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

MEBA TELEX TIMES           OCTOBER 17, 2008

The Official Union Newsletter

NUMBER 42

In this issue...
P.A.F. rewards program...Prop Club Convention...Piracy news...CG advisories...TWIC fingerprint info...Percolating with a strong roasted maritime flavor, we give you a jolt as we brew up an addictive, mountain grown issue to get you through the daily grind. Filter out watery, decaffeinated newsletters that are on shaky grounds - those drips don't know beans! We tell their ugly mugs to wake up and smell the coffee! Perk up and take a sip of the taster's choice of newsletters in a rich Kona-style edition that's good to the last drop. The signature-blend Telex Times is a real eye-opener!

REWARDS FOR M.E.B.A. POLITICAL ACTION FUND DONATIONS REVAMPED; P.A.F. NEEDS YOUR SUPPORT!
There are annual battles in Washington, D.C. over federal programs that support the U.S. Merchant Marine. The Maritime Security Program must be funded every year by Congress, the Jones Act is always under attack and our cargo preference laws are also vulnerable. Collectively, these laws and programs prop up the foundation of our jobs in the U.S. Merchant Marine and the security of those jobs in the future. These laws and programs need protection and support from lawmakers. Legislators must be educated to ensure that they understand these vital laws and programs and that they remain committed to keeping them in place.

A key tool that enables the M.E.B.A. to foster friendships and solidify political relationships in Congress, the White House and in State Capitols is the M.E.B.A. Political Action Fund. Giving to the P.A.F. is voluntary, but we all benefit from a strong political advocacy program.

Less than 20% of the membership currently contributes to the P.A.F. If the U.S. Merchant Marine is to continue to remain healthy, we need greater participation from the membership in this important Fund.

Every dollar helps - please give to the M.E.B.A.-P.A.F. to help support legislation that protects the U.S. maritime industry.

In an effort to enlist more participation and encourage members to contribute to the Fund, the P.A.F. has announced, effective immediately, that members and retirees who make contributions to the P.A.F. above a certain amount will receive special keepsake gifts, something you will not be able to obtain anywhere else. This will apply to the 2008 calendar year and is as follows:

Contribution Special Gift

$100-$249 Bronze M.E.B.A. medallion (challenge coin)

$250-$499 Silver M.E.B.A. medallion (challenge coin)

$500-$999 Logo Painted Silver M.E.B.A. medallion (challenge coin)

$1,000 + M.E.B.A. custom watch OR a great M.E.B.A. multi-tool/mag-lite set OR a set of M.E.B.A. Meat Lover's steak knives (Your  choice).

To help guarantee the future of your Union, please give to the M.E.B.A.'s Political Action Fund!

M.E.B.A. AT U.S. PROP CLUB CONVENTION
A massive cross-section of the maritime industry was on hand last week as the Propeller Club of the United States wrapped up a successful conference in Baltimore. Represented by Secretary-Treasurer Bill Van Loo and Baltimore Branch Agent Tom Suneson, M.E.B.A. took part in the numerous discussions and breakout sessions scattered over three productive days. Rep. Elijah Cummings served as the keynote speaker at the Friday luncheon and delivered a passionate speech lauding the importance of our industry and pledging his hard work and dedication to helping U.S. maritime achieve new levels of productivity and prosperity. Congressman Cummings is the Chairman of the Transportation & Infrastructure's Subcommittee on Coast Guard & Maritime Transportation. Maritime Administrator Sean Connaughton was also on hand and talked about maritime security issues among other topics. Other issues of interest discussed included LNG operations as well as foreign investment in the U.S. maritime industry.

PIRACY NEWS
The International Maritime Bureau has put out a fresh advisory for vessels transiting the Gulf of Aden. Another bulk carrier was attacked and hijacked by pirates yesterday at 14 degrees north / 050 degrees east. All ships are strongly advised to maintain a strict visual and radar watch. Early assessment and detection will allow ships to take measures to prevent boarding and request for assistance.

Intelligence sources revealed that there are now three suspicious vessels in the Gulf of Aden believed to be pirate mother vessels looking to attack ships with the intent to hijack. Both vessels are long white Russian made stern trawlers with names "BURUM OCEAN or ARENA or ATHENA". One of the trawlers is believed to be operating at approximately 60 NM NE of Bossasso, Somalia in the Gulf of Aden. Also intelligence indicates a blue-colored tug operating in the same vicinity.

