http://www.seafarerslog.org/archives_old/files/original/3547314a906942bcf6596efddca8fc11.pdf 03d2a1204a3d759d6fa0e8dbc8e2fb06 PDF Text Text Volume 64, Number 7 July 2002 Congress Exa ·nes Dangers f FOCs To • National Sec r Panel Hears Worrisome Testimony Sea Reliance Joins SIU Fleet SIU Sec.-Treasurer David Heindel addresses the Special Oversight Panel on the Merchant Marine - part of the U.S. House Armed Services Committee - during a June 13 hearing that focused on flags of convenience (FOCs) and how they threaten America's security. Page 3. SIU Ships Assisi 'Enduring Freedom' Page& Barge Accident Renews Debate Page& Matson Orders Two Vessels Pagel Seafarers and SIU officials were among those celebrating the recent christening in New Orleans of the new tug Sea Reliance and its accompanying double-hulled barge 550-1. Together, the tug and the 550-1 form an articulated tug-barge (ATB) tank vessel unit that transports clean oil products. Among those at the christening were SIU Pres. Michael Sacco (sixth from left), who was a featured speaker; SIU Sec.-Treasurer David Heindel (fourth from left); SIU VP Contracts Augie Tellez (third from right); and SIU New Orleans Port Agent Steve Judd (second from right). Page 3. Ro/Ro To Reflag U.S. Rear Adm. David Brewer (right), Commander of the U.S. Military Sealift Command, and SIU VP Atlantic Coast Joseph Soresi weren't the only ones smiling June 14 when MSC took operational control of the former U.S. Navy ship Arctic in Earle, N.J. The 753-foot vessel signifies many new jobs for members of the union's Government Services Division. Page 4. As the Log went to press, SIU-contracted American Roll-On Roll-Off Carrier (ARC) was poised to announce the addition of a fifth U.S.-flag RO/RO to its fleet. This involves a foreign-flag vessel that will reflag under the Stars and Stripes as the company begins a new service between the U.S. East and Gulf coasts and the Eastern Mediterranean and Black Sea this November. The reflagged vessel closely will resemble the one pictured here, according to the company. ARC noted that all five of its American-flag RO/ROs ''will be fully committed to the U.S. government's readiness program." �President's Report A Break In the Clouds Late in the year 2000, many of us stood in a downpour on Capitol Hill warning of the problems raining on our country because of runaway-flag shipping. Last month, the runoff from that protest finally drained into a Congressional hearing room. Because of these actions as well as many more involving the SIU and other maritime unions - and the war on terrorism - the light of publicity is finally shining through the dark clouds that have veiled the ugly truth behind flag-of-convenience shipping. On June 13, the Merchant Marine Panel of the Michael Sacco House Armed Services Committee held a hearing about flags of convenience and the risks they pose to United States national security. The hearing has generated interest far beyond the Capitol. It has gained attention in many parts of the U.S. and overseas, with news reports appearing almost daily from mid-June when the hearing took place. U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) did an outstanding job in chairing the hearing. Anyone who supports a strong U.S.-flag fleetfor that matter, anyone who's concerned about national security should join me in thanking the congressman for his firm, fair and intelligent handling of the proceedings, which took nearly a full day. Credit also goes to U.S. Rep. Gene Taylor (D-Miss.) and the other panel members in attendance for drawing out significant answers from the people who submitted testimony. U.S. Rep. Frank Wolf (D-Va.), the first to testify, immediately set the tone with his convincing accounts of atrocities committed in Liberia - a nation whose cruel dictator benefits from FOC shipping. Later, SIU Secretary-Treasurer Dave Heindel, on behalf of our union and the International Transport Workers' Federation, provided insightful facts about runaway flags and strong recommendations on how to reduce their threat to America's security. Others who testified also delivered valuable information. Overall, the hearing potentially served as a vital first step toward consistently revealing true ownership throughout the shipping industry. In the meantime, the SIU and the ITF continue to urge Congress to pass a bill permitting the U.S. Coast Guard to deny entry to any foreign-flag ship that fails to accurately provide the identity of its beneficial owner. Given the constant threats being made against the U.S., it seems that's the very least that must be done. House Passes Port Security Bill; Conference Committee Appointed The U.S. House of Representatives on June 4 approved legislation that would establish a comprehensive national system to increase security at U.S. ports and waterways. Passed via voice vote, the Maritime Transportation Antiterrorism Act of 2002 contains provisions on automatic identification systems, transportation security cards (smart cards), and antiterrorism plans. The legislation is similar to a bill approved last December by the Senate. A House-Senate conference committee has been appointed to work out the differences. U.S. Rep. Don Young CR-Alaska), chairman of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, introduced the legislation on behalf of the group's bipartisan leadership, including Reps. James Oberstar (D-Minn.), ranking Democrat on the Transportation Committee; Frank LoBiondo (RN.J.), chairman, Coast Guard & Maritime Transportation Subcommittee; and Corrine Brown (D-Fla.), ranking Democrat, Coast Guard Subcommittee. "Port security is an essential piece of an effective homeland security program," said Rep. Young. "This bill establishes a comprehensive national antiterrorism system to reduce the vulnerability of our ports and waterways to a terrorist attack. This is one of the most important pieces of legislation the House considers this year." "Passage of this bill by the House sends a clear message to everyone that we are taking strong steps to protect America's ports and waterways from terrorism and that Congress is committed to this mission," said Rep. LoBiondo. "I hope that we can see the provisions of this bill become law very soon because of the tremendous importance of the maritime transportation system to our economy and our nation." Under key sections of the legislation, the Coast Guard will have statutory authority to require that advance notices of vessels' arrival be electronically submitted at least 96 hours prior to arrival. It will have broad authority to deny entry of a vessel for non-compliance with laws relating to marine safety, security, or environmental protection. Additionally, transportation security cards would be required for individuals to enter an area of a vessel or facility designated as secure in an applicable antiterrorism plan. The secretary of transportation would be charged with issuing transportation security cards to individuals unless they pose a terrorism security risk. For U.S. citizens, this largely means denial of such a card if the person has been convicted of a felony that could be a terrorism security risk. For non-U.S. citizens, this means persons who would be denied admission to the United States under the Immigration and Nationality Act or otherwise pose a terrorism security risk. The secretary also would be charged with assessing the antiterrorism measures at major foreign ports with respect to such things as screening of containerized and other cargo, access restrictions, vessel security, certification of compliance with security measures, and security management. For foreign ports found to not maintain effective antiterrorism measures, the secretary would be authorized to prescribe conditions for entry into the U.S. of vessels arriving from the port or carrying cargo originating from or transshipped from that port. In another port security development, the International Maritime Organization's (IMO) Maritime Safety Committee is continuing its preparatory work for the diplomatic conference on maritime security that is to be conducted at IMO in December. Among the myriad items on the agenda designed to address maritime security, the most far-reaching is a proposed International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code which would be implemented through SOLAS. Coast Guard Strength Speaking of the Coast Guard, the agency already has taken a lot of important actions to improve security aboard the vessels entering and operating in the U.S. and in the ports themselves. As I've said before, it's a gigantic job and it necessarily will take time to fully implement the safeguards. The Coast Guard's efforts to date are commendable. When faced with such a large task, you obviously need the right tools. And the agency last month took a giant step in the right direction with the announcement of a milestone contract worth more than $11 billion for a fleet of new vessels and aircraft, along with improved "command and control" systems. The ships and planes and other high-tech equipment will help the Coast Guard fulfill its homeland security duties. The contract's value reflects the magnitude of those responsibilities, and the SIU as always - in our role as part of the nation's fourth arm of defense - will do our part to assist the Coast Guard in this most critical mission. SIU Job Opportunities Just as our union is committed to helping the United States meet its sealift and security requirements, we never stop working to obtain good shipboard jobs for the membership. On that front, there is plenty of good news, as reported throughout this issue of the LOG. After a tumultuous period that followed September 11, the Delta Queen boats are under contract. Seafarers are sailing aboard Intrepid's new Sea Reliance, and more of those ATBs are on the way. A new TOTE ship is due in October, and construction has begun on a second vessel. Matson has ordered two new vessels under construction at Philadelphia's Kvaerner Shipyard. The Government Services Division is crewing up a former Navy ship for the Military Sealift Command. And American Roll-On Roll-Off Carrier late last month planned to announce the addition of a fifth U.S.-flag RO/RO to its fleet. Our future is bright. With the continued strong support of the membership, we will never stop working to ensure that it stays that way. Volume 64, Number 7 Former ATC 'Riding Gang' Workers Upgrade to AB Five mariners from Anchorage, Alaska who started their shipboard careers as "riding gang" workers aboard Alaska Tanker Company (ATC) vessels have earned their respective endorsements as ABs. Seafarers Jerry Maya, Allan Oyao, Fernando Oyao, Deocadio Romney and Rafael Concepcion recently completed the AB course at the Paul Hall Center for Maritime Training and Education. They were congratulated May 31 as the company hosted a luncheon in Anchorage that also was attended by U.S. Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) and representatives of the Alaska Department of Labor and the SIU. Harold Holten, a Seafarers representative based in An- chorage, noted that Rep. Young "has been very active with the riding crews and with the unlicensed apprentice program based at Piney Point. He also was instrumental in getting an SIU office opened in Anchorage." Bill Cole, ATC's director of labor relations, noted that the riding gangs in part signify "a nearly five-year-old effort to train Alaskans for employment aboard U.S. commercial vessels. We are delighted to have Alaskans as seagoing employees of ATC and are proud to further Congressman Young's vision of expanding local hire opportunities for Alaskans aboard U.S.-flag vessels. This is a true public/private/labor partnership that continues to achieve and surpass its July 2002 The SIU on line: www.seafarers.org The Seafarers LOG (ISSN 1086-4636) is published monthly by the Seafarers International Union; Atlantic, Gulf, Lakes and Inland Waters District/NMU, AFL-CIO; 5201 Auth Way; Camp Springs, MD 20746. Telephone (301) 899-0675. Periodicals postage paid at Southern Maryland 20790-9998 and at additional offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the Seafarers LOG, 5201 Auth Way Camp Springs, MD 20746. Communications Director, Jordan Biscardo; Managing Editor/Production, Deborah A. Hirtes; Associate Editor, Jim Guthrie; Art, Bill Brower; Administrative Support, Jeanne Textor. Copyright © 2002 Seafarers International Union, AGLfWD All Rights Reserved. 2 Seafarers LOS Alaska Tanker Company (ATC) recognized five former riding-gang members who upgraded to ABs. Pictured at the May 31 luncheon in Anchorage, Alaska are (from left) ABs Jerry Maya and Fernando Oyao, U.S. Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska), ABs Deocadio Romney and Allan Oyao, SIU Rep Harold Holten and ATC Labor Relations Director Bill Cole. (Not pictured is AB Rafael Concepcion.) goals of providing quality maritime jobs for Alaskans." Created to satisfy the need for ongoing maintenance at sea, a riding gang provides routine upkeep and repairs of vessels to reduce time in dry dock. At the Paul Hall Center, the aforementioned mariners passed U.S. Coast Guard exams in lifeboat and water survival safety, marine fire fighting, first aid, oil spill response and other key subjects. Holten added, "We are particularly pleased with the cooperation received from the Coast Guard and the Alaska State Department of Labor in assuring these folks had the opportunity to pursue their training and career goals." Awards Presented To ATC Vessel, Other SIU Ships Alaska Tanker Company's BT Alaska was one of several SIUcrewed vessels honored last month by the Chamber of Shipping of America. The chamber presented its annual ship safety achievement awards June 6 in New Orleans. Awards are given for "outstanding feats of safety," such as rescues and long-term operations without any injuries. The BT Alaska has gone almost three years without a single lost-time injury. Also honored were (among others) the Consumer of CSX Lines, the tug Liberty/Maritrans 3 00 of Mari trans Operating Partners, the Performance of U.S. Ship 'Management, and the Chesapeake City of Keystone Shipping Co. July2002 �Congress Weighs FOG Threat The Special Oversight Panel on the Merchant Marine - part of the U.S. House Armed Services Committee - conducted a hearing June 13 that focused on flags of convenience (FOCs) and how they threaten America's security. The panel also received detailed, disturbing evidence that the Liberian ship registry, which is based in Virginia, has funneled money for the illegal purchase and/or transportation of arms, among other violations of United Nations sanctions. U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter (RCalif.) chaired the five-hour session, which drew a standing-room crowd for much of the proceedings. Testifying were (in order) U.S. Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.); U.S. Coast Guard Rear Adm. Paul Pluta; U.S. Maritime Administrator Capt. SIU Sec.-Treasurer David Heindel (left) tells the Merchant Marine Panel of the House Armed Services Committee that America should "refuse entry to U.S. ports to any foreign-flag vessel that does not provide transparency and/or full identity of the vessel's beneficial owner." The hearing took place June 13 in Washington, D.C. U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter (RCalif.) said of certain FOC registries, "It is apparent that we have virtually no idea who owns or controls a number of these ships." Vines, former member of the U.N. panel of experts on Liberia, representing the New York-based Human Rights Watch; and the head of the Liberian registry, Yoram Cohen. As the hearing began, Hunter stated, "From my view of certain registries, it is apparent that we have virtually no idea who owns, or who controls a number of these ships. It is also clear to me that we likewise lack a clear understanding of who is manning these ves- The barge, which has a capacity of 155,000 barrels, is 500 feet long and 74 feet wide. It was constructed at Halter's Bienville yard in Pearlington, Miss. The 550-1 features an enhanced cargo system and a fully redundant ballast system, among other safety attributes. Tony Naccarato, for Intrepid, described the ATB as "completely state-of-the-art. This is an excellent addition and we look forward to many years of safe operations." William Schubert; David Heindel, SIU secretary-treasurer and second vice chairman of the International Transport Workers' Federation's (ITF's) Seafarers' Section; Peter Morris, chairman, International Commission on Shipping; Alex Seafarers Welcome New Tug and Barge SIU members are sailing aboard the new tug Sea Reliance and its accompanying doublehulled barge 550-1, operated by Intrepid Ship Management. Together, the Sea Reliance and the 550-1 form an articulated tugbarge (ATB) tank vessel unit that transports clean oil products. The hinged connection system between the units "allows mo ement in one axi or plane in the critical area of fore and aft pitch," Intrepid noted. SIU President Michael Sacco was a featured speaker during the ATB 's christening April 25 in New Orleans. "The tug Sea Reliance and the barge that goes with it both represent exactly the kind of progress we work for. Today we celebrate an allAmerican ATB-built in an American yard, crewed by American mariners, and owned by Americans," he stated. "This is another important step in strengthening all phases of the merchant marine," Sacco continued. "In order to best serve the national and economic security interests of the United States, our country deserves nothing less than a strong, viable U.S. fleet. That goes for all segments of the industry-from the deep sea and coast-wise trades, to the inland and Great Lakes fleets, to the passenger ships and of course our shipyards. All of those components are vital, especially in these uncertain times. That's why we never should take a ceremony like this one for granted." The 9,280-horsepower tug is 127 feet long and 42 feet wide. Built at Halter Marine's Moss Point (Miss.) yard, the Sea Reliance meets all Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) and American Bureau of Shipping criteria. It has a foam-capable fire monitor; twin fuel efficient, reduced emission electronic diesel engines; a noise reduction package and other upgrades to increase crew comfort. The communication and navigation equipment is among the most technologically advanced in the industry. Keel Laid for Second TOTE Ship ) SIU Pres. Michael Sacco (left photo) describes the Sea Reliance and the barge 550-1 (above) as "an all-American ATS-built in an American yard, crewed by America n mariners, and owned by Americans." sels - or even whether the documents they hold are valid - or even whether they have the required training." Although the inquiry mainly examined FOCs and their implications on U.S. national security, Hunter and Rep. Gene Taylor (DMiss.) spent nearly 90 minutes conducting a question-and-answer session with Rear Adm. Pluta and Capt. Schubert. Some of the questions pertained to FOCs, but many others concerned present-day efforts by the Coast Guard to ensure - to the extent possible security in American ports. Earlier, Rep. Wolf(R-Va.) gave a compelling presentation that spotlighted Charles Taylor and the atrocities committed in Liberia. Poster-size photos of Liberian children and adults with hackedoff limbs (part of that nation's reign of terror) were posted before the panel. Wolf urged the U.S. to do whatever is necessary to cause Taylor to lose his control of Liberia. He noted that Taylor's relationship with international arms dealers and terrorist networks threatens the U.S. The last panel consisted of Heindel, Morris, Vines and Cohen. Heindel urged Congress "on a unilateral basis to enact legislation authorizing the U.S. Coast Guard to refuse entry to U.S. ports to any foreign-flag vessel that does not provide transparency and/or full identity of the vessel's beneficial owner." Morris covered many topics including port state control, mariner certification and shipboard living conditions. He urged the U.S. to push for "complete transparency, complete account- Continued on p age 9 One of the new 712-foot Matson containerships is shown in this artist's rendition. The first vessel is scheduled for delivery to Matson in late 2003. The second is scheduled for 2004. Matson Orders 2 Containerships from Kvaerner San Diego's NASSCO Shipyard on June 6 hosted a keel-laying ceremony for the North Star, the second of two Orea-class rollon/roll-off vessels being built for SIU-contracted Totem Ocean Trailer Express (TOTE). The new ships will be 839 feet long, have a beam of 118 feet and carry 600 cargo trailers along with 200 autos. They're being built for TOTE's Tacoma-to-Anchorage service. The first ship, the Midnight Sun, is scheduled for delivery this fall. The North Star (depicted in the illustration above) is due in spring 2003. Please be advised that SIU headquarters and all SIU hiring halls will be closed Monday, August 19, k 2002 for the observance of Paul Hall's birthday f.)