the nation's call from the first days of the Revolutionary War to today. In peace and in war, our Mariners have stood with us and my Administration will stand with them. To make sure our Armed Forces have the equipment and ammunition they need at the time the materiel are required, my Administration will solidly support the continuation of the Maritime Security Program. The MSP has proven itself since being enacted in 1996, making sure our troops deployed overseas have no worries about when their supplies will be delivered. A strong U.S.-Flag commercial fleet needs our nation's Cargo Preference laws. Whether it is carrying needed goods to those overseas in distress or moving government-generated cargo, American Mariners aboard American ships make sure the job is done. People around the world look to the U.S. Flag as a symbol of hope and determination. Ships flying Old Glory with American crews are important icons of our resolve.

Those programs set a firm foundation for Americas Merchant Mariners by providing opportunities for decent wages, good benefits and fair treatment. Certainly, a strong union movement has been and will continue to be a major contributor to the achievement of this essential national goal.

I am proud to stand with and for you and your members. Your endorsement and support have made a powerful statement about what we can do together to create the changes our country needs.

Sincerely,
/s/
Barack Obama

NOAA ORDERS SHIP SLOWDOWNS TO PROTECT WHALES
NOAA officials have issued a regulation that will implement new measures to protect endangered North Atlantic right whales. The regulation will, for the first time, require large ships to reduce speeds to ten knots in areas where the whales feed and reproduce, as well as along migratory routes in between. The goal is to reduce the risk of ship collisions with the whales.

"The ship strike rule, based on science, is a major addition to NOAA's arsenal of protections for this endangered species," said NOAA Administrator Vice Admiral Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Jr. With only 300 to 400 in existence, North Atlantic right whales are among the most endangered whales in the world. The new rule requires vessels to travel at ten knots or less during the seasons whales are expected to be present, in designated areas along the East Coast. It will be up for renewal in five years, after scientists assess its effectiveness. The rule will go into effect in early December, 60 days after publication in the Federal Register.

In the mid-Atlantic area, the 10-knot speed restrictions will extend out to 20 nautical miles around major ports. NOAA's Fisheries Service researchers report that approximately 83 percent of right whale sightings in the mid-Atlantic were within 20 nautical miles of shore. The rule also establishes temporary voluntary speed limits in other areas when an aggregation of three or more right whales is confirmed.

NRF PREDICTS CONTAINER TRAFFIC DROP
Cargo volume at the nations major retail container ports is now expected to decline 6.5 percent in 2008 compared with 2007 as merchants carefully manage inventories in response to the nation's slow economy, according to a report issued by the National Retail Federation and Global Insight. The report asserts the slump in containerized imports will likely continue for the next six months, at least.

Volume is projected to total 15.43 million Twenty-Foot-Equivalent Units for the year, compared with 16.5 million TEU in 2007. The estimate is down from 15.5 million projected in September, which would have been a 6 percent decline from 2007. The total would be the lowest since 2005, when 15.4 million TEU moved through the ports. U.S. ports surveyed handled 1.37 million TEU in August, the most recent month for which actual numbers are available. The number was up 4 percent from July but down 5.9 percent from August 2007.

September was estimated at 1.34 million TEU, down 9.2 percent from a year ago, and October is forecast at 1.38 million TEU, down 4.3 percent. October should be the peak month of the year, though it will fall short of the 1.48 million TEU peak for 2007 set last September. November is forecast at 1.28 million TEU, down 6.9 percent, and December at 1.25 million TEU, down 2.1 percent. January 2009 is forecast at 1.21 million TEU, down 1.6 percent from January 2008, and February 2009 is forecast at 1.15 million TEU, down 5.9 percent.

Meanwhile, Port Trackers congestion rating for the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach continues at medium because of new regulations that required trucking companies seeking to do business there to obtain a special concession license beginning October 1.

Port Tracker, which is produced by the economic research, forecasting and analysis firm Global Insight for NRF, looks at inbound container volume, the availability of trucks and railroad cars to move cargo out of the ports, labor conditions and other factors that affect cargo movement and congestion.

VOTER REGISTRATION/ABSENTEE BALLOTS OBTAINED THROUGH WEBSITE
Time is running out for those who are not yet registered to vote and wish to help choose the next U.S. President along with state and regional lawmakers. Most states close down voter registration at various dates in October. If you are not yet registered to vote, you should do so immediately. There are many websites that facilitate the process including www.rockthevote.com.

Members and retirees should be also aware of a website that makes it easy to obtain absentee ballots for the November elections.

There are several websites that are excellent resources for absentee voters including www.beabsentee.org and www.longdistancevoter.org.  The websites provide forms, list deadline dates and have easy-to-follow directions for getting an absentee ballot.

Please register and vote and encourage all M.E.B.A. members and retirees to participate in the general election on Tuesday, November 4, 2008.

REGULAR MONTHLY MEETINGS
Monday, November 3 - Boston, Jacksonville, Seattle;
Tuesday, November 4 - Baltimore, Houston, San Francisco;
Wednesday, November 5 - Calhoon School, Charleston, New Orleans, Portland;
Thursday, November 6 - L.A., New York, Norfolk, Tampa;
Friday, November 7 - Honolulu. 

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