In other related news, Somali pirates aboard the hijacked Ukrainian ship FAINA 200 miles off the coast of Somalia, have withdrawn their threat to blow up the vessel if a ransom is not paid. Last week, the pirates, through their spokesman, gave a 72-hour ultimatum for the ransom to be paid or they would blow up the ship. The vessel and its cargo of 33 Russian tanks, rocket-propelled grenades and anti-aircraft guns were hijacked several weeks ago. Since then the FAINA was surrounded by a slew of warships including six U.S. Navy vessels. M.E.B.A. Military Sealift Command vessels are also in the area supporting their associated Navy ships. The Russian Captain of the FAINA, one of the 21 crewmembers, died of a heart condition as the standoff began. The pirates initially demanded a $35 million ransom but later reduced it to $20 million and then $8 million.

COAST GUARD ADVISORY ON PREVENTING ENGINE EXHAUST SYSTEM FIRES
The Coast Guard has issued a safety alert addressing the issue of preventing unwanted fires caused by high temperature components associated with turbochargers and engine exhaust systems in close proximity to combustible ship structures. Two recent marine casualties involving inspected passenger vessels resulted in personnel injury, fire damage to machinery and ship structures, operational down time and lost revenues. In both cases, the vessels were recently re-powered with new turbocharged engines having exhaust systems designed to operate at higher temperatures than the previous engines. Investigations into each case identified common discrepancies as follows:

- Failure to properly insulate or shield combustible ship structures from engine exhaust systems in accordance with 46 CFR §182.430.
- Failure to properly submit documentation for plan review, which may have identified failures to comply with 46 CFR regulations.

As a result of these recent incidents and due to other related casualties involving small passenger vessels, the U. S. Coast Guard strongly recommends vessel owners and operators to:

Inspect vessel engine exhaust systems, machinery spaces, and exhaust compartments to verify that lagging and insulation are properly installed to shield hot surfaces and combustible materials. Proper insulation and shielding methods will help to prevent fires due to flammable and combustible liquids spraying onto hot surfaces (i.e. turbochargers, exhaust piping) and will prevent combustible surfaces (i.e. wood, fiberglass, FRP) from heating up to ignition temperatures due to close proximity to hot surfaces. Pay particular attention to areas where exhaust systems penetrate bulkheads and decks, making sure that combustible surfaces are properly shielded and/or insulated using non-combustible materials. Ensure that proper submittals for plan review are made and documented with the local U.S. Coast Guard Sector Office of Prevention. Plan reviews are required whenever engines and/or propulsion systems are changed or modified. This includes re-engine projects where engines are not replaced in-kind, but with different types of engines or engine manufacturers.

COAST GUARD ISSUES ADVISORY ON COUNTERFEIT EEBDs
The U.S. Coast Guard has recently learned that counterfeit Unitor model UNISCAPE 15H EEBD Emergency Escape Breathing Devices (EEBDs) are being sold to ship operators and placed onboard commercial vessels. The U.S. Coast Guard strongly encourages that all vessel owners and operators with EEBDs onboard carefully and thoroughly inspect them for authenticity. If any doubt exists as to the authenticity, they should immediately contact their emergency equipment vendors and/ or the manufacturer for verification or replacement. The number of fake units sold and currently onboard vessels is unknown and could be substantial. The fake reproduction will not fit over an individual's head and the automatic air release valve will not open. A crisis situation requiring the use of an EEBD will be severely compounded, potentially leading to death, should a crewmember inadvertently rely on a fake reproduction.

Differentiating factors: An authentic Unitor UNISCAPE 15H is contained in a shiny PVC bag. When viewed from the front with the instruction icons upside down, the zipper opens from left to right, and at the most left section of the zipper is a two centimeter gap covered by a clear tab that has a button closure. The fake reproduction is contained within a dull canvas-like material bag. When viewed from the front with the instruction icons upside down, the zipper opens from right to left, and at the most left section of the zipper there is no opening, although a tab made of what appears to be the same material of the bag is present with a button closure. This unit will not automatically activate.