~t j,;(iJ/1/ess an emergency arises). Normal business , , ~ hours will resume the following workday. .. ·,.,\, ;\: July2002 Seafarers-contracted Matson Navigation Company on May 29 signed a contract with Kvaemer Philadelphia Shipyard Inc. for the purchase of two new containerships. The diesel-powered vessels, with a capacity for 2,600 containers (20-foot equivalent units) each, will cost approximately $110 million per ship and will be deployed in the company's Hawaii service when construction is completed in late 2003 and in 2004, respectively. "This is an important commitment for all concerned, and I'm confident the unions of the SIUNA will continue living up to our end of the bargain by providing top-quality manpower for these new vessels," stated SIU Vice President Contracts Augie Tellez. He added, "The construction of new vessels such as those ordered by Matson is a boon to America's national security, because it helps ensure the availability of U.S. crews and it also helps maintain our domestic shipbuilding capability." Matson President and CEO C. Bradley Mulholland said the new vessels "are similar in size and speed to Matson 's flagship MV R. J. Pfeiffer, the fastest and biggest containership currently operating in the U.S. domestic offshore trades. They will be equipped with a number of features specifically designed to meet Hawaii's current and projected market requirements, particularly bigger container sizes for both refrigerated and dry containers." In announcing the contract, Matson described the project as "part of an overall plan by Aker Kvaerner Yards, the Philadelphia Shipyard Development Corporation, the Delaware River Port Authority, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the City of Philadelphia to rebuild the former Philadelphia Naval Yard as a world class commercial shipyard." The president of CEO of the Philadelphia yard, Ron McAlear, stated, "We are pleased to be working with Matson Navigation on its fleet renewal program and we are proud to have the historic name of Matson on the side of the first ships built at K vaerner Philadelphia Shipyard. This contract confirms Matson's confidence in Kvaerner's ability to build high quality ships. "The Kvaerner Philadelphia Shipyard was built to provide U.S. shipowners with robust ships at realistic prices for the dedicated trades of the U.S. Jones Act," he continued. Matson is a wholly owned subsidiary of Alexander & Baldwin, Inc. of Honolulu. Seafarers LOG 3 �Government Services Division Welcomes USNS Arctic Mariners who work in the union's Government Services Division are in line for increased employment opportunities, thanks to the recent transfer of a fast combat ship to the operational control of the U.S. Military Sealift Command (MSC). The USS Arctic on June 14 went from a military-crewed combatant ship to a civiliancrewed, noncombatant vessel during a ceremony in Earle, N.J. In addition to the transfer, the vessel was renamed USNS Arctic to designate her new status as part of the MSC. She will join more than 30 other civilian-crewed MSC ships that provide at-sea logistic support to the Navy fleet. Arctic now will be crewed by 176 civilian mariners and be piloted by a civilian master. Rounding out the crew will be some 60 Navy sailors-about half of who will perform communications support and supply coordination functions. The remaining sailors will be aboard the vessel to support helicopter operations. ''Today marks a change of operators for USS Arctic, but not a change of mission," said MSC Commander Rear Adm. David L. Brewer during remarks at the ceremony. "Military Sealift Command combat logistics ships continue to allow the U.S. Navy to arrive on station and remain as long as needed." In addition to Brewer, Rear Adm. Lindell G Rutherford, commander, Carrier Group Four, attended the ceremony. Both the Members of the union's Government Services Division are crewing the USNS Arctic for the U.S. Military Sealift Command. U. S. Deputy Secretary of Transportation Michael P. Jackson, joined by U. S. Coast Guard Commandant Thomas H. Collins, announced June 25 the award of a landmark contract valued at $11.04 billion for a fleet of new ships and aircraft, plus improved command and control systems, to meet the service's homeland security and other mission needs. In addition, the contract includes $5.91 billion for operating, maintenance, and sustainment costs for a value of $16.95 billion. The contract was awarded to Integrated Coast Guard Systems (ICGS), a joint venture established by Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman. Known as the Deepwater Program, the ICGS award is the largest ever for the U. S. Coast Guard. It calls for the delivery of the first ships and planes - and upgrades to some existing vessels - within the next five years. The contract may extend up to 30 years. Deepwater will involve the acquisition of up to 91 ships, 35 fixed-wing aircraft, 34 helicopters, 76 unmanned surveillance aircraft, and upgrade of 49 existing cutters and 93 helicopters, in addition to systems for communications, surveillance and command and control. ew Pact for Twin River Artie is the second fast combat support ship to transfer from USS to USNS status. Supply was the first to make the change, in July 2001. This class of ship provides fuel, ammunition and food to vessels under way. CIVMAR News Habitability Agreement For USNS Arctic Similar to USNS Supply Coast Guard Launches Multi-Billion Dollar Plan For New Fleet of Ships, Aircraft and More SIU boatmen employed by Pittsburgh-area Twin Rivers Towing have approved a new five-year contract. The agreement took effect April 1 and lasts through May 2007. The pact calls for increased wages, improved medical benefits and some work-rule changes which the members had sought. The most significant change is one that facilitates advancement for the SIU boatmen. Also, for the first time, Twin Rivers has signed on with the Paul Hall Center for Maritime Training and Education, based in Piney Point, Md. The union represents approximately 50 deckhands and cooks who work aboard Twin Rivers towboats and barges. The company, based in Elizabeth, Pa., hauls coal along the Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio rivers. Representing the union on the negotiating committee were Deckhands J erry Switch and Brian Glover, Cook Marta Vance and SIU VP Atlantic Coast Joseph outgoing commanding officer of Arctic, Navy Capt. Garry R. White, and its incoming civilian master, Capt. Ed Nanartowich, also participated in the ceremony, which was attended by numerous Seafarers and officials from the union. Prior to the CIVMAR crewing of the USS Arctic (now USNS Arctic), the union's Government Services Division negotiated a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Military Sealift Command (MSC) addressing habitability standards aboard the ship. The MOU is similar in many aspects to the agreement reached last year for the USNS Supply. All terms and conditions of the current collective bargaining agreement will remain in effect and MSC agrees to make every effort to address full habitability improvements within a reasonable timeframe. Until full habitability modifications are made aboard the USNS Arctic (which comply with prevailing maritime practices), MSC will pay habitability allowance at the rate of $30 to those mariners housed in the open berthing sections of the ship. The MOU provides that MSC take additional interim measures to ensure adequate living conditions aboard this vessel at all times. In addition, successful completion of a four-month tour will give an eligible C MAR the opportunity to request a preferential next-ship assignment. The union will continue to closely monitor the habitability conditions aboard the AOEclass vessels. In accordance with the agreement, we will ask the agency to meet at the end of every six-month period from the date of the transfer of the ship to MSC operation for the purpose of discussing ongoing habitability concerns. MSC, NOAA Members To Get July 1 Increase Federal mariners working for the Military Sealift Command (MSC) and the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will receive the FY2002 federal pay increase of 4.8 percent applicable to base pay, overtime and penalty rates. In some cases, for certain ratings or types of ships, the increase will be capped at 4 percent. This is due to limitations imposed by 5 USC 5348. That section of the law provides that "the pay of officers and crews of vessels shall be fixed and adjusted from time to time as nearly as is consistent with the public interest in accordance with prevailing rates and practices in the maritime industry." The agencies have notified the union that it is expected that the increases will be r e t i payroll period, thereby avoiding long retroactive situations which have occurred in the past. Delta Queen Fleet Under Contract The SIU contingent for contract negotiations at Twin Rivers Towing consisted of (from left) VP Atlantic Coast Joseph Soresi, Cook Marta Vance, Deckhand Jerry Switch and Deckhand Brian Glover. Soresi. Bargaining took place in March at the company's office in Elizabeth; voting occurred at the Twin Rivers pier in Elizabeth on May 25. The final tally was 37-11 in favor of the contract. Twin Rivers Labor Relations Manager Tony Mayer and General Manager Dean Orr negotiated for the company. Notice Unlicensed Apprentice Program For individuals interested in attending the unlicensed apprentice program at the Paul Hall Center for Maritime Training and Education, please note that there has been some misinformation, particularly via messages on the world wide web about the school's apprentice program. To qualify for the program applicants must be at least 18 years of age (or 17 years of age with parental consent). This requirement is necessary to comply with Coast Guard regulations. There is no upper age limit for individuals wishing to participate in the program. The program provides training for entry-level positions, and includes practical work on a vessel. The program is physically rigorous. Teamwork is stressed and apprentices live in open-berthing dormitories and take meals together. Applicants must be able to meet certain physical requirements, specified by United States Coast Guard regulations and maritime industry standards. If you are interested in attending the school, please call (301) 994-0010, ext. 5342, or visit www. seafarers.erg. 4 Seafarers LOG A contract is in place between the SIU and the new owners of the Delta Queen fleet, Delaware North Companies Inc. The agreement adds five years to the existing contract that was set to expire in 2003. It includes wage and benefit gains. The pact applies to the river cruise boats Delta Queen, Mississippi Queen (shown in two recent photos above) and American Queen. Delaware North purchased the well-known vessels May 4 at auction. July2002 �Ed Pulver, Veteran SIU Of I icial And Humanitarian, Dies at 78 The SIU on May 26 lost one had," stated SIU President of its icons, as Edward B. Pulver Michael Sacco. "He had so much passed away at Memorial Sloan- compassion for people. He went Kettering Cancer Center in New out of his way and devoted his York City, reportedly due to heart time to helping them achieve the American dream." failure. He was 78. "We've lost a great friend. Pulver's association with the union dates back more than 50 People loved him," said Willie years. He was a vice president of Zenga, retired vice president of the Seafarers International Union the AFL-CIO Maritime Trades ofNorth America since 1990, and Department. "We go back better he also headed the SIU's office in than 50 years together. He was one of the well-liked and very Jersey City, N.J. His activities were wide-rang- exceptional people." A New Jersey newspaper ing and repeatedly philanthropic. Pulver was the president and a described Pulver, who had been founding member of the Hudson hospitalized for about two weeks County (N .J.) Central Labor prior to his death, as "a towering Council, and served on the state figure in labor circles." A number of Pulver 's friends AFL-CIO executive board. He was extremely active in local said that he never recovered from charities and served for 16 years the trauma of losing a close as president of the Hudson acquaintance on September 11, County Society for the Pre- though he continued his work. vention of Cruelty to Animals. Pulver 's friend Ana Centeno He was a delegate to several worked as an accountant at the Democratic national conventions, World Trade Center and died in and he championed the local the terrorist attacks. Filipino and Hispanic communi'Loved the SIU' ties (though he wasn't of Filipino SIU Executive Vice President or Hispanic descent). John Fay said Pulver was "a Pulver, a native of Jersey City who lived in Bayonne, N.J. for strong union guy, and he was the past 35 years, began sailing in devoted to the SIU. He loved the the 1940s on railroad tugs in the SIU. He tried to help everybody, New York/New Jersey harbor. He and I never heard anyone say became active in the SIU when anything unkind about him." Bosun Tom Soresi has been a the fleet he helped organize elected to affiliate with the organiza- Seafarer for 41 years, and he knew Pulver nearly that long. tion's Inland Boatman's Union. "He was one of the greatest "He was always a powerful influleaders this organization ever ence on the politics and labor .,..........,.....,..---------------. organ i z at i o n s throughout New Jersey," Soresi recalled. "He was a pleasure to work with and he never refused helping anyone." Soresi added that Pulver "helped get NY Waterway off the ground." The SIUcontracted company, founded in 1986, boasts the largest ferry and excursion fleet in New York Harbor. SIU Vice President In 1982, Pulver (right) is congratulated by Contracts Augie TelCharles Marciante, president of the New lez first worked with Jersey state AFL-CIO, for receiving the Pulver on the Hudson Jewish National Fund's top award. County Central Labor Above: Pulver (left) attended a recent ceremony in New York for the christening of new passenger ferries for the SI Li-contracted NY Waterway fleet. With him are (from left) SIU President Michael Sacco; Joseph Soresi, vice president Atlantic Coast; and Don Nolan, vice president Paul Hall Center. Right: At a rally in Jersey City in late 1999, Pulver (second from left) demonstrated with Seafarers and other trade unionists. July2002 SUPPORTS LOC..Al ~ 24S- ~=.?-- SUPPORTS This undated photo, believed to be from the early 1960s, shows Pulver during his days as an official with the union's railroad marine division. Council and the New Jersey state AFL-CIO, when Tellez was a vice president of that organization. "I saw him in action, and I saw the respect and credibility that the labor movement got because of him," Tellez observed. SIU Vice President Atlantic Coast Joseph Soresi worked with Pulver on matters pertaining to NY Waterway. "He was very well-respected, politically and within the labor movement," Soresi said. "I knew him more on the political circuit and personally than through the SIU. He was the greatest guy in the world and would do anything for you. Anybody who's been knighted, as Ed was, obviously has a lot going for him." SIU Headquarters Representative Carl Peth said Pulver's "way with people is what stands out. He cared about people and was able to talk to anybody on their level. As they used to say about (the late SIU President) Paul Hall, he could talk to the senator or the seaman." Pulver was a U.S. Army veteran who served in Germany during World War II. He raised money for Memorial SloanKettering and for children fighting cancer, as well as for local scholarship funds and other charitable causes. While he appropriately was known for his compassion and energy, Pulver also had an unusual trademark of sorts. "He would never wear a tie," recalled Zenga. "He'd come out wearing a tuxedo but no tie." One of the very rare exceptions took place earlier this year in New Jersey, when Pulver introduced Sacco as an honoree at an event benefiting a local chapter of the Catholic Youth Organization. Pulver is survived by five daughters, two brothers, 10 grandchildren and seven greatgrandchildren. Unions Approve Strategy To Fund Political Action The AFL-CIO 's general board has approved a proposal to finance future political efforts by increasing the amount of money paid to th~ federation by its member umons. Under the plan, approved May 22 in New York during meetings of the federation's executive council, costs incurred for union member education, voter registration and mobilization around legislative and political issues all would be funded via an assessment paid by each union, based on its membership count, through 2005. The additional amount due will be four cents per month per member; it is up to each union to determine how it will cover the obligation. The assessments, scheduled to become effective this month, would generate more than $6 million per year based on the federation's membership of 13 million. In excess of $25 million would be generated over the life of the proposal. "What this money does essentially is allow working families to compete in a political process that they would otherwise be completely shut out of," explained Steve Rosenthal, AFL-CIO political director. "There is no other voice for workers in the legislative and political process." Over the last six years, the unions of the AFL-CIO have built an issues-based member mobilization program that is unparalleled in our nation, federation sources say. Members and their families have been educated and mobilized around the everyday issues that matter the most to them. Millions of union workers have been registered, thousands of union members have been elected to political office, and the overall vote of union household members has increased from 19 percent in 1992 to 26 percent in 2000-an upsurge of nearly 5 million voters. Federation sources point out that the foregoing gains have been achieved despite a growing cash gap between corporate and worker political contributions. In 1992, for example, big business outspent unions 9 to 1. By 2000, business political spending outpaced unions 15-1. In essence, this means that in a political arena where the playing field increasingly is being tilted toward big business and the very rich, working families have to work harder and smarter just to be heard. "The legislative process must not be a one-sided affair, with corporate interests calling all the shots," said AFL-CIO President John Sweeney in the aftermath of the general board's action. "This commitment by today's unions guarantees that working families will have a voice in politics." Houston Barge Co. Pleads Guilty To Pollution The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently reported that Western Towing Co. of Houston pleaded guilty on May 16 to violating the Clean Water Act. According to the EPA, Western Towing (a subsidiary of Kirby Corporation) used river water to pressure-wash the cargo compartments of barges used to transport steel products, grain, gravel, sand, fertilizer and gypsum. The company had authorization to discharge treated wastewater into the San Jacinto River-but it didn't perform the treatments. The EPA noted that "discharging untreated barge-cleaning wastewater into surface waters can harm fish and aquatic life and can make river waters unsuitable for recreational and drinking water usage." Western Towing faces a fine of up to $500,000. Not Quite Sealed With A Kiss, But 44-Day Hershey Strike Ends Union members at two Hershey Foods Corp. plants in Pennsylvania last month overwhelmingly approved a new four-year contract, ending a 44-day work stoppage that largely centered on the costs of health insurance and prescription drugs. The 2,700 employees-all members of Chocolate Workers Local 464, part of the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers Union (BCTGM)-voted by a 9-to-l ratio in favor of the contract. The pact calls for workers to receive a $525 bonus and yearly pay raises of 46 cents an hour in the first year, 2.7 percent in the second year, 38 cents in year three, and 2.9 percent in year four. In exchange for keeping their insurance co-payments at 6 percent-rather than doubling them, as the company had wanted-the workers accepted lesser raises. Reportedly, they will receive (on average) $1.88 per hour in raises through four years, compared to $2.07 they would have gotten by accepting the costlier insurance payments. Currently, the average wage at the plant is approximately $18 an hour. The union also won the inclusion of more workers in the companyfinanced retiree health plan, and kept employee co-payments for generic drugs at zero. BCTGM International Vice President Bob Oakley, the union's lead negotiator, praised the members for their solidarity and also stated that they reached their goals. "We believe we accomplished what the people's marching orders were," he said. Union members started returning to work almost immediately after the contract ratification. Plans called for all of the workers to be back on the job by late last month. The strike was the first at Hershey Foods since 1980 and was the longest stoppage in the company's 108-year history. The two plants in Hershey, Pa., a town named for business pioneer and philanthropist Milton S. Hershey, account for slightly more than one-fourth of the company's candy production. Hershey brands include Hershey's Kisses chocolates, Almond Joy and Mounds candy bars, Jolly Rancher candy, Reese's peanut butter cups, York peppermint patties and many others. Seafarers LOS 5 �Deadly Barge Crash Renews Concerns A marine accident in late May involving a non-union barge and a bridge-which left 14 people dead in Webbers Falls, Okla.has refueled the debate regarding inland mariner fatigue and, to a lesser extent, documentation and the lack of it among mariners employed aboard inland tugs and tows. The barge (actually two barges joined together), being pushed by towboat pilot William Joe Dedmon, veered off course during the early morning hours of May 27. It struck a pier supporting the Interstate 40 Bridge on the Arkansas River, causing a 500foot section of the structure to Several vehicles collapse. plunged into the water and took 14 people to their deaths. Each year, more that 1,000 casualties occur in the inland tug and barge industry, many of them caused by human error. Dedmon apparently blacked out during the incident, according to news reports, causing the barge to drift outside the navigation channels and hit the bridge. A National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation found that Dedmon had not slept sufficiently in the two days prior to the collision. Other medical tests revealed that the pilot suffered from heart problems. Mariner fatigue is a key issue confronting the inland industry. Another is documentation. While all American mariners employed in the deep-sea trades are required to be documented by the Cost Guard, many of the 30,000 people employed aboard inland tugs and barges are not. About 10 years ago, the SIU unveiled a study which showed that 58 percent of all marine accidents in the tug and barge industry are caused by human factors-inadequate crewing levels, substandard skills, poor training opportunities, fatigue and drug or alcohol use. A similar picture was painted later in the decade when the International Maritime Organization focused on the entire international maritime industry. The Coast Guard increased the 58 percent figure to the 85 percent mark in the wake of the Oklahoma incident. Contrasting conditions faced by mariners in the tug and barge industry with those encountered by the deep-sea U.S. Merchant Marine, the SIU found "civilian mariners with Cost Guard documents are less susceptible to injury and death than men and women working aboard tugs and tows who don't meet such standards." The issues raised by the Oklahoma incident are significant from many perspectives - marine and personal safety, environmental protection and national security. The U.S. has more than 25,000 miles of navigable waterways. Latest Technology Appears Promising For Cargo Security Groundbreaking technology to better secure cargo containers entering ports and border crossings throughout the United States successfully has been tested, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). Conducted under the auspices the DOT's Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) program, the experiment involved the use of electronic seals CE-Seals), a radio frequency device that transmits shipment information as it passes reader devices and indicates if a container has been compromised. The E-Seal project is designed to track commercial inbound container shipments from their point of inspection at seaports, along trade corridors, to their point of clearance at U.S. land border crossings, a DOT new release said. Electronic door seals will enable regulatory agencies to determine whether a container has been tampered with at checkpoints and border crossings. Further, the technology can streamline border clearance activities and commercial vehicle enforcement and offer potential benefits to freight carriers including greater accuracy in manifest information, reduced paperwork, improved port and Customs clearances, and opportunities for shipment tracking. "This new technology will help to enhance the security of our nation's transportation system by enabling us to track cargo 6 Seafarers LOG shipments into the United States," DOT Secretary Norman Mineta said June 4 in announcing the successful results of the trials. "E-Seals are just one part of our department's security-focused program that applies both technology and human capital to safeguard America's transportation system." The secretary said the test represents his department's ongoing commitment to make certain that suitable security safeguards can be implemented for the transportation of people and goods, and especially for shipping containers during domestic and international movements. The E-Seals trial involved cargo containers loaded with inbound shipments of auto parts to a Canadian assembly plant. The E-Seals were affixed by Westwood Shipping to containers in Nagano, Japan, shipped through the port of Seattle, and cleared by U.S. and Canadian Customs at the international border crossing in Blaine, Wash. Among agencies and firms participating in the E-Seal project were the Customs Service, the Washington State Department of Transportation, the Washington State Trucking Association, and the ports of Seattle and Tacoma. In addition to Westwood Shipping, Seafarers-contracted Maersk-Sealand and American President Lines also participated in the operational test. AP Photo!The Daily Oklahoman, Nate Billings A 500-foot section of collapsed roadway, from the Interstate 40 Bridge near Webbers Falls, Okla. rests on one of the two barges that crashed into the structure May 27. Union Mourns Passing of Robert Jordan Longtime Mobile, Ala. port official Robert Jordan passed away May 23 while an inpatient at Providence Hospital in Mobile. He was 81 years old. Brother Jordan joined the Seafarers as a charter member in 1938 in his native Mobile. His book number was JOOO 1. A member of the engine department, Brother Jordan sailed in the deep sea division. While at sea, he worked as a fireman, oiler and watertender. Among the vessels on which he sailed early in his SIU career were the S.S. Lebore, Alcoa Cadet, Alcoa Master, and the Hastings. "I first met him in 1981 when I started working here," said SIU Mobile Port Agent Ed Kelly. "I can honestly say that he was one of the good guys here when I came aboard. Robert and my father sailed together back in the old days and I understand that he was quite a mariner. "I never heard anything said negative about him as a patrolman," Kelly continued. "All of the retirees that I have dealt with here at the hall held him in the highest esteem, I'm sure all the Brother Robert Jordan April 18, 1921 - May 23, 2002 retirees and the union as a whole will miss him a great deal." Pensioner Hubert Cain recalled the efficient manner in which Jordan went about his everyday business as a Seafarer. "He was an old-timer here," Cain, a Mobile resident, shared. "He worked with all the SIU's former presidents and knew them quite well. Robert was a real tough guy in a lot of ways, but you had to be that way back in the old days to deal with the seamen. Not many of them gave him any trouble." Cain added, "On the flip side, he was a real fair person, strictly SIU all the way. He'd go down to the ships and take care of everything the members needed. As far as I'm concerned, he was a great man for the SIU and I' 11 miss him a great deal." Tobe Dansley, another SIU retiree who frequents the Mobile hall, had similar memories of Jordan. "I first met him around 1959 and as I recall, he already was a patrolman. Robert was a man who would go to bat for you, especially if you had a beef. You could always count on him to come down to the ships and fight for you, to get your overtime if you had any coming, as well as take care of any other problems you had. "All of us around the all here will miss him," ans ey cone uded. "He was a fine, dedicated SIU man who always looked out for the members." Brother Jordan was buried May 25 at Mobile's Pine Crest Cemetery. He is survived by his wife, Mary of Mobile, Ala., and seven children. Brother Jordan had 26 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. DOT Plans New Ballast Water Regulations Vessels that operate in U.S. waters by the year 2004, in all probability, will face mandatory ballast water management regulations. A recent U.S Coast Guard report to Congress by Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta concluded that existing ballast water management guidelines- which are voluntary-aren't as effective as they should be. Because of this inadequacy, the U.S. Department of Transportation, acting through the Coast Guard, plans to implement mandatory regulations by 2004, if not earlier. Published reports say the transportation secretary estimates that a proposed rulemaking for the transition from the current laissez-faire system to a compulsory program will be issued in late 2003, with the final completed package in place by the summer of 2004. The government's decision to implement a nationwide mandatory program greatly was influenced by the alarmingly low level of compliance to reporting requirements by vessel operators under the existing system. By language contained in the National Invasive Species Act of 1996, Mineta is required to submit a report to Congress that evaluates compliance with the voluntary guidelines that exist to prevent the introduction and spread of nonindigenous species in U.S. waters through ballast water operations. The transportation secretary's review of all pertinent data led him to conclude that the consistently low rate of vessel reporting makes it unfeasible to access compliance under voluntary guidelines. The move toward mandatory regulations enjoys broad-based support from a number of maritime agencies including the Transportation Institute, which in late May filed comments with the House Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation and Water Resources and the Environment. In short, the remarks reiterated the institute's position that the United States must develop a mandatory national ballast water management program. Such a program, it was pointed out, should integrate specific ballast water practices, including exchange as well as alternative technologies after they have been tested aboard ship and ultimately approved by the Coast Guard. The institute also urged that the national ballast water management program prohibit individual state initiatives that could impose negative influences on marine transportation and hinder the free movement of waterborne commerce. According to Mineta's report, the Coast Guard initially will develop regulations requiring all vessels equipped with ballast tanks entering U.S. waters from beyond the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), or vessels engaged in the U.S. domestic trades, to perform appropriate record keeping and reporting. The agency also will issue regulations requiring vessels equipped with ballast tanks that enter U.S. waters after operating beyond the EEZ to conduct active ballast water management. Among other steps, the Coast Guard also will enforce sanctions established in the National Invasive Species Act for failing to comply with the program's requirements, and continue efforts to establish a quantitative ballast water treatment performance standard; protocols for testing, verifying and reporting on ballast water treatment technologies; and a program to facilitate experimental shipboard installation and operation of promising ballast water treatment technologies. July2002 �Alaska Student Chris Eubanks Gets Paul Hall Center Grant SEA Link, Inc. recently announced that Ketchikan (Alaska) High School senior Chris Eubanks has been selected as the first recipient of The William A. Lund Memorial Scholarship to the Paul Hall Center for Maritime Training and Education in Piney Point, Md. "The $5,000 scholarship will cover travel costs and other personal expenses related to Chris' admission. to this natio~ally rec?gnized maritime training program that provides youth with the skills needed to work aboard U.S.-flag merchant vessels and guarantees each successful graduate a job in the private sector merchant marine," the company noted. Only individuals who qualify for Workforce Investment Act grants currently receive financial aid toward training at the Paul Hall Center. Though Eubanks is not eligible for state funds, The William A. Lund Memorial Scholarship will enable him to attend. "We work with a lot of kids, some of whom don't qualify for the WIA funding, and it is hard to turn them away," stated Ralph Mirsky, SEA Link executive director. "We are extremely grateful and delighted to be able to offer this opportunity." Eunice Severson of Ketchikan created the scholarship in memory of her son, William Lund, a merchant mariner. The Wi~liam A. Lund Memorial Scholarship will be awarded annually with SEA Link, lnc.-affiliated youth as the beneficiaries. Scholarships will be awarded only to students from the Ketchikan, Alaska area. Chris Eubanks, son of Bob and Lori Eubanks of Ward Cove, Ketchikan, maintained a 3.5 grade point average and played baseball for Ketchikan High School. "I almost passed up this opportunity because I knew I could not pay for the school," Chris said. He is expected to begin his studies this September. . SEA Link, Inc., in partnership with the Seafarers International Union, utilizes state grant funds to recruit qualified indivi~uals for training at the Paul Hall Center. The state grant to SEA Link,. I~c. helps cover the cost of transportation to the Maryland fac1hty, clothing, and pre-entry medical screening. There is no tuition, and additional program costs are funded by U.S.-flag shipping companies. Upon arrival at the training facility, Chris will undergo 12 weeks of seamanship training, 90 days of hands-on training aboard a US.flag merchant marine vessel, and five ad~ition~l w~e~s of cl~s~­ room and hands-on learning. After completmg his trammg, Chris is guaranteed assignment aboard a U.S.-flag vessel. a Innovator Rescues Family Adrift on Disabled Boat The SIU-crewed Innovator on May 20 came to the aid of a recreational boater, his wife and daughter and their pet on the high seas. Life's Dream, a privately owned sailboat, departed Honolulu May 3 for the West Coast. Initially, the vessel was destined for San Diego. Several days into the voyage, though, Harvey Owen (the boat's owner) changed course and headed to San Francisco. On May 17, the boat met with misfortune and consequently was left with a broken rudder and fouled propeller. Life's Dream was seriously distressed and adrift in a position 3 8 degrees north and 134 degrees west. The vessel remained in this condition for three days. Meanwhile, Owen sent out a call for help and did what he could to keep the other occupants in his boat calm. Those inhabitants included his wife, Krista Steele; their 11-year-old daughter, Fantaysia; and a kitten. Four hours after being informed of Life's Dream's dilemma, the Innovator arrived and quickly conducted safe, efficient rescue operations. Gulf Mariner Urges Senate To Probe Anti-Worker Cases In testimony before a U.S. Senate committee looking into the obstacles facing workers who want to form labor unions, Capt. Eric J. Vizier of Lafourche Parish, La. on June 20 asked Congress to investigate the collu- ain and Crew Aid Injured Seal arer f 'When fello~ crevl inate is injured, the speed with which care is rendered can often mean the difference between life and a severe or fatal injury. A recent incident aboard the Performance was a case in point, and the following note from the ship's crew members attest to the quick thinking and concern of those in charge. "Undocking in the port of Algeciras, Spain, one of our union brothers, Greg T. Johnson, was injured while casting a tug line off. "The second mate, Steve Roberto, quickly reported the accident to the bridge. Immediately, Captain J. Jackson asked the second mate to have someone guide Mr. Johnson to the bridge. When Mr. Johnson arrived, the captain and chief mate, Dana Ramsdell, performed a quick examination. "There was no doubt Mr. Johnson needed shoreside medical attention. In the meantime, I witnessed bridge team management and ship handling skills by Captain Jackson, the likes that I've never seen in my 3 1 years at sea. "The vessel was outbound in Algeciras channel. The captain was able to handle Algeciras traffic control, pilots, agents and the vessel manager on the radio and telephone while calmly guiding the vessel r Thanks to the superb efforts of the crew aboard the USSM vessel, all souls were secured. SIU members aboard the Innovator during the rescue were: Bosun Steve Kastel, ABs Maintenance Gheorghe Savencu and Ed Lusk, Watch ABs James Morgan, Incencio Roxas and Joe Salcido (who was at Innovators helm as she approached the distressed vessel), Electrician Chris Earhart, QMED Charles Kirksey, DEU Benny Cruz, SB Pepe Bayani, Chief Cook Mostafa Loumrhari, Stewart Utility Fernando Onativia and Unlicensed Apprentice Michael Fernandez. Bob Lamb of the MM&P captains the Innovator. He had high praise for members of his crew and congratulated them on a job well done during the rescue. The captain's accolades were echoed by SIU Vice President Contracts Augie Tellez who, in a letter to the Innovators ship chairman, wrote, "We wish to commend the crew who participated in the rescue of the persons aboard the sailboat Life s Dream. Had it not been for the rescue efforts, the incident would have been a nightmare." out of the approach and into safe water, alt the while instructing officers and crew what they needed to do to get Mr. Johnson off the vessel safely. "The crew wishes to thank everyone involved, especially Captain Jackson, for his professionalism and consideration for Mr. Johnson's welfare." The note was signed by Bosun Jimmie L. Scheck, AB Charles B. Collins and the rest of the crew aboard the USSM vessel. Crew members aboard the Performance are proud of the way Captain Jackson rallied around their injured shipmate. sive anti-worker practices confronting maritime workers in the Gulf of Mexico's offshore oil sector. "Come to South Louisiana. Talk to the parties involved. Together, let's figure out a way that mariners in South Louisiana can win their rights-their rights to freedom of association and freedom of peech," Vizier told members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. Vizier's call came after detailing his harrowing experience with Guidry Brothers Towing Co. of Galliano, La. Vizier and other union supporters at the company were threatened, harassed and dismissed from their positions because of their pro-union activities, according to his testimony. Further, anti-worker boat owners throughout the Gulf of Mexico have engaged in a coordinated attack on the rights of mariners to form a union, he said. "Mariners in the Gulf of Mexico need a union to improve working conditions on the boats and to allow for a better quality of life at home," Vizier added. Anti-worker attacks from Guidry and others began in earnest when Vizier and other Reminder: STCW Basic Safety Training Is Renewable Via Sea Service As previously reported, the U.S. Coast Guard late last year confirmed a change in the way mariners may meet the requirements for renewing STCW Basic Safety Training (BST), a key component of the amended STCW convention . According to National Maritime Center Policy Letter No. 12-01, "A mariner who has met the requirements for initial competency in BST and who is actively serving on seagoing ships will be considered as having demonstrated continuing competence in BST provided he or she completes at least one year of sea service within the past five years. This five-year period is a running calendar in which credit for competency in BST extends for five years beyond the critical date at which the mariner has completed one year of sea service. "To determine the critical date," the letter continues, "review the mariner's sea service starting with the current date and go backward in time until one year of sea service is counted. The period of validity for continuing competence in BST is then five years from the date where the mariner has completed one year of sea service. For example, if on 1 October 2001, you count backward and determine the mariner completed one year of sea service on 1 June 2000, then the mariner is considered to be competent in the four elements of BST July2002 through 31 May 2005. "Using similar dates, if on 1 October 2001 a mariner completed one year of sea service on 1 June 1996, then the BST would have been valid until 31 May 2001. Because 31 May 2001 has passed (today's date in this example is 1 October 2001 ), the mariner has not retained competency in BST." The policy letter also notes that the "critical date" mentioned above will advance as a mariner continues serving on a seagoing vessel. Additionally, Coast Guard regional exam centers (RECs) may accept discharges or sea-service letters "prepared in accordance with current standards" as proof of sea service. If a mariner cannot prove one year of sea service within the past five years, then he or she must complete a U.S. Coast Guard approved or accepted course "approved for revalidation of BST," such as the STCW curriculum available at the Paul Hall Center for Maritime Training and Education, located in Piney Point, Md. Despite the fact that the policy letter is dated Oct. 31, 2001, its contents had been under legal review beyond that date. The agency in early December confirmed the policy change. Guidry Brothers employees began working with Offshore Mariners United (OMU), a union federation for maritime workers in the Gulf of Mexico offshore oil service industry. OMV- which is a federation of the unions American Maritime Officers (AMO), International Organization of Masters, Mates & Pilots (MM&P), Marine Engineers' Beneficial Association (MEBA), and Seafarers International Union (SIU)-is devoted to improving the working conditions of Gulf mariners through collective action in the workplace. Joining Vizier in Washington last month were Capt. Mark Cheramie, a former Guidry mariner, and Capt. Mike Cheramie (no relation), who serves with Trico Marine Services Inc. of Houma, La. The three mariners met with government officials for detailed discussions of anti-worker practices in the offshore service vessel industry. "One of the things I told the senators and staff was that Trico Marine is another company that is actively working against the right of mariners to form a union," Mike Cheramie said. "For two years, Trico mariners have been subjected to threats and intimidation from the company. The company has even fired two captains for supporting the OMU. We have had enough and we demand the right to make a choice for ourselves whether we want union representation. We believe it is our right to make a choice without having to put up with threats from Trico managers." All three mariners participated in a number of events organized as part of the AFL-CIO's Voice@Work month. OMU and its many supporters joined tens of thousands of workers around the country who are exposing employer interference with the freedom to choose a union and to celebrate the efforts of workers who organize despite the odds. Seafarers LOG 7 �- - - - -- -- - - - - - - - -- - - - -- - - - - Cornhusker State Returns to Virginia After Supporting 'Enduring Freedom' The U.S. Military Sealift Command (MSC) recently reported that the SIU-crewed Cornhusker State arrived May 1 at Newport News, Va. following six months deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. The Cornhusker State, a crane ship, was activated from the U.S. Ready Reserve Force (RRF) to support U.S. operations in Afghanistan. MSC reported that the vessel moved 595 20-foot "container equivalents" and 650 square feet of equipment while activated. The ship was on site to augment the ammunition stores already available in Diego Garcia aboard another SIU-crewed vessel, the prepositioning ship Maj. Bernard F Fisher. According to MSC, the Fisher off-loaded 373 ammunition containers in late