FURTHER INFO OFFERED FOR TWIC APPLICANTS WHO HAD FINGERPRINTS REJECTED
The Coast Guard and Transportation Security Administration have arrived at a determination to assist applicants trying to get their Transportation Worker Identification Credentials (TWIC) who encountered difficulties with fingerprinting. For various reasons, mostly due to poor quality of fingerprints, some applicants - especially between October 2007 and August 2008 - had their fingerprints rejected by the FBI thus halting the TWIC application process. Some of these individuals still don't have their TWICs which is a big problem as the compliance dates rapidly approach.

TSA contacted, or attempted to contact applicants using the information provided by the applicant during enrollment, to notify them of the problem. The agency developed and successfully implemented solutions to address these issues, allowing the FBI to conduct their portion of the security threat assessment, without requiring the applicant to return to an enrollment center for re-fingerprinting. Unfortunately, it is likely that some of these applicants will not be cleared or issued a TWIC before the compliance date for the Captain of the Port Zone in which they work. The Coast Guard expects that most applicants with fingerprint rejection issues will complete the TWIC application process prior to the initial compliance date but some TWICs may not be issued until shortly after that date.

In order to allow these individuals to continue to work, the Coast Guard has decided to use the TWIC New Hire provision to allow those applicants with fingerprint issues to take advantage of already existing accompanied access guidelines and Homeport tracking. This PAC decision only applies to those individuals who are on the TSA-provided list of individuals with fingerprint rejection issues. The Coast Guard is granting a temporary waiver to all facilities from meeting the requirements in 33 CFR 105.257(c). This waiver will be in effect through November 27, 2008. This temporary waiver extends the TWIC New Hire provision to include facility security officers and direct-hire security personnel as long as the person submitting the information into Homeport holds a valid TWIC. The waiver also covers contractors and other non-direct hires but, as always, it is at the discretion of the facility owner, operator or security officer to extend this eligibility to any eligible individual. For non-direct hire employees, the TWIC New Hire provision only applies at the facility that submitted their information into Homeport.

Process:
1. The individual must inform the facility owner, operator or security officer that he or she enrolled for their TWIC between October 2007 and August 2008.
2. If the facility owner, operator or security officer determines that this individual requires accompanied access, he or she must submit the TWIC applicant's information to the Coast Guard through the Homeport New Hire submission form.
3. The facility owner, operator or security officer must notify the Coast Guard MTSA Help Desk of this action at 1-877-687-2243 (Option 1) or uscg-twichelpdesk@ uscg.mil,  providing the applicant's full name and the submitter's full name and contact information. This step is crucial because there is no indication in Homeport that this individual has rejected fingerprints.
4. If the applicant is not on the TSA-provided list, the Coast Guard will inform the submitter. This individual is not eligible for accompanied access.
5. If the applicant is on the TSA-provided list, and the individual has passed the initial name-based check, the submitter will be notified within three working days via Homeport. The applicant may work under the TWIC New Hire provision, using accompanied access.
6. The names of individuals with fingerprint issues who are working under the New Hire provision and the facilities with which they are associated will be provided to the appropriate COTPs.
7. The facility is allowed to exclude individuals with rejected fingerprints who are cleared to work under the TWIC New Hire provision from their calculations when determining how many New Hires they may have in a work group, as outlined in NVIC 03-07. All other accompanied access provisions from the regulations and NVIC 03-07 apply.
8. This PAC decision and temporary waiver will expire on November 27, 2008. By this time, all of the individuals in the fingerprint reject category will be processed and have had ample opportunity to activate their credentials.

ITF INSPECTS 251 VESSELS IN WEEK OF ACTION
Two hundred and fifty one vessels were inspected by joint seafarer/docker and International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) teams in coordinated operations across 10 countries in the recent Baltic Sea week of action.

The participating countries were Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Sweden and Russia. By last Friday, five vessel agreements had been signed, four notices of agreement received, and $8,276 of back pay claims resolved, with a further $150,000 still under negotiation.

ITF Maritime Coordinator Steve Cotton commented, "Following on from the recent East Asia week of action, the Baltic week has been another excellent opportunity to perfect targeted cross-border operations and close cooperation between seafarers, dockers and ITF personnel."

LAST CHANCE TO REGISTER TO VOTE/GET ABSENTEE BALLOTS
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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