October in Diego Garcia to support U.S . Air Force planes involved in Operation Enduring Freedom. Further, yet another Seafarerscrewed ship, the ammunition vessel AJC William H Pitsenbarger, joined the aforementioned ships in Diego Garcia on Feb. 15 with 655 ammunition containers and roughly 300 additional containers to replace the Fishers off-loaded ammunition. Finally, the Cornhusker State in early March assisted the SIUcrewed containership Maersk Alaska, whose cranes had been removed for an exercise. The Cornhusker State moved 139 ammunition containers to its decks from the Maersk Alaska, then loaded 78 containers of retrograde ammunition from shore depots in Diego Garcia to the Maersk Alaska. The RRF is a fleet of76 militarily useful ships maintained in reduced operating status by the U.S. Maritime Administration near potential load ports around the country. When activated, these civilian-crewed ships come under the operational control of MSC. The Cornhusker State was activated last November to transport and provide floating storage for ammunition to sustain the war effort. MSC, the ocean transportation provider for the U.S. Department of Defense, operates about 110 ships daily around the world. MSC ships preposition equipment and supplies near potential hot spots around the globe; provide at-sea logistics to support the Navy fleet; serve as seagoing platforms for special missions; and provide surge sealift of military equipment and supplies in wartime and peacetime. Cape Horn Crew Cites Commendable Work In Dreadful Conditions Editors note: This article and an accompanying photo were submitted by the crew of the Cape Horn. On March 30, 2002 at about 5:45 in the morning, the NMU crew members of the MIV Cape Horn were awakened by the ship's general alarm. It was reported that there was a fire in the engine room. Bosun Rafael "Ray" Aviles and Chief Officer Tim Bohan went down to assess the fire. The deck, engine and steward departments already were "on station" to perform their duties. The fire was put out with the ship's C02 system. Two of our crew members, Chief Mate Bohan and I st Asst. Engineer Phil Hellesto, went below to inspect the engine room, and they both succumbed to smoke inhalation. A distress call was broadcast. The Seafarers-crewed Matson ship SS Maui arrived within hours with her flag at half-mast to honor our fallen brothers. She stood by until the USNS Shasta (crewed by members of the union's government services division) came to our aid. The Shasta brought on board drinking water, fire fighting equipment and towing tools that the bosun had requested (since the Cape Horn wasn't equipped with such tools). The Shasta also Above: The USNS Shasta, pictured from the Cape Horn, assisted by providing towing tools and more. At right: Cape Hom crew members prepare to rendezvous with the USNS Shasta. B Seafarers LOG The Cornhusker State (top) supported America's war against terrorism. The prepositioning vessels Maj. Bernard F. Fisher (below left) and A 1C William H. Pitsenbarger also have been utilized. assisted with hooking up the tow. We want to thank Chief Steward Clark Williams for a job well done and also the chief engineer (Alan Currie) and his entire engine-room staff for their outstanding performance m fighting the fire. Thanks also to Bosun Aviles and the deck crew, with the help of USNS Shasta personnel, for rigging a safe tow and transferring the two fallen crew members to the Shasta. Most of all, a great thanks to our skipper for keeping everything under control from the very beginning. Unlicensed personnel aboard the Cape Horn when these incidents occurred were Bosun Aviles, ABs Robert Brown, Dewayne Lawrence, Carlos Cabezas, Randolph Blanchette and Luvertis Alford; GVAs Mohamed Ali and Jose Macadaan; Electrician Louis Santiago; Oilers Bernard Fanuncial, Eddie Harrison and Jesse Hankins; Wiper Avery Askew; Chief Steward Williams; Chief Cook Bonnie Agno; and Utilities Edison Inuman and James Donkor. Notice - NMU Plans The following information was submitted to the LOG by Silt Dennis, administrator of he MU Benefit Plans. NMU PENSION AND WELFARE PLAN During 2001 the Trustees approved several amendments to the Plan: 1. Qualified participants received a 2% increase in accrued pension benefits as of December 31, 2001. Coupled with two previous 2% increases and the 10% adjustment in 1997, the long-term pension benefits for the membership have improved signifi~n~y. 2. Future retrrees wiU benefif greatly by the amendment approved by the Trustees that eliminates the limitation on the number pension credits a seafarer may earn. Effective January 1, 2001, pension credits are not limited at all. NMU WELFARE PLAN There were six amendments to the NMU Welfare Plan in 2001. The first two were significant changes. The other four were more for administrative expediency: 1. Our disability program was redesigned to provide our disabled seafarers with an orderly transition to Social Security benefits. Since Social Security Disability Income is available after 6 months and Medicare after 24 months, we reduced the disability period from 60 months to 29 months and put the seafarer in a position to receive income and medical coverage for the full length of his or her disability. 2. Due to the ever-increasing costs of prescription medicines, it was necessary to increase the co-payment amount. This increase can be offset, somewhat, by accepting generic drugs. 3. The exclusion from coverage of the drug, Viagara, was continued through July 31, 2002. 4. Language in the regulations regarding ambulance facilities was ambiguous. This amendment simply clarifies the language. 5. At the suggestion of our auditors, the Trustees must now authorize all claims obligated or incurred outside the United States, its possessions, commonwealths or the Republic of Panama. 6. The Trustees have authorized the NMU Welfare Plan to pay all ISOV claims. NMU VACATlON PLAN The sole amendment to the NMU Vacation Plan in 2001 resulted from the merger with SIU. Trustees of both unions have approved a reciprocity amendment that enables seafarers to combine their NMU time with their SIU time to qualify for vacation benefits. This notice contains important benefits information for mariners covered under the NMU Pension, Welfare and Vacation Plans. If you encounter difficulties in understanding this notice, it can be explained to you in Spanish. This assistance can be provided in person at the Plans principal office, located 360 West 31st Street, Third Floor, New York, New York 1001 or can be obtained by contacting a Plans representative at any branch office. The branch office hours are 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. You may also write or call. Letters written in Spanish should be mailed to the Plans office in New York. Telephone calls requesting assistance in Spanish should be directed to the Plans office in New York whose telephone number is 1-212-337-4900 or by calling the tolf free number 1-888-424-4949. July2002 �FDCThreat Continued from page 3 ability" in ownership. He said it is realistic to set and enforce tough standards. Vines went into detail about Liberia's refusal to cooperate with various United Nations sanctions and inquiries. Speaking of FOCs, Vines said, "They offer a high level of corporate secrecy and are easy to obtain. Some flags appear to be particularly inviting for illicit arms trade networks." Following are some additional highlights of the testimony, in order of presentation. Full transcripts are available on the internet at http://www.house.gov/hasc/sch edules/2002 .html. 'ft Should Be Shut Down' Focusing on the atrocities committed in Liberia and the funding role of the Liberian International Ship & Corporate Registry (LISCR), Rep. Wolf stated, "It is critical that we are able to guarantee that the Liberian flag registry revenues are transparent and are going toward the needs [of] the people of Liberia, who have suffered so much. If we cannot guarantee this, it should be shut down." He submitted several reports for the official record, and declared that they "lead to one conclusion in the past the Liberian-flag registry has been implicated in contributing to the continued reign of Charles Taylor, the leader one of the most brutal, murderous and dangerous regimes in the world. In short, there is blood on the flag." Beyond the humanitarian concern, Rep. Wolf concluded, "the links between al Qaeda and other international terrorist activity and Charles Taylor put this entire matter U.S. Rep. Gene Taylor (D-Miss.) U.S. Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.) in a new light. We need a guarantee that Charles Taylor can no longer exploit this resource. A financial relationship no longer just supports a brutal African dictator causing misery for a far away people; it tacitly supports a terrorist organization dedicated to the destruction of the United States." maritime homeland security." He added, "The massive flow of people and goods across our maritime borders helps fuel our economy, but also serves as a potential conduit for terrorists and weapons of mass destruction. As an open society, our nation's harbor complexes are accessible to thousands of maritime workers and ships from all corners of the world. The challenge we face today is balancing the security and economic needs of our country. "This can only be done by filtering out potential terrorist activities from a massive steam of legitimate commerce. A key in meeting this challenge is better awareness of the cargo entering the country and the people who own, operate and service the thousands of vessels enter- 'Significant Challenge' The agency's assistant commandant for marine safety and environmental protection, Rear Adm. Pluta noted that "with more than 7,500 foreign-flag ships originating from 92 different flag States making approximately 51,000 port calls annually, the United States faces a significant challenge. There are two areas of concern - vessel safety and 'You Work For A Murderer' U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter has a way of cutting straight to the heart of the matter. He repeatedly did so during last month's hearing on FOCs, but never more memorably than near the end of the lengthy inquiry. Speaking directly to Yoram Cohen, CEO of the Liberian ship registry, Hunter said, "You work for a guy (Liberia President Charles Taylor) who's a murderer." Hunter also said, in response to Cohen's assertions that the U.S. could depend on Liberian-flagged ships in times of crisis, "I'd think it's a sad day for the U.S. if we're depending on Liberia for our security." Defining an FOC David Cockroft, general secretary of the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF), submitted testimony for last months hearing on flags of convenience, also known as runaway flags. He opened with an incisive profile of FOCs that is especially instructive for those just familiarizing themselves with this crucial issue. His remarks also are an effective refresher for those already acquainted with runaway flags. Portions of Cockrofts testimony follow: Under international law, every ship must sail under a flag of a state, and the ship carries the nationality of the flag it flies. A ship's flag provides the protection of a government while on the high seas. At the same time, flag states are responsible for exercising effective jurisdiction and control in administrative, technical and social matters over the ships flying their flag. They are responsible for ensuring safety, training and maritime pollution standards and minimum social conditions on board their ships and can raise revenue by imposing taxes on vessel owners. Traditionally, most flag states had strict nationality rules for both the shipowner and crew. However, since the Second World War, a number of countries began the practice of effectively renting out their country's flag to shipowners of any nationality, guaranteeing the absolute minimum of rules, regulations and taxes. These are called 'flags of convenience' (FOCs), also known as open registries. Today, approximately 30 countries effectively rent their country's flag to shipowners of any national- July2002 ity, guaranteeing secrecy and noninterference. These countries regard having a register as solely a method of earning revenue and have no interest in maritime transport other than the revenue that accrues from allowing foreign shipowners to fly their flag. They profit from their shipping register because they accept fees but do not effectively exercise control over the ships in their fleet or the companies owning these vessels. This is in stark contrast to the practice in major maritime nations and in other countries where the right to fly the national flag is subject to stringent conditions and involves far reaching obligations. In fact, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has estimated that the cost advantages of using a flag-of-convenience vessel rather than a genuine national flag ship was up to one million dollars a year even if all international safety and social standards were scrupulously observed. In addition to lax company requirements and any meaningful regulation of the shipping or company operation, FOCs offer inexpensive registration, low or nonexistent taxation, and the freedom to employ cheap labor from any country. The FOC system enables some shipowners to secure an unfair competitive advantage over their competitors by the avoidance of taxation and social security requirements; by allowing the shipowner to determine the extent to which the requirements set out in applicable international instruments are complied with-including those related to fundamental human and trade union rights and to the safety of life at sea and the protection of the marine environment; reductions in manning levels to the point where it is impossible to undertake essential maintenance, and flexibility in the choice of the nationality of the crew; and, undercutting high standard traditional registers. Essentially, the FOC system provides a hiding place for shipowners to avoid the restrictions of international law, where states sell their sovereignty to those wishing to avoid flag state interference in safety, environmental or labor standards and the transparency of their corporate structure. A culture of secrecy and evasion and lack of transparency of ownership and control permeates the FOC system. Under the system, the registered owner of most ships is a 'shell company' set up for the sole purpose of owning that one ship. In turn, the registered owner is often owned by another company that may itself be registered in another country with very liberal company laws. The use of bearer shares, nominee directors and corporate directors within international business corporations creates a complex web which may stretch across a number of jurisdictions and makes tracing who is actually behind the operation almost impossible. This corporate structure that works well for shipowners, as well as for criminals and terrorists, allows the shipowner the ability to disappear from any accountability that may be attached to him through vessel ownership. If anything goes wrong, the company ceases to exist and no information is forthcoming .... Most FOCs do not require the provision of audited accounts, including some of the largest regis- U.S. Maritime Administrator Capt. William Schubert (left), U.S. Coast Guard Rear Adm. Paul J. Pluta ing the U.S. every year. The solution will require ready access to detailed and accurate information, and sharing that information more effectively among our federal agencies and with our domestic and international partners in both the private and public sectors. The dynamics of a global economy and the resultant demands on our transportation system will require a continued coordinated national and international effort." 'We Know Who Owns Our Ships' The maritime administrator discussed the threat posed by FOCs and emphasized the need to strengthen the U.S.-flag fleet. "Our heightened need for homeland security requires that we examine the potential impact of the lack of transparency within open registries, which could ultimately lead to a serious threat to our nation's safety and security .... A shipowner who registers his or her vessel in an open registry does not need to have any connection or link to the country sponsoring the registry. As a result, the flag of convenience regimes can inadvertently open the door for criminal and terrorist activity that would be impossible under the U.S.-flag registry or David Cockroft ITF General Secretary ters-for example, Panama, Liberia, Bahamas and Belize. A number do not reveal the names of shareholders or directors .... It is both easy and very inexpensive for an owner to hide behind a string of companies. Bearer shares are permitted in half of the countries concerned- for example, in Panama, Liberia, Bahamas, Belize and Honduras. This is certainly not a culture that promotes the spread of meaningful information concerning the shipping activities of any company or owner under the FOC system. Further, in almost all of the FOC registries, there exists a level of secrecy regarding shareholders that also makes it very difficult to trace an owner. Confidentiality is a provision in the law for many of these countries .... Fundamental to the FOC system is a total lack of transparency. In fact, this corporate structure underpins the FOC system and affects not only the viability of merchant shipping but has considerable negative implications for the wider civil society and order as it facilitates transnational criminal activities and terrorism. other reputable flag states with high standards like the United States." Capt. Schubert said that U.S. crews employed on U.S.-flag ships "provide the pool of seafarers needed for both commercial and government sealift fleets in times of national emergency or crisis." He continued, "The credible presence of a U.S.-flag fleet of vessels in larger numbers in international trade provides the U.S. government with the greatest influence in international bodies that create international standards of conduct with respect to shipping safety, as well as commerce .... Now more than ever, our presence as a flag state is critical to our national interests. If we lost all our U.S.-flag vessels to open registries tomorrow, our presence in the international maritime arena would be diminished to that of a port state only - at a tremendous cost to U.S. national security and economic interests. Schubert acknowledged that "encouraging shipowners to return to the U.S. flag is a daunting task, especially when compared to the economic advantages of open registries. However, the best way to protect our homeland and national security interests across the globe is a strong U.S.-flag fleet manned by U.S. citizen mariners. If we did not have the Jones Act , cargo preference, and the MSP and VISA programs, I can assure you it is unlikely that ships would remain under US.flag, and the U.S.-citizen mariner pool needed by the Department of Defense in times of national emergency or war would disappear. "Many maritime scholars, industry experts and some members of Congress have suggested a complete reexamination of the tax laws which govern merchant shipping in order to create more incentives for investment by shipowners to return to the U.S. flag. These and other options to increase the number of vessels under U.S. registry should be fully explored and given the highest consideration. "In today's environment, we should not compromise our security. In the United States we know who owns our ships, who operates them and who crews them. There is no better assurance to our nation's national security interests than a strong U.S.-flag Merchant Marine." FOC = Hiding Place Representing the SIU and the ITF (an international federation of 594 transport trade unions in 136 countries representing approximately 5 million transport workers), Heindel said the FOC system "provides a hiding place for shipowners to avoid the restrictions of international law, where states sell their sovereignty to those wishing to avoid flag state interference in safety, environmental or labor standards and the transparency of their corporate structure. "And herein lies one of the most serious deficiencies with the FOC system - the lack of transparency in corporate structure - that both the ITF and SIU view as a facilitator of Continued on page 14 Seafarers LOS 9 �Videos of Lost German Sub Help Re-Write WWil History When many Americans think of the role played by the U.S. Merchant Marine in World War II, they immediately conjure up an image of the D-Day invasion at Normandy Beach or the convoy of Allied ships, known as the Murmansk Run, which delivered supplies to Russian troops. Fewer remember the ships that were sunk by German Uboats off our own coast, many of them near the mouth of the Mississippi River. On July 30, 1942, one such vessel- the 375foot passenger freighter Robert E. Lee- was transporting war refugees from Europe as well as survivors from previous torpedo attacks. There were 406 persons aboard, including the crew, and 4 7 tons of cargo, when, only 45 miles to the mouth of the Mississippi River, the ship was fired upon and sunk by a 20-foot long torpedo from U-boat 166. Fortunately-and miraculously--only 25 people (10 crew members and 15 passengers) died aboard the Robert E. Lee. The 381 survivors were able to make it to rafts or lifeboats. The final resting place of the Robert E. Lee was previously known; the whereabouts of U-boat 166 after firing its torpedo, however, has remained a mystery. The U.S. government has claimed all along that a small U.S. Coast Guard twin-engine airplane sank the 252-foot sub in 120 feet of water two days after the Robert E. Lee went down, resulting in the loss of all 52 members of the submarine crew. And, in fact, the National Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola, Fla. has put that plane on display. But no trace of the U-boat has ever been found-until last spring. That's when, during pipeline surveys in the Gulf of Mexico by BP and Shell Oil Co., gray shapes appeared on the sonar screen just about a mile northeast of the Robert E. Lee. The two oil companies paid for additional exploration by an 18-foot long sophisticated, unmanned submarine, which confirmed that the cigar-shaped sonar image was, indeed, the wreckage of the U-166. The German sub, broken into two pieces, is lying in the silt under 5,000 feet of water. The video clearly shows the conning tower and massive damage consistent with a direct hit by a depth charge. s 10 Seafarers LOG Port of New Bedford Re-Writing History It is now believed that the Coast Guard plane actually dropped its load on the U-171 , an identical sub to the U-166. The U-171 eventually made its way back to Europe and was eventually destroyed later that year when it accidentally entered a minefield in the Bay of Biscay. "I think we can say with 98 percent certainty, the patrol plane did not attack the U-166. Instead it was the U-171 ," said Martin Morgan of the National D-Day Museum in New Orleans. Video provided during the pipeline survey by the remotely operated submarine proves that the U-166 was attacked by a U.S. attack cruiser, the Patrol Corvette 566, a 173-foot steel-hulled Navy patrol craft that had been commissioned in June 1942 and was half a mile away from the sinking Robert E. Lee. It tried to chase the German sub and succeeded in rolling several 300-pound depth charges off the stem. But there was no evidence or indication-no debris or oil slick-that the PC-566 had been successful in hitting the U-boat, so it circled back to pick up some of the survivors from the Robert E. Lee. The crew of the PC-566 believed they were right on top of the U-166 and wondered how they could have missed sinking it. Now, however, following the underwater surveys, it appears as if the PC-566 did, in fact, hit its mark. The U-166 was the only submarine sunk in the Gulf of Mexico during the war. BP and Shell Oil have decided to re-route their pipeline a mile to the west, as a result of the findings. The German government has declared the wreckage of the U-166 a war grave, and it is likely that whatever remains of its 52 crew members will not be disturbed. Jahn W. Brawn Cruises into the Past In the dark, early days of World War II, Allied merchant ships were being sunk far faster than they could be built. Soon, the vital sea lanes would be closed and the fate of Europe sealed. America's answer to this great challenge was the Liberty ship. In 18 emergency shipyards around the country, a huge fleet of more than 2, 700 identical freighters were built in record time between 1941 and 1945 to carry the cargo and troops needed to win the war. Of those 2, 700 vessels, two still remain: the Jeremiah 0 'Brien is displayed in near mint condition in San Francisco, and the John W. Brown home port is Baltimore. Project Liberty Ship is an allvolunteer, not-for-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of the John W. Brown as a living memorial and museum ship honoring the men and women who built the great American wartime merchant fleet and the merchant mariners and Naval Armed Guards who sailed them. The Brown was built in 1942 and had an active and distinguished war record. It made one voyage as a standard cargo-carrying Liberty ship and then became the first of 220 Liberty ships to see service as a limited capacity troopship, carrying almost 10,000 military personnel of the Allied powers as well as two shiploads of Axis prisoners. It served at AroundtJJe Anzio, was in Naples during numerous German bombing raids and made the D-Day invasion of Southern France in 1944. Numerous ships in the same convoy were sunk or damaged by Uboats or enemy aircraft, but the John W Brown survived unscathed. Today, it is the last surviving operational troopship of World War II. After the war, the Liberty ship carried cargo across the North Atlantic to help rebuild the shattered European nations and, in December 1946, was loaned by the Maritime Commission to the City of New York to serve as a floating high school, where it was lovingly cared for by thousands of students and by the many dedicated instructors who operated the nation's only nautical high school. The Brown s career as a schoolship ended in 1982 and, after unsuccessful attempts to berth the vessel in New York, it went on display in Baltimore. With the continued help of Project Liberty Ship, the John W. Brown is not only a museum ship and a great educational tool- it can still steam on its own power. Restored to steaming condition in 1991, the Brown made its first Chesapeake Bay cruise that September. Since that first Bay trip, more than 30,000 people have "cruised into history" aboard the historic World War II Liberty ship, which has made more than 40 passenger-carrying voyages, including visits this spring to sites of different WWII Liberty ship shipyards- Savannah, Brunswick and Jacksonville. It has steamed as far north as Halifax, Nova Scotia and in 2000, made a 31h-month voyage to the Great Lakes. A special troopship reenactment will take place on Veterans Day in Baltimore. Anyone interested in signing on with Project Liberty Ship or joining in the experience of cruising into history, may call (410) 661-1550 or visit their web site at www.liberty-ship.com. Following a payoff on the Energy Enterprise, SIU New Bedford Port Agent Henri Francois (second from left) meets with crew members. From the left are AB Alberto Lima, Francois, Cook Wilfredo Perez and Chief Steward Francisco Delgado. GVA Richard Molina Blackman takes the English proficiency test at the union hall in New Bedford. Bosun Jerry Che11e participates in a meeting aboard the Energy Enterprise when the vessel paid off in Bray on Point, Mass. Right: Nidia Pereira, the secretary at the New Bedford union hall, gives member Tony Curran the necessary paperwork for a visit to the clinic. Shark Attacks: Seafarer Urges SIU Members To Use Caution When Entering Ocean Waters There were 76 unprovoked shark attacks in the United States last year, nearly half of them in Florida, according to the International Shark Attack File (ISAF) at the Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville. But the Atlantic Coast of the U.S. is not the only area in which sharks have been injuring innocent bathers. Just within the past few months, shark attacks have been reported in Florida, Australia, the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos Islands, and Hawaii. SIU member Robert Cartmel of Honolulu sent the Seafarers LOG several recent articles from the Honolulu Star-Bulletin and the Honolulu Advertiser about a number of shark attacks off the Hawaiian islands, and he urged all Seafarers to watch for sharks at sea and to be particularly careful when entering the water. While the ISAF notes that the relative risk of a shark attack is very small, those risks can be further reduced by heeding the following advice: • Always stay in groups since sharks are more likely to attack a solitary individual. • Do not wander too far from shore-this isolates an individual and additionally places one far away from assistance. • Avoid being in the water during darkness or twilight hours when sharks are most active. • • • • • • • • Do not enter the water if bleeding from an open wound. Do not wear shiny jewelry because the reflected light resembles the sheen of fish scales. Avoid waters with known sewage and those being used by sport or commercial fishermen, especialy if there are signs of bait fishes or feeding activity. Sightings of porpoises do not indicate the absence of sharks-both often eat the same food. Use extra caution when waters are murky (although sharks will attack in crystal-clear water as well). Refrain from excess splashing and do not allow pets in the water because of their erratic movements. Exercise caution when occupying the area between sandbars or near steep dropoffsthese are prime hangouts for sharks. Do not enter the water if sharks are known to be present, and evacuate the water if sharks are seen. July2002 �ON THE GREAT LAKES Great Lakes Seafarers, including OS John Logan, OS Jesse Hernandes and OS Dean Parks, show their support for Operating Engineers Local 324 against Turn-Key, which, they claim, is not paying wages and fringe benefits as established in the Great Lakes region. Bill Mulcahy is the bosun aboard the H. Lee White. At Work With the SIU ABOARD THE CHESAPEAKE IN DIEGO GARCIA IN THE NORFOLK HALL In the comfortable Norfolk hall, Walter "Hooks" Pallard (left) and retired member Morris "Bo" Williams share their sailing experiences. Rafael Clarke AB Passing the time with fellow retirees are Hayward Lee, Freddie Williams, Mack Young , Melvin McCray and Edward Martin. Almarca Arriola Steward Assistant Below: Chatting Herman "Chubby" Hall, the maintenance manager in the Norfolk hall, are retired member Plummer Hendricks and Chief Cook Edward Wallace. Above : Chief Cook Kelvin ·Fisher waits for the next job call. Abdulrahman Al-Okaish AB Steven J. Kendrick AB July2002 Seafarers LOii 11 �When most SID-crewed ships pull into port for a they are met by a boarding patrolman, who can updat crew members on any important issues of the day an answer any contractual questions they may have. But the vessels are stationed in Guam (in the Pacific) and Garcia (in the Indian Ocean), that personal contact is difficult to achieve. The situation has been alleviated in Guam, followi 2000 opening of a hall there under the direction of P Agent Matthew Holley. Nevertheless, when Sill Vice President West Coast Nick Marrone wanted to experi firsthand the activites taking place on the island, he warmly welcomed by the membership. Marrone and Holley attended Maritime Day cere at the Seaman's Club and talked to crew members ab some of the ships about the importance of SPAD and continuation of a strong U.S.-flag fleet. Clockwise from top: The USNS Chesapeake, A 1C William H. Pitsenbarger, Cape Jacob and Sagamore are just four of the many vessels in Diego Garcia that were serviced by SIU Tacoma Port Agent Bryan Powell recently. Others, not pictured, are the USNS Dahl, USNS Charlton, USNS Watkins, USNS Gunnery Sgt. Fred W. Stockham, James Anderson, Lt. Col. John U.D. Page, Bernard F. Fisher, SSG Edward A. Carter, Jr., USNS Red Cloud, USNS Pomeroy, USNS Watson, William Baugh, Pvt. Franklin J. Phillips and American Cormorant. Maritime Day celebrations took place on Diego Garcia, complete with a specially decorated cake. Below, Chief Steward Jim Battista serves dinner aboard the USNS Watson. Wayne Wilson, chief steward on board the Cape Jacob, prepares lunch in the shipboard galley. 12 Seafarers LOB This is one of the many launches used by the U.S. Navy to provide transportation between the shore in Diego Garcia and the anchored ships. July2002 �ayoff, ~the when Diego more tig the rt :nee as onies ~ard the In the aftermath of the terrorist activites of September 11, port security also was a prime topic. Much of the same information was disseminated by SIU Tacoma Port Agent Bryan Powell when he visited many of the ships in the Diego Garcia area. He noted that there is a slow, steady buildup of equipment and supplies on the island since the U.S. began attacks in Afghanistan in the war on terrorism, and the expectations are that this isolated island will be one of the most crucial operations in that war with regard to air power, supplies and logistics for U.S. military activity in the Middle East region. The ships prepositioned in Guam and in Diego Garcia are on stand-by alert, ready to sail at a moment's notice to provide ammunition, stores, vehiSIU Vice President West Coast Nick Marrone (center) is cles and other material needed flanked by Chief Steward William Kane and Bosun by American military ground Robert M. Cando aboard the Sgt. William R. Button. forces in times of rapid deployment. SIU Vice President West Coast Nick Marrone talked with Seafarers aboard some of the ships that are stationed in Guam. Above, he meets with crew members on the Sgt. William R. Button, informing them of current activites within the maritime industry, as well as discussing the everyday life aboard a prepositioned vessel in Guam. A hearty "Hafa Adai" (welcome) was given to SIU Vice President West Coast Nick Marrone aboard the Lt. Col. Calvin P. Titus by (from left) deck department members Andy Guiterrez, Richard Hannon, Dan Bratta, Randy Travis, Tom Morgan and Kelly Doyle. Left Oiler Robert Stafford (left) and DEU Jesse Toves both drop by the SIU hall in Guam to register after getting off the SP5 Eric G Gibson. Crew members aboard the Enterprise include (from left) Bosun Robert Wilson, AB George Moxley and SA Nagi Saeed. Cook/Baker Gregory Williams adds some whipped cream to complete the dessert offering on the Sgt. William R. Button. The crew aboard the Pacifica was very happy to see SIU Vice President West Coast Nick Marrone (sixth from left) during his recent visit to the area. Ju/y2002 Frances C.T. Booker (left), secretary at the SIU hall in Guam, boards the Lt. Col. Calvin P. Titus to meet with Bosun Michael Sinclair and drop off some paperwork. AB Ondongee Pegram checks in for a job at the SIU hall in Guam with his three-year-old daughter, A'zhanea, in tow. Seafal'el'S LOS 13 �Runaway Flags Continued from page 9 • transnational criminal activities and terrorism. FOC vessels have been linked to the registration of hijacked ships, phantom ships, fraudulent mariner documentation, illegal unreported and unregulated fishing, illegal alien smuggling and, most recently to international terrorism." He said that the lack of transparency in the corporate structure of FOCs "is a threat to national and maritime security. One can also posture that the nautical prerogative of an American owner registering a vessel under a flag of convenience that ignores all legitimate safety, security, environmental and social concerns is similarly a threat to U.S. maritime and defense security." Heindel (along with others who testified) took issue with so-called effective control, the risky notion that foreign-flagged, U.S.-owned vessels readily will be available - and useful - to America in times of crisis. In addition to asserting that most of the vessels in that category wouldn't be militarily useful even if they were available, Heindel pointed out the "potential changes in attitudes of the FOC host countries and crews make availability and responsiveness questionable. We must remember that FOC vessels are crewed by a plethora of nationals Philippine, Chinese, Indian, Pakistani, Russian, Ukrainian and South Korean - as well as those from other foreign countries that could pose a threat to U.S. security. . .. The SIU advances that we must, as an international leader of the free world, have the means under our own flag, with our own American crews and under our own control to fulfill our commitments and supply our military programs." ial to Security The chairman of the International Commission on Shipping (ICONS) and a senior researcher for Human Rights Watch, Morris said that transparency in shipping is fundamental to security. "It is difficult to [envision] the establishment of any reliable system of ensuring the true identity of ship owners/controllers and mariners based on the present regime of offshore registers," he sated. "An essential first step in establishing a reliable and effective identification system should be an examination of each of the offshore registers to determine who are the ship owners and where are they domiciled .... "There is little doubt that the failure of the industry to move forward to a more transparent style of operation in common with other forms of transport has been a factor in the failure of governments to understand the needs of the industry. The secrecy surrounding the tasks of classification societies, inspection reports for insurers, charterers, flag state investigations, the incidence of work related illnesses and non-fatal injuries at sea all combine to cover up the evils of substandard shipping. Such information is readily available in shore-based industries as essential management tools." Morris said that "cutthroat, destructive competition in freight rates is the underlying cause of substandard shipping, crew exploitation and crew abuse. It has been facilitated by the ease with which substandard operators can avoid ship safety and crew competence requirements by shopping around among flag states, classification societies, insurers, manning agencies, ship operators and port state control authorities without being held to account." He also noted that while gathering information for an intemation- 14 Seafarers LOS ally acclaimed ICONS report, "We were appalled by the nature of some of the practices inflicted upon seafarers and their families. In the course of the commission's bearings, ICONS was told repeatedly of cases of cheating of seafarers, blacklisting of seafarers, abandonment of seafarers, manipulation of the remittance of family allotments, reduced contractual compensation entitlements linked to 'quit claims' and general releases, and placement fees for jobs. The worst features include delayed or non-payment of wages, denial of adequate food and accommodation, denial of medical treatment and rest time, physical and psychological abuses, sexual abuse and abandonment .... Many of the abuses have been known to the shipping industry, charterers and cargo owners for a long time. They are facilitated by the obsessive secrecy surrounding the industry that does not apply in other forms of transport." Transiting the Panama Canal Aboard the ITB Phi1adelphia Jose Ramirez is the pumpman on the /TB Philadelphia. Before heading for a payoff in Texas, the ITB Philadelphia had to sail through the Panama Canal-always an exciting trip for all crew members. These photos were snapped aboard the Sheridan Transportation Co. vessel during that voyage and while the crew took part in a routine shipboard fire drill. Avoiding Scrutiny In meticulous detail, Vines, also a senior researcher for Human Rights Watch, relayed the role of FOCs in illegal activities. "Many ships use such flags to save costs, but also because arms dealers and their networks involved in this trade want to avoid scrutiny," he said. "Some flags of convenience provide ideal cover for setting up front companies. The operators also exploit weak controls on Bosun John Nichols (left) and AB transport. They often file false Chris Meier are dressed for the drill. manifests and submit fraudulent documents while sailing improperly registered ships to ply their trade. "The most dramatic recent example of a flag-of-convenience ship being used for gunrunning was in January 2002 when the Tonganflagged general cargo ship the Karine A was seized in the Red Sea carrying 50 tons of arms and explosives, which Tsrael said was bound for Yasser Arafat's Palestinian Authority. Two months later another Tongan-flagged vessel, the Monica, was apprehended by the French navy while trying to transport 1,000 asylum seekers to Italy." Turning his attention to the Taking part in a fire and safety Liberian registry, Vines noted that drill are (from left) Chief Mate obtaining a Liberia flag "takes only Paul Schwartz, 3ra Mate Brian a couple of days and does not Belanger, 3rn Engineer Andrew require disclosure of share ownerAssistant Cook Mohamed Mosa Davis, AB Isaac Amissah and organizes the salad bar ingredients. ship or the names of the applicant AB Naptali Lopez. company's directors. There is no requirement for any annual reports or audits. Such a system is attractive for gunrunning, where the real owner of a particular ship is hard to identify and therefore difficult to hold accountable. "The trade, of course, depends on the ability of clients or their patrons to pay, whether in cash or precious gems or-as the Liberia panel found was the trend in Liberia-through direct bank transfers to arms traffickers from government accounts or those of private business interests allied to the government." Vines went on to explain how Liberia's weapons purchases from 1999 to 2001 were mainly financed by off-budget spending by the Liberian government, or payments made from revenue that bypassed the central bank and was therefore not accounted for in the budget. "In particular, income received from the U.S.-based Liberian International Shipping and Corporate Registry (LISCR) was used to pay for illegal arms shipments." Among other insightful accounts about Liberia, Vines noted that when a U.N. panel attempted to check the accounts of that nation's Bureau of Maritime Affairs in April 2002, "it was not able to do so. The panel was informed that a generator had broken down and that it would be From the left are AB Naptali Lopez, 3rn Mate Brian Belanger, GUDE Adrian Davis, Pumpman Jose Ramirez, repaired only after the panel had AB Isaac Amissah, DEU Roger Abramson, Bosun John Nichols, Chief Mate Paul Schwartz, T. Hopkins and left Liberia." Assistant Cook Mohamed Mosa. July2002 �Dispatchers' Report for Deep Sea MAY 16 *TOTAL REGISTERED All Groups Class A Class B Class C TOTALSffiPPED All Groups Class A Class B Class C Port Algonac Baltimore Guam Honolulu Houston Jacksonville Mobile New Orleans New York Norfolk Philadelphia Piney Point Puerto Rico San Francisco St. Louis Tacoma Wilmington Totals Port 25 11 33 14 13 19 0 3 3 1 15 14 5 15 19 15 3 0 1 2 6 30 l 33 27 270 5 8 3 5 25 14 0 2 6 6 1 13 23 41 12 3 4 10 11 27 12 172 o Baltimore 4 ~uam o 0 3 0 Honolulu Houston Jacksonville 5 4 18 9 14 New Orleans New York Norfolk Philadelphia Piney Point Puerto Rico San Francisco St. Louis Tacoma Wilmington Totals Port Algonac Baltimore 25 9 7 3 13 11 12 5 4 3 10 2 5 5 12 4 17 13 11 142 3 11 7 108 0 0 Guam Honolulu Houston Jacksonville Mobile New Orleans New York Norfolk Philadelphia Piney Point Pllerto Rico .San Francisco _~.!. Louis Tacoma Wilmington Totals 11 15 25 7 9 15 12 1 4 2 26 l 19 23 173 DECK DEPARTMENT 0 1 0 6 3 2 2 6 1 10 16 26 11 10 19 4 8 5 2 6 16 2 5 24 10 16 16 130 174 2 3 6 1 5 6 12 1 5 0 5 0 0 6 53 2 2 2 2 5 0 3 6 5 3 4 1 6 3 3 2 50 2 9 4 19 9 121 5 21 49 12 21 7 3 4 4 9 1 0 I 2 2 1 6 48 11 0 3 68 17 36 54 27 10 6 9 13 5 2 2 10 11 0 16 12 125 4 17 46 5 55 50 471 0 4 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 4 1 0 12 5 14 12 2 6 6 2 3 11 2 0 6 0 2 0 0 5 5 2 2 9 7 0 3 1 7 8 3 0 0 0 2 3 3 3 3 36 3 18 17 50 16 20 2 0 1 0 4 3 4 1 l 7 9 0 3 1 0 3 3 0 0 32 7 11 4 0 15 0 19 17 126 2 0 0 l 0 0 2 35 0 18 0 3 Boston ..................... Friday: August 9, September 6 Duluth ..................... Wednesday: August 14, September 11 43 33 3 7 9 17 2 Honolulu .................Friday: August 16, September 13 3 2 Houston .................. Monday: August 12, September 9 14 8 8 4 30 25 272 25 36 243 l . 2 13 27 12 14 7 3 16 . 24 .· 20 15 16 18 6 16 7 7 3 5 6 16 3 20 15 227 3 11 6 2 3 9 I 5 Baltimore ................ Thursday: August 8, September 5 20 40 0 0 18 Algonac .................. Friday: August 9, September 6 10 16 0 10 13 2 3 2 2 2 Jacksonville ............ Thursday: August 8, September 5 Jersey City .............. Wednesday: August 21, September 18 Mobile .................... Wednesday: August 14, September 11 0 0 I 6 0 14 10 67 :New Orleans ........... Tuesday: August 13, September 10 3 5 3 12 3 . New York................Tue8day: Augusf6, September 3 5 Norfolk ......·:.; ... , .. :\.:Thursday: August 8. September 5 Philadelphia.~ ...... ::.,,Weqnesday: San Francisco .........Thursday: August 15~. ~epte:rnt,Jer 12 4 San Juan .................. Thursday: August 8, September 5 1 6 4 10 21 17 181 8 101 1 0 3 2 0 0 0 18 6 0 8 24 3 4 8 14 34 9 12 26 0 0 10 7 3 20 14 5 5 4 38 1 34 2 5 1 7 1 41 10 277 76 ~~~~ 8 11 6 2 4 0 2 28 35 2 8 2 30 2 8 2 19 6 176 14 0 3 0 24 0 16 0 509 20 Philadelphia Piney Point Puerto Rico 0 2 3 San Francisco 5 0 5 3 51 636 0 l 3 2 2 8 12 14 5 0 9 l 3 2 0 4 () 1 3 7 l 0 0 0 0 St. Louis ................. Friday: August 16, September 13 Savannah ................ Friday: August 9, September 6 Tacoma ................... Friday: August 23, September 20 Wilmington ...............Tuesday: August 20* Monday: September 16 *(change created by Paul Hall birthday holiday) Each port's meeting starts at 10:30 a.m. Personals 9 7 SERGIO CASTELLANOS 1 2 Please contact your brother at (773) 728-8331 or write to him at 4830 North Hoyne Street, Chicago, IL 60640. 0 0 1 3 JOHN WILLIAMS Scott Heginbotham would like to get in touch with John Williams, who was last known to be sailing MSC. Please contact Scott at MIV MaerskArizona, c/o Maersk Lines, Ltd., 120 Corporate Blvd., Suite 400, Norfolk, VA 23502-4952. 53 ~~- 0 2 0 9 0 0 0 0 0 8 1 7 1 -~--- 14 8 3 1 4 64 46 42 6 27 4 15 4 21 0 30 27 387 784 5 9 188 0 4 2 0 17 86 3 79 0 27 0 11 85 400 411 311 169 246 1,060 867 0 2 3 5 2 3 10 1 4 0 0 0 *"Total Registered" means the number of Seafarers who actually registered for shipping at the port. **"Registered on Beach" means the total number of Seafarers registered at the port. A1TENTION SEAFARERS: 63 20 5 36 7 27 2 32 15 338 22 --- 27 14 2 0 3 7 10 0 6 August 7, September 4 Port Ever~lades....t-~Th~rsday: August 15, September 12 ENTRY DEPARTMENT 0 0 Piney Point ............. Monday: August 5 Tuesday: September 3* *(change created by Labor Day holiday) 26 0 5 0 10 33 0 1 0 10 13 1 0 0 0 0 7 6 6 4 3 6 0 3 3 8 23 July2002 0 August & September 2002 Membership Meetings Deep Sea, Lakes, Inland Waters New Bedford .......... Tuesday: August 20, September 17 0 5 0 0 l· Totals All Departments 2 **REGISTERED ON BEACH All Groups Class A Class B Class C 0 3 0 1 0 10 5 8 6 7 2 5 5 84 69 24 54 STEWARD DEPARTMENT 0 0 2 5 l Tacoma Wilmington Totals 15 15 5 12 7 Port St:Louis Trip Reliefs ENGINE DEPARTMENT Algonac · Mobile . JUNE 15, 2002 cr;l(T'lltl/£ ra r11E SEAt=A~E~S POL.tTICAL.. ,ACTION OONAT\ON Seafarers LOG 15 �. 1V1'1U Monthly Shipping A Registration Report Sealann lntemational Union Directory MAY2002 Michael Sacco, President TOTAL REGISTERED J-0bn Fay, &ecutive Vice President AU Groups Group I Group II David Heindel, Secretary-Treasurer TOTAL smPPED Group Ill Group I All Groups Group II REGISTERED ON BEACH Group Ill Augustin Tellez, Vice President Contracts ' Trip Reliefs All Groups Group I Group II Group ill Tom Orzechowski, Pice President Lakes and Inland Waters Dean Corgey, Yice President Gulf Coast Nicbolas J. Mar.rooe, Vice President West Coast Joseph T. Soresi, Vice President Atlantic Coast Kermett Mangram, :Vice President Government Services . Rene Lioeanjie, Vice President al Large .. Charles Stewart, Vice President at Large HEADQUARTERS 5201 Auth Way. Camp Springs, MD 20746 (301) 899-0675 Port Boston Houston Harvey, LA New York Norfolk San Pedro Savannah Tacoma Totals DECK DEPARTMENT 5 1 2 3 9 3 0 17 1 1 7 0 0 2 0 5 0 1 0 12 3 2 58 0 8 3 2 2 7 3 4 0 3 24 0 0 2 5 11 3 14 0 14 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 1 2 53 0 0 0 11 41 5 9 7 28 1 113 8 5 2 2 7 0 7 0 4 0 0 18 2 6 0 2 0 18 ALGONAC 520 St. Clair River Dr., Algonac, MI 48001 (810) 794·4988 ALTON 325 Market St, Suite B, Alton, IL 62002 (618) 462-3456 ANCHORAGE 721 Sesame St, # 1C, Anchorage, AK 99503 (907) 561-4988 BALTIMORE 2315 Essex St., Baltimore, MD 21224 (410) 327-4900 BOSTON 520 Dorchester Ave., Boston, MA 02127 Port ENGINE DEPARTMENT Boston Houston 4 5 Harvey, LA 1 3 New York Norfolk San Pedro 2 6 0 GUAM P.O. Boi23121, Bariigada, Guanr 96921 125 Sunny Plaza~ Sui~ .3QJ;E. Tun Jesus Crisostomo St., Tamuning~ G-uanr 96911 (671) 647-1350 HONOLULU 6o6 Kalibi St.; Honolulu, HI 96819 (S-08) 845-5222 BOUSXON 122 I Pierce St., Houston, TX 77002 (713) 659-5152 . . JACKSONVILLE 3315 Liberty St., Jacksonville, FL 32206 (9D4) 353-0987 JERSEY CITY 99 Montgomery St., Jersey City, NJ 07302 (201) 435-9424 Savannah Tacoma Totals l 0 5 3 28 5 0 ' Harvey, LA 2 6 0 • 1 ~~Pedro 5 0 f Qo Savannah Tacoma Totals 0 0 0 0 0 Norfolk Houston PINEY POINT P.O. Box 75, Piney Point, MD 20674 (301) 994-0010 PORT EVERGLADES 1221 S. Andrews Ave., Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33316 (954) 522-7984 SAN FRANCISCO 350 Fremont St., San Francisco, CA 94105 (415) 543-5855 Government Services Division: (415) 861 -3400 SANTURCE 1057 Fernandez Juncos Ave., Stop 16 Saoturce, PR 00907 (787) 721-4033 ST.Wms 4581 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, MO 63116 (314) 752-6500 SAVANNAH 2220 Bull St., Savannah, GA 3140 l (912) 238-4958 TACOMA 3411 South Union Ave., Tacoma, WA 98409 (253) 272-7774 W1LM1NGTON 510 N. Broad Ave., Wilmington, CA 90744 (310) 549-4000 Seafarers LOG 21 0 0 0 0 0 3 3 22 0 1 4 24 3 0 10 0 11 1 22 0 8 14 0 2 76 35 0 0 18 0 1 2 5 • 6 4 4 0 0 12 o ' ' 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ---·-<·•~·.-.....- 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 2 0 6 2 16 A··.4 _,..,,,t" 1 3 5 19 0 '.: J,,:,i,. ,:,,, 16 -1 2 0 1 5 0 50 15 9 2 12 5 1 23 10 41 0 0 ENTRY DEPARTMENT 2 2 2 2 3 0 3 Harvey, LA Totals All Departments 0 10 2 I Port NEW BEDFORD 48 Union St., New Bedford, MA 02740 (508) 997-5404 PHILADELPHIA 2604 S. 4 St., Philadelphia, PA 19148 {215) 336-3818 16 4 Boston 0 ·:o 2 New York 1 5 2 STEWARD DEPARTMENT Boston' Houston Savannah Tacoma Totals NORFOLK 115 Third St., Norfolk, VA 23510 (757) 622-1892 7 0 3 0 6 Port MOBILE 1640 Dauphin Jsland Pkwy, Mobile, AL 36605 (251) 478-0916 NEW YORK 635 Fourth Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11232 (718) 499-6600 Government Services Division: (718) 832-8767 0 0 0 0 ·~-~-~ New York Norfolk San Pedro NEW ORLEANS 3911 Lapalco Blvd., Harvey, LA 70058 (504) 328-7545 0 0 (617) 269-7877 DULUTH 324 W. Superior St., Suite 705, Duluth, MN 55802 (218) 722-4110 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 2 3 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 39 0 11 0 5 1 13 1 6 0 7 5 5 10 6 1 0 34 89 159 109 118 28 29 52 2 2 125 328 227 154 0 2 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 23 0 6 39 0 43 1 3 22 8 4 46 4 13 PIC-FROM-THE-PAST These photos were sent to the Seafarers LOG by Pensioner Biagio A. Caruso of Merced, Calif. The one on the far right was taken in June 1934 aboard the SS Orizaba, a Ward Line vessel. Caruso is standing at left. His best friend, Jackie McCoy, is in front. The other picture is of Caruso, taken one year ago on his 85th birthday. Caruso joined the union in San Francisco and sailed in the steward department. His first ship was the President Wilson. He retired in 1980. If anyone has a vintage union-related photograph he or she would like to share with the LOG readership, it should be sent to the Seafarers LOG, 5201 Auth Way, Camp Springs, MD 207 46. Photographs will be returned, if so requested . July2002 �Welcome Ashore Each month, the Seafarers LOG pays tribute to the SIU members who have devoted their working lives to sailing aboard US.-flag vessels on the deep seas, inland waterways or Great Lakes. Listed below are brief biographical sketches of those members who recently retired from the union. The brothers and sisters of the SIU thank those members for a job well done and wish them happiness and good health in the days ahead. leven Seafarers are announcing their retirements this month. Seven of the retirees sailed in the deep sea division and four navigated the inland waterways. Two of the retirees worked in the deck department, four shipped in the engine department and six sailed in the steward department. On this page, the Seafarers LOG presents brief biographical accounts of the retiring Seafarers. E DEEP SEA ABDUL AZIZ, 65, started his SIU career in 1964, joining in the port of Baltimore. His first ship was the Transeastern, operated by Transeastern Shipping. Born in Arabia, he sailed in the steward department. Brother Aziz last worked aboard the Sea-Land Leader. Brooklyn, N .Y. is his home. JAMESR. BOYLE, 65 , hails from New York. Brother Boyle joined the Seafarers in 1979 in San Francisco. He first went to sea aboard the Santa Mariana, a Delta Steamship Lines vessel. The steward department member upgraded his skills at the Seafarers Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship in Piney Point, Md. in 1995. He last worked on the Cape Mohican. Brother Boyle lives in San Francisco. JIMMIE C. COOMBS, 62, started his SIU career in 1967 in the port of Norfolk, Va. Brother Coombs' initial voyage was aboard Bloomfield Steamship's Neva West. A native of West Virginia, he shipped in the engine depart- Editors Note: The following union brothers and sisters, all members of the NMU and participants in the NMU P ension Trust, went on pension since January. Their names appear alphabetically and according to the month in which their retirements became effective. February Charles Clark May Joseph Bell teems Wilson Holmes Jay¥Jchell George.Snay Joe LHuiett William D. Orr Ramon Ortiz Jam~s March Miguel Aponte . Simmons Berlin eyDavis Manual Deafonseca '.,:John Pena ~, "'' lffetsort '.P~llaman ·':;\Vtµie Porter Ruben Thomp Claude C. Turley ADClr&w Holmes Charles Jackson Curtis Johnson Bruce Keene Juan Martinez FrankPapez Francesco Pipitone Sheldon Privin April Donald J. Barenhorst Carl W. Bennett Jr. Sandra Dace Willie V. Fowler Donovan Hall Eugene M. Jones Lewis D. Smith John Trachin June Jose Adames Robert Brown Frank Chavez Ralph Coffey Leon Hayes Carl Jones John Kish Niels Ladefoged Goerge Lewis Jose Marroquin Pedro Miranda Merrion Severan Surendar Singh Gumercindo Suazo Miguel Tirando \--/ If anyone would like to share an article or photograph with the LOG readership, please send it to the Seafarers LOG, 5201 Auth Way; Camp springs, MD 20746. July2002 ment. Brother Coombs upgraded his skills in 197 6 and 1981 in Piney Point, Md. and last worked on the Overseas Juneau. He resides in Ocala, Fla. GURU KHALSA, 64, joined the Seafarers in 1970 in the port of New York. Brother Khalsa first shipped aboard Interocean Management Corp.'s Ft. Hoskins. The engine . department member worked in the deep sea as well as inland divisions and was a frequent upgrader at the Seafarers training school. Brother Khalsa last worked aboard a Moran Towing vessel. Born in Colombia, he makes his home in Katy, Texas. SHAN KWEN MOON, 71, joined the Seafarers in 1989 in the port of Honolulu. Born in China, he worked primarily aboard American Hawaii Cruises vessels, including the SS Independence. The engine department member enhanced his skills at the Seafarers training school last year. Brother Moon is a resident of Honolulu. YUN GAO PERNG, 69, started his SIU career in 1989 in the port of Honolulu. The steward department member worked primarily on vessels operated by American Hawaii Cruises, the last being the SS Independence. Brother Perng upgraded his skills at the Seafarers Harry Lunde berg School of Seamanship last year. Born in China, he now calls Honolulu home. OLGA CONNIE VELASQUEZ, 69, began her career with the Seafarers in 1982 in San "'·'- Francisco. Her ~'\ initial voyage was aboard the Santa Maria, a Delta Steamship Lines vessel. Born in San Francisco, Sister Velasquez worked in the steward department. She upgraded her skills at the Seafarers training school in 1985. Her most recent voyage was on Matson Navigation's Matsonia. Sister Velasquez is a resident of Zephyr Cove, Nev. INLAND ANDREWM. CIDSHOLM, 46, was born in Miami. Boatman Chisholm joined the SIU in 1974 in the port of Piney Point, Md. He first shipped aboard a Hvide Marine vessel. Boatman Chisholm worked in both the engine and deck departments, last sailing on a vessel operated by Seabulk Tanker, Inc. He is a resident of Port Neches, Texas. JESSE B. GARDNER, 70, started his career with the Seafarers in 1978 in the port of Philadelphia. -""'"--------'Boatman Gardner shipped in the steward department and worked primarily aboard Express Marine, Inc. vessels. The U.S. Army veteran upgraded his skills at the Seafarers Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship last year. He lives in his native New Bern, N.C . MICHAEL H.O'KANE, 65, began his SIU career in 1974 in the port of Philadelphia. He first worked for the SIU aboard a Mariner Towing vessel. Boatman 0 'Kane shipped in the deck department. He last sailed on a vessel operated by Interstate Oil Transport Co. Boatman 0 'Kane is a resident of Abington, Pa. BETTY JEAN REICHERT, 64, started her career with the SIU in 1987. The Missouri ~----~ native shipped in the steward department. Boatman Reichert worked primarily on vessels operated by Orgulf Transport Co. She makes her home in Paducah, Ky. Reprinted from past issues of tfle:'.Se«Jfar~rs · toG Committee at its last meeting on June 2 t by a subcommittee consisting of Theodore W. 1940 Kheel, New York City labor-management arbi· The constitution adopted in 1939 provided trator; Lane Kirkland, executive assistant to for the establishment of two separate districts: AFL-CIO President George Meany; and J. the Atlantic District and the Gulf District, with Paul St. Sure, president of the Pacific Maritime two separate headrr.===============================::::;;i Association. Copies of quarters, one in New the SIU statement York and one in New were sent to the Orie-ans, and two sep· Department of Interior as well as to arate bookkeeping and financial systems. The JJ~t the members of the membership of the I ' '.A appropriate House two districts, in a 30and Senate commitday referendum vote, voted overwhelmingly to amalgamate the two districts. The amalgamation resolution which was adopted provides 1990 that the headquarters of the Atlantic and Gulf President Bush's decision to move American District will be in Washington, D.C. until the military forces into the Middle East propelJed next election, and that all of the financial and large numbers of seaUft vessels into the area of bookkeeping work shall be done in that office. conflict. Crewed by members of the Seafarers International Union and other American 1965 unions, privately operated ships under conThe SIU sharply challenged assertions by inter· tract to the Military Sealift Command (MSC) national oil company spokesmen that an oil and vessels in the Ready Reserve Force (RRF) import quota for American-flag merchant ves- were deployed to take part in Operation sels would be discriminatory and would invite Desert Shield, the Department of Defense retaliation by foreign maritime nations. A pro- name for the Pentagon's response to the posal that 30 percent of all crude oil and Persian Gulf crisis. petroleum imported into this country be The president's action was provoked by Iraq's reserved for American-flag ships was presented invasion of Kuwait and the threat of further to the President's Maritime Advisory Iraqi aggression directed towards Saudi Arabia. THJS MONTH r., SJU HJSYiC) ay 1 Seafarers LOG 17 �.. final Depa~ures DEEP SEA RICARDO ALVAREZ Brother Ricardo Alvarez, 65, passed away April 18. He joined the Seafarers in 1992 and first shipped aboard the SS Independence, an American Hawaii Cruises vessel. Born in Honduras, Brother Alvarez worked in all three departments and last went to sea on the Global Mariner. He lived in Bronx, N.Y. ROBERT BELL Pensioner Robert Bell, 71, died April 10. Brother Bell "' began his SIU career in 1947 in the port of New York.A member of the deck department, he fust shipped on the Martin M McCarver, a Waterman Steamship Corp. vessel. The Alabama-born mariner last went to sea aboard the Major Stephen J Pless, another Waterman ship. Brother Bell began collecting his pension in 1986 and made his home in Cantonment, Fla. WALTER BROWN Pensioner Walter Brown, 82, passed away March 21. Brother Brown started his career with the Seafarers in 1947 in the port ofNewYork. His initial voyage was aboard Alcoa Steamship Co. 's Alcoa Runner. Born in Alabama, he worked in the steward department. Brother Brown last went to sea on the Del Viento, a Delta Steamship vessel. He started collecting his retirement stipend in 1982 and was a resident of Mobile, Ala. CHRIS CAMPOS Brother Chris Campos, 30, died May 1. He joined the SIU in 1993 in the port of Piney Point, Md. A native of Texas, he first went to sea aboard the USNS Bold, a U.S. Marine Management vessel. Brother Campos worked in the deck department and last sailed on the Industrial Challenger. He lived in his native state in the city of Wharton. WILSON E. DIRLAM Pensioner Robert Wilson Dirlam, 88, passed away May 9. He joined the Seafarers in 1951 in Detroit. Brother Dirlam's initial voyage was aboard Sinclair Oil Corp. 's Robin Gray. He sailed in both the deep sea and Great Lakes divisions. The Newark, N.J. native worked in the engine department and last sailed on the J T Hutchinson, an American Steamship vessel. Brother Dirlam began receiv ing his pension in 1979 and was a resident of Cherokee, Texas. AMERICO FARIA Pensioner Americo Faria, 78, died May 4. He joined the Seafarers in 18 Seafarers LOG 1959 in San Francisco. Brother Faria was a veteran of the U.S. Army, serving from 1944 to 1946. Born in New Bedford, Mass., Brother Faria shipped in the engine department. His last voyage was aboard the Sea-Land Trader. Brother Faria started receiving compensation for his retirement in 1993. He called Sacramento, Calif. home. [, AHMED HASSAN --=:::;::~;;::--1 Brother Ahmed Hassan, 65, passed away Feb. 13. He started his SIU career in 1980 in San Francisco. Brother Hassan first sailed on the Sea-Land Leader. Born in Yemen, he worked in all three departments and last shipped aboard the Maui, a Matson Navigation Co. vessel. Brother Hassan lived in Queens, N.Y. HELEN V. MARTIN Pensioner Helen V. Martin, 77, died April 24. Born in Rhode Island, Sister Martin started her career with the Marine Cooks and Stewards (MC&S) in 1957 in San Francisco. Her maiden voyage was aboard the SS Monterey. The steward department member also had)llany voyages aboard the SS Mariposa. Sister Martin spearheaded various events for "petticoat sailors" and members of other seniors' groups in her area after retiring. She was honored as the "Star of Lake County" (Calif.) and "Senior of the Year for 2001" in recognition of her dedicated service to seniors. Sister Martin began receiving compensation for her retirement in 1980. She lived in Clearlake Oaks, Calif. ANTONIO QUINTANA .-----=-:------, Pensioner Antonio Quintana, 67, passed away April 1. Brother Quintana began his career with the Seafarers in 1977 in the port 1t12=""-"-~"""""-'"'-" of New York. His first sea voyage was aboard the Overseas Joyce. Born in Las Marias, P.R., he worked in all three departments. Brother Quintana last went to sea on the Ambassador, a Crowley American Transport, Inc. vessel. He began receiving his pension in 2001 and resided in Kissimmee, Fla. ARTHUR SCOTT LUTHER DAVIDSON Pensioner Arthur Scott, 86, passed away March 14. Brother Scott started his career with the MC&S in 1979 in San Francisco. Born in Texas, he worked in the steward department. Brother Scott started receiving retirement compensation in 1979 and made his home in Sunnyvale, Calif. Pensioner Luther Davidson, 81, passed away Feb. 17. Boatman Davidson began his SIU career in 1979 in the port of Norfolk, Va. The deck department member was a veteran of the U.S. Army. As a Seafarer, the North Carolina native worked primarily aboard vessels operated by Michigan Tankers. Boatman Davidson began drawing retirement stipends in 1987 and was a resident of Chesapeake, Va. HEINZ SEEL .-----==---..., Pensioner Heinz Seel, 89, died March 16. Born in Germany, Brother Seel started his SIU career in 1962 in San Francisco. The deck department member worked primarily aboard vessels operated by Delta Steamship Lines, including the Santa Magdalena. Brother Seel started receiving retirement stipends in 1981 and was a resident of Petaluma, Calif. JOHN SILVA Pensioner John Silva, 77, passed away Dec. 25. Brother Silva joined the Seafarers in 1959 in the port of New York. Born in Massachusetts, he served in the U.S. Navy from 1942 to 1954. He first sailed for the SIU aboard the Pacific Wave. The steward department member last worked on the Sea-Land Portland. Brother Silva started receiving his pension in 1991. He made his home in Lake Stevens, Wash. CHARLES SMITH Pensioner Charles Smith, 92, died March 11. Brother Smith started his career with the MC&S in San Francisco. The Mississippi native shipped in the steward department. He started collecting compensation for his retirement in 1975. Brother Smith was a resident of Los Angeles. Pensioner Clayton Thompson, 84, passed away Jan. 13. Brother Thompson joined the Seafarers in 1951 in the port of New Orleans. He was a veteran of the U.S. Army and first sailed for the SIU aboard the Alcoa Patriot, an Alcoa Steamship Co. vessel. The Kentucky native shipped in the deck department as a bosun and last sailed on the Sea-Land Producer. Brother Thompson started receiving his pension in 1987 and called Avondale, La. home. INLAND RICARDO RODRIGUEZ HENRY CIESIELSKI Pensioner Ricardo Rodriguez, 72, died May 4. He started his SIU career in 1951 in the port of Houston. Brother Rodril--..::..::0..'---"'......__._....,______. guez first shipped on Terminal Steamship's Southern Counties. The Texas-born mariner worked in the deck department. Brother Rodriguez last went to sea aboard the Cape Washington, a Mt. Washington Tankers Corp. vessel. He started collecting compensation for his retirement in 1989 and lived in Galveston, Texas. Pensioner Henry Ciesielski, 77, died May 7. Born in Maryland, Boatman Ciesielski began his career with the Seafarers in 1954 in the port of Baltimore. A military veteran, he served in the U.S. Army from 1943 to 1946. He shipped in the deck department and spent time at the helms of vessels as a captain. Boatman Ciesielski started receiving his pension in 1985 and lived in Baltimore. ARCADIO RIVERA Boatman Arcadio Rivera, 54, passed away Jan. 12. He joined the Seafarers in 1992 in San Juan, P.R. Born in Arecibo, P.R., Boatman Rivera shipped in both the engine and deck departments and worked primarily aboard vessels operated by Crowley Towing & Transportation. He lived in his native commonwealth in the city of Bayamon. WILLIAMFIORDLANO Boatman William Fiordlano, 61, died Jan. 5. He joined the Seafarers in 1997 in the port of Philadelphia. The Redbank, N.J. native worked in the deck department and shipped as a captain. He first worked at the helm of a Turecamo Maritime vessel. Boatman Fiordlano last sailed on a vessel operated by McAllister Towing of Philadelphia. He made his home in Allentown, N.J. ROBERT SUMMERS Pensioner Robert Summers, 52, died Jan. 3. Boatman Summers began his SIU career in 1962. A member of the deck department, he last shipped aboard a Northern Towing Co. vessel. Boatman Summers began collecting compensation for his retirement in 2000. He was a resident of Marble Hill, Mo. ROBERT WATKINS CHARLES HERBERT Pensioner Charles Herbert, 73, died Jan. 19. The Maryland native served in the U.S. Army from 1950 to 1953. Boatman Herbert joined the Seafarers in 1972 in the port of Baltimore. He sailed with Maritrans for 2 1 years, primarily as a senior tugboat captain. He also sailed with Harbor Towing and Vane Brothers, both of Baltimore. Boatman Herbert began receiving his pension in 1990. He lived in Pasadena, Md. ALVIN HUNLEY CLAYTON THOMPSON He served in the U.S. Navy from 1934 to 1939. Born in Trinton, Fla., Boatman Peterson shipped in the engine department. He was a resident of Center Point, Texas and began receiving his retirement compensation in 1980. Pensioner Alvin Hunley, 101, passed away Jan 26. Boatman Hunley began his career with the Seafarers in 1961, joining in the port of Norfolk, Va. The deck department member was born in Virginia. He was last employed on a Pennsylvania Railroad Co. vessel. Boatman Hunley began drawing stipends for his retirement in 1965 and resided in Gloucester, Va. JAKE F. KELLEY Pensioner Jake F. Kelley, 75, passed away Feb. 16. Boatman Kelley joined the Seafarers in 1949 in the port ofNewYork. ..._......._."'-"""............ Born in Alabama, he sailed in the inland as well as deep sea divisions. The engine department member fust shipped aboard the Monarch of the Sea, a Waterman Steamship Corp. vessel. Boatman Kelley last worked aboard a G&H Towing vessel and started receiving retirement stipends in 1992. He lived in Mobile, Ala. BERYL PETERSON Pensioner Beryl Peterson, 86, died Jan 21. Boatman Peterson started his career with the Seafarers in 1958 in the port of Mobile, Ala. Pensioner Robert Watkins, 52, passed away April 6. Boatman Watkins started his career with the Seafarers in 1971 in the port of Norfolk, Va. The Wilmington, N.C.born mariner worked primarily aboard vessels operated by Cape Fear Towing Co. A member of the deck department, he shipped as a captain. Boatman Watkins started receiving his pension in 1993. He called Leland, N.C. home. ALFRED WILLIA •• S •, .Ju 4> Brother Alfred Williams, 63, died Jan 27. Boatman Williams started his SIU career in 1970 in the port of New York. His first sea voyage was aboard the Inger, a Reynolds Metal Co. vessel. The Texas native worked in the steward department. He last sailed on the Sealift Atlantic. Boatman Williams was a resident of Houston. GREAT LAKES LESTER GREENFELDT Pensioner Lester Greenfeldt, 83, passed away May 6. Brother Greenfeldt joined the Seafarers in 1960 in Detroit. A military veteran, he served in the U .S. Coast Guard from 1939 to 1945. Born in Wisconsin, his initial voyage under the SIU colors was on an American Steamship Co. vessel. A deck department member, he shipped as a bosun. Brother Greenfeldt last sailed aboard the Adam E. Cornelius, another American Steamship vessel. He started receiving compensation for his retirement in 1983 and was a resident of Green Bay, Wis. LEONARD JASKOLSKI Pensioner Leonard Jaskolski, 80, died May 7. He started his SIU career in 1947 in Detroit. Brother Jaskolski served in the U.S . Coast Continued on page 20 July2002 �Digest of Shipboard Union Meetings The Seafarers LOG attempts to print as many digests of union shipboard minutes as possible. On occasion, because of space limitations, some will he omitted. Ships minutes first are reviewed by the union's contract department. Those issues requiring attention or resolution are addressed by the union upon receipt of the ships' minutes. The minutes are then forwarded to the Seafarers LOG tor publication. CHALLENGER (CSX Lines), April 5-Chairman Thomas J. Lynch, Secretary Brandon D. Maeda, Educational Director Clive A. Steward. Chairman announced payoff April 9 in Houston, Texas. He reminded crew members to keep STCW training and TRBs up to date and to upgrade at Piney Point for self betterment and increased income. Educational director noted SMPPP statements due out soon. He requested clarification on several rules, including whether time off counts toward rotary schedule. No beefs or disputed OT reported. Next ports: New Orleans; Houston; San Juan, P.R. ENDURANCE (Maersk Lines), April 14--Chairman John D. Kelley Jr., Secretary Tommy E. Belvin, Educational Director Nicholas A. Vieira, Deck Delegate Carlos Bonilla, Engine Delegate Chester G. Wheeler ID, Steward Delegate Enrique Garrido. Chairman stressed need for crew members to check that beneficiary cards are up to date and to leave rooms clean for next person. Educational director talked about importance of contributing to SPAD and of upgrading at Paul Hall Center. No beefs or disputed OT reported. Crew requested vessel be equipped with satellite TV or radio system. Crew gave vote of thanks to stewde artm~nt ~Of gr~_a.tjob . • Steward department, in tum, thanked rest of crew for their help. --EXPLORER (USSM), April 28Chairman George B. Khan, Secretary Douglas J. Swets, Educational Director Jimmie M. Robles, Deck Delegate Harry Claar, Engine Delegate Fadez Mohamad, Steward Delegate Othello Dansley. Chairman and secretary thanked crew members for their hard work. Painting and waxing done by deck gang on inside of house looks great. Educational director reminded everyone of upgrading opportunities available at Piney Point. Treasurer announced $3,773 in ship's fund. Two phones and phone cards already purchased. Will get new TV in Long Beach, Calif. No beefs or disputed OT reported. Steward department gave out "great shipmate" awards to crew (e.g., greatest GSU, cleanest room). Next port: Long Beach. FIDELIO (American "V" Ships), April 15-Chairman Albert Austin, Secretary Leola Johnson, Deck Delegate Philip D. Reynolds. Chairman talked about requirements for benefits and vacation. Secretary stated payoff to take place in next port, Baltimore, and reliefs to come aboard in Baltimore, Charleston and Brunswick. Educational director advised crew members to attend courses at Paul Hall Center and check expiration dates on shipping documents. Captain is in charge of ship's fund and is very fair about buying movies, stereo equipment, VCRs, etc. as needed. New stereo purchased for gym, and recommendations made for new weight bench and magazine subscriptions. No beefs or disputed OT reported. Request made for copies of current contract and benefit plans. GUAYAMA (Puerto Rico Marine), April 24--Chairman Raymond F. July2002 Gorju, Secretary Gina G. Lightfoot, Educational Director Daniel P. Gibbons, Deck Delegate James R. Blitch, Engine Delegate Charles Dallas, Steward Delegate Michael A. Harris. Chairman announced new mattresses received and noted more on order. Payoff scheduled for April 26 in San Juan at which time everyone will find out more about sale of company. He thanked crew members for keeping messhall and lounge clean and thanked steward department for fine job. Secretary stated provisions aboard ship are plentiful. Educational director reminded crew of educational opportunities available at Piney Point. No beefs or disputed OT reported. Suggestions made that OT be converted to pension credits and that people working graveyard shift be paid more. Steward department given vote of thanks. Next ports: San Juan; Jacksonville. INNOVATOR (USSM), April 7Chairman Steve Kastel, Secretary Jose M. Bayani, Educational Director Chris Earhart, Deck Delegate Richard L. Volkart, Steward Delegate Mostafa Loumrhari. Chairman announced payoff April 10 upon arrival in Long Beach, Calif. He reminded crew members to use new washing machine for better clothes and older one dirty an__clgreasy ·terns. Secretary thanked bosun and his gang for painting job well done and electrician for installing new washer and dryer. Educational director stressed upgrading opportunities available at Paul Hall Center. No beefs or disputed OT reported. TV and VCR are working well. Steward department given vote of thanks for good food. LIBERTY GLORY (Liberty Maritime Corp.), April 14Chairman Juan M. Rivas, Secretary Kenneth Whitfield, Deck Delegate Christopher C. Chile.were, Engine Delegate Robert L. Stevenson, Steward Delegate Cirilo S. Centeno. Chairman thanked everyone for good trip to and from Africa. He read president's report from February LOG and reminded crew members about separating plastic items from regular trash. He announced payoff April 20 in Lake Charles, La. and requested everyone clean room for next person before leaving ship. Secretary thanked crew for helping keep ship clean. He asked that members read LOG and contract. He also advised unlicensed apprentices to work hard and learn as much as possible to show others that the SIU has the best seafarers. Educational director urged everyone to upgrade skills at Piney Point. No beefs or disputed OT reported. Crew members were informed about importance of contributing to SPAD for job security. Suggestion made for company to install water fountain on upper deck. Thanks given to steward department for job well done. MAERSK TENNESSEE (Maersk Lines), April 21-Chairman Reginald A. Watkins, Secretary Dwight E. Wuerth, Educational Director Peter G. Murtaugh, Deck Delegate John M. Walsh. Chairman reminded crew members to report all accidents immediately to department head or available officer in charge. Secretary asked, as a courtesy to galley gang, that those members going ashore in port not return to vessel at last minute looking for food. He thanked crew members for help in keeping inside of house clean and reminded them to return all movies to proper storage area when finished. Educational director noted that deadline has passed for STCW training compliance. He stressed importance of contributing to SPAD for future of our union jobs. Treasurer announced $600 in ship's fund. Suggestion made to use some of money to purchase 220 volt VCR rewinder. No beefs or disputed OT reported. Next ports in Panama, Columbia, Peru and Chile. PACIFIC (CSX Lines), April 22Chainnan Benedict B. Born, Secretary Robert P. Mosley, Educational Director Keith L. Jordan Sr, Deck Delegate Rene Rafer, Engine Delegate Joseph I. Laguana, Steward Delegate Steven M. Sun. Bosun thanked crew for good trip and gave a vote of thanks to the steward department. He also reminded everyone of importance of donating to SPAD and how it benefits membership. He asked that all crew members getting off vessel leave rooms clean with fresh linen for next person and check in with patrolman Herman, Engine Delegate Gregory Carroll, Steward Delegate Al Maramba. Chairman announced ABs on ATC ships to get wage increase to <layman's pay. ATC is trying to make these positions more attractive. Bosun reminded all seamen to work together for a better ship and a stronger union, and he thanked all for great safety record. Any disputes should fust be taken up with department delegates or ship's chairman. Educational director advised everyone to upgrade skills at Paul Hall Center and watch safety videos provided by ATC. No Maersk Arizona Returns from Middle East MARINE COLUMBIA (ATC), April 10---Chairman Gregory L. Hamilton, Secretary John F. Huyett, Educational Director Ronald Gordon, Deck Delegate Ramon T. Guimba, Engine Delegate Detricke R. Kelly, Steward Delegate Albert L. Sison. Chairman announced payoff April 11 at Cherry Point, Wash. Will call, when in phone range, to confirm patrolman from Tacoma hall. Treasurer stated $2,582.52 in unlicensed fund and $60 in TV fund. No beefs or disputed OT reported. OVERSEAS BOSTON (ATC), April 10---Chairman Eric A. Berry, Secretary Gregory G. Keene, Deck Delegate Ivan Ingrahm, Engine Delegate Li Carter, Steward Delegate Randy Proctor. Chairman stated shipboard meetings should be held once a month. He said that anyone needing more heat or air (or other repairs) in their rooms should write a note and put in on chief engineer's door. Secretary advised crew members to upgrade skills at Piney Point. Anyone with a drug or alcohol problem should attend the ARC. Confidentiali wil~ assured. Educational director noted that crew members are responsible for keeping track of their hours worked as per watchstanding agreement. No beefs or disputed OT reported. Crew members advised that e-mail is public domain so any messages may be seen by many people. Question asked regarding when ship will have direct internet service. Deck department would like locker next to crew laundry converted to changing room. Request also made for shelves in slop locker for storage of gloves, safety glasses, hard hats, etc. Crew also suggested luggage locker and a 2 a.m. launch to and from shore for the 8 to 12 watch. Steward was asked to order more comforters for cold weather. AB Dennis Goodwin was thanked for starting collection for 3n1 mate who had a death in the family. Funds will help defray transportation costs. Next port: Long Beach, Calif. OVERSEAS NEW ORLEANS (OSG Ship Management), April 28-Chairman Thomas R. Temple, Secretary Jonathan White, Educational Director John E. Trent, Deck Delegate Juan H. Torres, Engine Delegate Peter E. Joseph, Steward Delegate Wilfred E. Lambey. Chairman announced vessel may be going into shipyard in June or July. He suggested crew members attend courses at Paul Hall Center and get STCW basic training if they have not already done so. No beefs or disputed OT reported. Bosun reminded everyone to read LOG each month and find out what union and industry are doing. New washing machine received for crew laundry. Everyone asked to be considerate in passageways and when closing doors. Others may be trying to sleep. Steward department thanked for good job. Next port: Corpus Christi, Texas. SIU Vice President West Coast Nick Marrone (far right) meets with crew members on the Maersk Arizona following a shipboard meeting in the port of San Francisco. The Maerk Lines vessel recently returned from a voyage to Saudi Arabia. after leaving customs and immigration. Secretary advised everyone to upgrade at Paul Hall Center and take advantage of the many courses they have to offer. He also suggested crew members check that all shipping documents are up to date. Educational director stressed need to read monthly LOGs to keep abr ~ t of un · and industry news. Treasurer announced $322 in cookout fund and $346 in ship's fund. No beef or disputed OT reported. Members would like for company not to give Social Security numbers in each port to gangway security for fear of identify theft. Information requested on money purchase pension plan and address and phone numbers to use by those members who have not received their statements. Crew members gave vote of thanks to steward department for job well done. They, in tum, gave vote of thanks to bosun and his gang for their hard work. Next ports: Tacoma, Wash.; Oakland, Calif.; Hawaii; Guam. PETERSBURG (IUM), April 3Chairman James T. Martin, Secretary Wendy Fearing, Educational Director Jessie U. Ulibas. Chairman reminded crew members of STCW compliance deadline, which has passed. Secretary asked that everyone return dishes and silverware to messhall and advised them of proper attire to be worn in messhall. Educational director encouraged crew to continue to upgrade at Piney Point and keep all required shipping documents current. Treasurer announced $370 in ship's fund. No beefs or disputed OT reported. Suggestions made for union to increase dental plan coverage and raise pension payments. Bosun gave vote of thanks to steward department. Clarification requested on reimbursement by company for work shoes, and question raised as to what will happen to money in SPAD fund with passage of new fundraising reform laws, particularly those pertaining to soft money. Next port: Guam. PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND (ATC), April 28-Chairman J. Carlos Loureiro, Secretary Jeff Smith, Educational Director Tom Woerner, Deck Delegate Carl beefs or disputed OT reported. Suggestion made for upgrade of ship's satellite system. Request made for CD burner for radio room computer. Thanks given to steward department for job well done. Next ports: Long Beach, Calif.; Valdez, Alaska. PRODUCER (CSX Lines), April 28-Chairman Joel A-Lechel,_ Secretary William J. Bunch, Educational Director Shawn L. Clark, Deck Delegate Lonnie R. Evans, Steward Delegate Chris Boronski. Chairman thanked everyone for helping clean up after shipyard. He stated that vessel will go on new East Coast run. He urged all vacationing crew members to register at hall within 48 hours in order to reclaim jobs. He also stressed importance of contributing to SPAD. Educational director reminded crew members sailing aboard tankers of need for tankerman assistant course on zcard and asked that headquarters clarify this point to all ports. No beefs or disputed OT reported. Repairs needed to tiles on mess deck. Clarification requested on why all ports are not constitutional ports. Next ports: Tacoma, Wash.; Long Beach, Calif. ; San Juan, P.R.; Jacksonville, Fla. ROBERT E. LEE (Waterman Steamship Corp.), April 7-Chairman Eugene T. Grantham, Secretary Miguel Pabon, Educational Director Reginald E. White, Deck Delegate Donald M. Hood, Engine Delegate Joseph Williams IV, Steward Delegate Jessie J. Burnett. Chairman reported one AB was hurt and caught flight home from Bombay, India. Secretary thanked crew members for good trip with great cooperation between all three departments. Educational director noted many opportunities available to Seafarers to improve themselves in their chosen profession, including upgrading courses at Paul Hall Center. Treasurer stated $608 in ship's fund. Everyone asked to clean room before getting off ship. Suggestion made for members to be able to retire at any age with 20 years' seatime and maintain some medical benefits if retiring at age 65 with 15 years' seatime. Seafarers LOG 19 - �Letters to the Editor - (Editor s note: the Seafarers LOG reserves the right to edit letters for grammar as well as space provisions without changing the writers intent. The LOG welcomes letters from members, pensioners, their families and shipmates and will publish them on a timely basis.) Pensioner's Wife Sends Note of Thanks My husband, James "Capt. Jim" Oliver (who joined the union in November 1945 and is now a pensioner), and I would like to thank the union for all the bonuses and the health care you have given us. You will never know how we appreciate it, now that we are old and need help the most. Again, our thanks to President Michael Sacco, the executive board, and all who are taking care of the pensioners. Also, a big hello to Vice President Gulf Coast Dean Corgey and Janice Hunicke, who is always so helpful in the Houston office. I am proud to be the wife of a good SIU Seafarer for 4 7 years. Georgette Oliver Timpson, Texas ~ . Remembering the Good Life of a Seafarer This old man had a great life sailing on SIU ships during World War II and up to the year 1989. I joined the union in June 1943 and had the pleasure of dealing with a German sub in the Atlantic, of carrying troops into the Palau Island invasion, and transporting Army cargo into the invasion of Okinawa-as well as being on the first ship to go into Nagoya, Japan in 1945. We had 10,000 tons of beer which the occupation forces greatly appreciated. I sailed with Delta Lines, Isthmian, Robin and Waterman, plus a few tramp ships. The last few years, I worked aboard G&H tugs in Galveston, Houston and Corpus Christi. It has all been a wonderful adventure, and I wouldn't trade it for anything. I am proud and pleased that the SIU has done a fine job of teaching and upgrading its members. Life has been good, and every day is a wonderful day. May you all go with a following sea, a tail wind and blue skies. John Hanks Austin, Texas Editors note: The following letter was printed in the May 23, 2002 edition of the Clarion News and G.I. Bill benefits until 1988. Our Congress waited until most of us were dead. World War II was a declared war. The merchant marine was the only all-volunteer service of the war. Most of us accepted death over surrender. Our record: 866 ships lost to enemy action. By percentage, we lost more men than any other branch of the service. One out of every 25 was killed in action. We lost 100 ships on the Russian run. Also, 400 ships were lost along the eastern seaboard in 1942 while Americans watched from our shores. During the 1942 massacre, we slept with our clothes on and our eyes open. If the U.S. Merchant Marine had failed in the Battle of the Atlantic, our Congress would be speaking German right now. Law firms have determined we lost more than $80,000 each in G.I. benefits. The state of Pennsylvania paid a $500 bonus to veterans of World War II, but our merchant marine veterans are still waiting. Me too. Peter Salvo Clarion, Pa. Another Look At WWII I'm testing the free press of the Clarion News with my annual letter of Maritime Day, May 22, which very few Americas are aware of, which honors the U.S. Merchant Marine of World War II. During World War II, our government gagged the news media, claiming national security was at stake. We were denied veteran status Thanks for Years Of Happiness In going through some of my husband's papers, I found this picture taken at the Inland Boatmen's Conference in June 1984. My husband was so proud to have upgraded from deckhand to captain at the Seafarers Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship. A chance for him to go back and be a part of such a wonderful conference was just overwhelming for him. He retired in 1992 following a massive heart attack. Also in 1992, the Coast Guard pulled his licence, and that was the end of a wonderful career. His respect and love for the union were with him until the day God took him home on Saturday, April 6, 2002. The Thursday before he passed away, he called me to his bed and told me he had to leave the dock at 2200. The hospice nurse pronounced him dead at 2200 on the 6th. Does that tell his SIU brothers what his last thoughts were of? Thank you so much for his years of happiness. Mrs. Robert W. Watkins Rocky Point, N.C. Capt. Robert Watkins and his wife, Kay, were active participants at the June 1984 Inland Boatmen's conference, held in Piney Point, Md. _~nal Departur~ _ Continued from page 18 Guard from 1942 to 1947. Born in Michigan, he worked in the deck department. Brother Jaskolski last sailed on the Adam E. Cornelius. He began receiving his retirement stipend in 1992 and made his home in Alpena, Mich. PIIlLLIP E.WILLIAMS Pensioner Phillip E. Williams, 80, passed away April 11. He joined the Seafarers in 1962 in Detroit. A veteran of the U.S. Navy, Brother Williams worked primarily aboard vessels operated by Arnold Transit Co. The Michigan-born mariner worked in all three departments and started collecting compensation for his retirement in 1987. Brother Williams lived in Wells, Mich. AnANllC FISHERMAN IVAN CONRAD Pensioner Ivan Conrad, 96, died Jan. 19. Brother Conrad started his career with the Atlantic Fishermen's Union in Gloucester, Mass before it merged with the AGLIWD. Born in Massachusetts, he worked in the deck department. Brother Conrad lived in his native state and started receiving compensation for his retirement in 1969. Know Your Rights FINANCIAL REPORTS. The Constitution of the SIU Atlantic, Gulf, Lakes and Inland Waters District!NMU makes specific provision for safeguarding the membership's money and union finances . The constitution requires a detailed audit by certified public accountants every year, which is to be submitted to the membership by the secretary-treasurer. A yearly finance committee of rank-and-file members, elected by the membership, each year examines the finances of the union and reports fully their findings and recommendations. Members of this committee may make dissenting reports, specific recommendations and separate findings. TRUST FUNDS. All trust funds of the SIU Atlantic, Gulf, Lakes and Inland Waters District/NMU are administered in accordance with the provisions of various trust fund agreements. All these agreements specify that the trustees in charge of these funds shall equally consist of union and management representatives and their alternates. All expenditures and disbursements of trust funds are made only upon approval by a majority of the trustees. All trust fund financial records are available at the headquarters of the various trust funds. SHIPPING RIGHTS. A member's shipping rights and seniority are protected exclusively by contracts between the union and the employers. Members should get to know their shipping rights. Copies of these contracts are posted and available in all union halls. If members believe there have been violations of their shipping or seniority rights as contained in the contracts between the union and the employers, they should notify the Seafarers Appeals Board by certified mail, return receipt requested. The proper address for this is: Augustin Tellez, Chairman Seafarers Appeals Board 5201 Auth Way, Camp Springs, MD 20746 Full copies of contracts as referred to are available to members at all times, either by writing directly to the union or to the Seafarers Appeals Board. CONTRACTS. Copies of all SIU contracts are available in aJI SIU halls. These contracts specify the wages and conditions under which an SIU member works and 20 Seafarers LOB lives aboard a ship or boat. Members should know their contract rights, as well as their obligations, such as filing for overtime (OT) on the proper sheets and in the proper manner. If, at any time, a member believes that an SIU patrolman or other union official fails to protect their contractual rights properly, he or she should contact the nearest SIU port agent. EDITORIAL POLICY - THE SEAFARERS LOG. The Seafarers LOG traditionally has refrained from publishing any article serving the political purposes of any individual in the union, officer or member. It also has refrained from publishing articles deemed harmful to the union or its collective membership. This established policy has been reaffirmed by membership action at the September 1960 meetings in all constitutional ports. The responsibility for Seafarers LOG policy is vested in an editorial board which consists of the executive board of the union. The executive board may delegate, from among its ranks, one individual to carry out this responsibility. PAYMENT OF MONIES. o monies are to be paid to anyone in any official capacity in the SIU unless an official union receipt is given for same. Under no circumstances should any member pay any money for any reason unless he is given such receipt. In the event anyone attempts to require any such payment be made without supplying a receipt, or if a member is required to make a payment and is given an official receipt, but feels that he or she should not have been required to make such payment, this should immediately be reported to union headquarters. CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS . Copies of the IU Constitution are available in all union halls. All members should obtain copies of this constitution so as to familiarize themselves with its contents. Any time a member feels any other member or officer is attempting to deprive him or her of any constitutional right or obligation by any methods, such as dealing with charges, trials, etc., as well as all other details, the member so affected should immediately notify headquarters. EQUAL RIGHTS. All members are guaranteed equal rights in employment and as members of the SIU. These rights are clearly set forth in the SIU Constitution and in the contracts which the union has negotiated with the employers. Consequently, no member may be discriminated against because of race, creed, color, sex, national or geographic origin. If any member feels that he or she is denied the equal rights to which be or she is entitled, the member should notify union headquarters. MEMBER RIGHTS/LMRDA. The Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act (LMRDA) guarantees certain rights to union members and imposes certain responsibilities on union officers. The Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS) enforces many LMRDA provisions while other provisions, such as the bill of rights, may only be enforced by union members through private suit in Federal court. Union Member Rights Bill of Rights: Union members have equal rights to participate in union activities; freedom of speech and assembly; a voice in setting rates of dues, fees and assessments; protection of the right to sue; and safeguards against improper discipline. Copies of Collective Bargaining Agreements: Union members and nonunion employees have the right to receive or inspect copies of collective bargaining agreements. Reports: Unions are required to file an initial information report (Fonn LM-1), copies of constitutions and bylaws, and an annual financial report (Form LM-2/3/4) with OLMS. Unions must make the reports available to members and permit members to examine supporting records for just cause. The reports are public information and copies are available from OLMS. Officer Elections: Union members have the right to nominate candidates for office; run for office; cast a secret ballot; and protest the conduct of an election. Officer Removal: Local union members have the right to an adequate procedure for the removal of an elected officer guilty of serious misconduct. Trusteeships: Unions may only be placep in trusteeship by a parent body for the reasons specified in the LMRDA. Prohibition Against Violence: No one may use or threaten to use force or violence to interfere with a union member in the exercise of LMRDA rights. Union Officer Responsibilities Financial Safeguards: Union officers have a duty to manage the funds and property of the union solely for the benefit of the union and its members in accordance with the union's constitution and bylaws. Union officers or employees who embezzle or steal union funds or other assets commit a Federal crime punishable by a fine and/or imprisonment. Bonding: Union officers or employees who handle union funds or property must be bonded to provide protection against losses if their union has property and annual financial receipts which exceed $5,000. Labor Organization Reports: Union officers must file an initial information report (Form LM-1) and annual financial reports (Fonns LM-2/3/4) with OLMS; and retain the records necessary to verify the reports for at least five years. Officer Reports: Union officers and employees must file reports concerning any loans and benefits received from, or certain financial interests in, employers whose employees their union represent and businesses that deal with their unions . Officer Elections: Unions must hold elections of officers of local unions by secret ballot at least every three years; conduct regular elections in accordance with their constitution and bylaws and preserve all records for one year; mail a notice of election to every member at least I 5 days prior to the election; comply with a candidate's request to distribute campaign material; not use union funds or resources to promote any candidate (nor may employer funds or resources be used); pennit candidates to have election observers; and allow candidates to inspect the union's membership list once within 30 days prior to the election. Restrictions on Holding Office: A person convicted of certain crimes may not serve as a union officer, employee or other representative of a union for up to 13 years. Loans: A union may not have outstanding loans to any one officer or employee that in total exceed $2,000 at any time. Fines: A union may not pay the fine of any officer or employee convicted of any willful violation of the LMRDA. (Note: The above is only a summary of the LMRDA. Full text of the Act, which comprises Sections 401-531 of Title 29 of the United States Code, may be found in many public libraries, or by writing the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Labor-Management Standards, 200 Constitution Ave., NW, Room N-5616, Washington, DC 20210, or on the internet at www.dol.gov.) SEAFARERS POLITICAL ACTIVITY DONATION - SPAD. SPAD is a separate segregated fund. Its proceeds are used to further its objects and purposes including, but not limited to, furthering the political, social and economic interests of maritime workers, the preservation and furthering of the American merchant marine with improved employment opportunities for seamen and boatmen and the advancement of trade union concepts. In connection with such objects, SPAD supports and contributes to political candidates for elective office. All contributions are voluntary. o contribution may be solicited or received because of force, job discrimination, financial reprisal, or threat of such conduct, or as a condition of membership in the union or of employment. If a contribution is made by reason of the above improper conduct, the member should notify the Seafarers International Union or SPAD by certified mail within 30 days of the contribution for investigation and appropriate action and refund, if involuntary. A member should support SPAD to protect and further his or her economic, political and social interests, and American trade union concepts. NOTIFYING THE UNION- If at any time a member feels that any of the above rights have been violated, or that he or she has been denied the constitutional right of access to union records or information, the member should immediately notify SIU President Michael Sacco at headquarters by certified mail, return receipt requested. The address is: Michael Sacco, President Seafarers International Union 5201 Auth Way, Camp Springs, MD 20746. July2002 �SEAFARERS PAUL HALL CENTER Ul'GRADINS COURSE SCHEDULE Recertification The following is the schedule of courses at the Paul Hall Center for Maritime Training and Edu~tion in Piney Point, Md. from July through December 2002. All programs are geared to improve the job skills of Seafarers and to promote the American maritime industry. Please note that this schedule may change to reflect the needs of the membership, the maritime industry and-in times of conflict-the nation's security. Students attending any of these classes should check in the Saturday before their course's start date, The courses listed here will begin promptly on the morning of the start dates. F()r classes ending on a Friday, departure reservations should be made for November l Angust2 October7 Bosun Steward July8 Arrival Date Date of Completion Oiler September 16 November 11 October 25 December 20 Saturday. QMED - Junior Engineer September 30 December 20 Seafarers who have any questions regarding the upgrading courses offered at the Paul Hall Center may call the admissions office at (301) 994-0010. Welding July 1 August 19 September 23 October 21 November 18 July 19 September6 October 3 November8 December 6 Engine Utility (EU) October 20 November25 November 15 December 20 Course Deck Upgrading Courses Arrival Date Date of Completion Able Seaman September 30 October 28 October 25 November 22 Automatic Radar Plotting Aids* July 15 August 19 September 23 October 14 July 19 August 23 September 27 October 18 July 1 September 30 October 21 November 11 December9 July 5 October4 October25 November 15 December 13 August26 August 30 Course ("mast have. radar wrl.imited) Bridge Resource Management (BRM) - Inland Bridge Resource Management (BRM) - Unlimited* Safety Specialty Courses Course Arrival Date Date of Completion Advanced Firefighting October 7 December 2 October 18 December 13 Government Vessels September 23 October 11 Tanker Familiarization/ Assistant Cargo (DL)* July 15 December2 July 26 December 13 Augusts September 23 October 28 August 9 September 27 November 1 Basic Fire Fighting/STCW July 1 July 8 July 15 August 5 August 19 August 26 September 23 September 30 October 14 October28 November 18 December9 December 16 July5 July 12 July 19 August 9 August 23 August30 September 27 October 4 October 18 November 1 November22 December 13 December20 STCW Medical Care Provider August 12 October 21 August 16 October 25 (*must have basic fire fighting) Tankerman (PIC) Barge* (*must have basic fire fighting) (*prerequisite required) GMDSS (Simulator) July 8 October 7 November4 December 2 July 19 October 18 November 15 December 13 Lifeboatman/Water Survival September 16 October 14 September 27 October25 Lifeboatman/Water Survival (one week) July 15 August 19 September 30 October28 July 19 Augu t 23 October 4 November 1 August 5 August 14 July 1 September 16 November4 December9 July 12 September 27 November 15 December20 ecially Trained Ordinary Seaman OS) - Engine Upgrading Courses Academic Department Courses Steward Upgrading Courses Galley Operations/Advanced Galley Operations modules start every week beginning January 7. Certified Chief Cook/Chief Steward classes start every other week beginning January 7. General education and college courses are available as needed. In addition, basic vocational support program courses are offered throughout the year, one week prior to the AB, QMED, FOWT, Third Mate, Tanker Assistant and Water Survival courses. An introduction to computers course will be self-study. -·-~-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·With this application, COPIES of the following must be sent: One hundred and twenty UPGRADING APPLICATION (120) days sea time for the previous year, one day in the last six months prior to the date Name _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _~ Address ---------------------------- your class starts, US MMD (z-card) front and back, front page of your union book indicating your department and seniority, and qualifying seatime for the course if it is Coast Guard tested. All FOWT. AB and OMED applicants must submit a U.S. Coast Guard fee of $280 with their aoplication.. The payment should be made with a money order only. payable to LMSS. COURSE Telephone _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ Deep Sea Member D Lakes Member BEGIN DATE END DATE Date of Birth _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ D Inland Waters Member D If the following information is not filled out completely, your application will not be processed. Social Security# _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ Seniority _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Department U.S. Citizen: Yes D No D Home Port Endorsement(s) or License(s) now held _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ Are you a graduate of the SHLSS/PHC trainee program? DYes DNo If yes, class# _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ Have you attended any SHLSS/PHC upgrading courses? DYes DNo If yes, course(s) taken _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ Do you hold the U.S. Coast Guard Lifeboatman Endorsement? D Yes D No Firefighting: Primary language spoken July2002 D Yes D No CPR: D Yes DNo LAST VESSEL: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Rating: _ _ __ Date On: - - - - - - - - - - -- Date Off: SIGNATURE _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ DATE NOTE: Transportation will be paid in accordance with the scheduling letter only ifyou present original receipts and successfully complete the course. If you have any questions, contact your port agent before departing for Piney Point. RETURN COMPLETED APPLICATION TO: Paul Hall Center for Maritime Training and Education, Admissions Office, P.O. Box 75, Piney Point, MD 20674-0075; or fax to (301) 994-2189. The Seafarers Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship at the Paul Hall Center for Maritime Training and Education is a private, non-profit, equal opportunity institution and admits students, who are otherwise qualified, of any race, nationality or sex. The school complies with applicable laws with regard to admission, access or treatment of students in its programs or activities. 7102 Seafarers LOG 21 �- Paul Hall Center Classes . Unlicensed Apprentice Water Survival Oass 627 - Unlicensed apprentices who graduated from class 627 are (kneeling, from left) Jade Belt, William Farr Ill, (second row) Jill McGeorge, Raul Duarosan, Gerron Foster, Keith Palmisano Jr, Ryan Johnston, Christopher Bryant, Matthew Wade Jr.. (third row) Jeffery Hawkins, Eric Morales-Martinez, Antonio Reed, Angelina Willoughby and Larry Howard. GMDSS - SIU members who completed the GMDSS training May 31 are (from left) Edward Milstead, William Palmer, Brad Wheeler (instructor), Aaron Bass, Lee Gulley, Thomas Mercer, Roy Vincent, Craig Pare, Philip Inman, Joseph Lewis and Dale Wilson. Welding- With their instructor Buzzy Andrews (second from left) are graduates of the welding class, which ended May 24. From the left are Armando Bermudez, Samuel Grant and James Tyson. Tanker Familiarization/Assistant Cargo (DL)- Earning their graduation certificates for completion of the tanker familiarization/assistant cargo (DL) course April 26 are (in alphabetical order) Hassan Bouqfa, Brook Bowers, Davon Brown, Eldin Ebanks, James Fekany, Robert Goodson, Frank Gray, Lee Gulley, Robert Hinkley Jr., David Hollenback, Michael Jejenich, ldowu Jonathan, William Miller, John Murray, Eddie Thomas, Andrzej and Phillip Varos. Their instructor, Jim Shaffer, is at far right. Any student who has registered for a class and finds -for whatever reason-that he Able Seaman - Seafarers who successfully completed the AB course April 26 are (in alphabetical order) Richard Blackman, David Cayetano, Rafael Concepcion, Michael Gallagher, Michael Jalbert, Kenneth Lattin, Lionel Lee, James Logan, Jerry Maya, William Mcintyre, Zaid Muthala, Rusty Norman, Allan Oyao Sr., Fernando Oyao, Deocadio Romney, Uriel Ross Sr., Louis Scull II, Robert Steiner, Kreg Stiebben, Dale Suiter II and Jermaine Williams. Their instructor, Bernabe Pelingon, stands at far left. Computer Lab Classes or she cannot attend, please inform the admissions department so that another student may take that place. Upgraders Water Survival - Upgrading SIU members who successfully completed the water survival course April 26 are (in alphabetical order) Rolando Guity, Timothy Lewis, Jason Roate, Rogoberto Ruiz, Taher Saeed, Laurie Victorino, Harry Wessel and Martha White . Their instructor, Stan Beck, is third from right (in white cap). • FOWf Recent graduates of the computer lab at the Paul Hall Center pose with their certificates. From the left (seated) are Robert Pinkard II, Adam Noor, (back row) Jodie Flesner, Rich Prucha (instructor), Carlos Valerio and Franklin Lind. 22 Seafarers LOG Graduating from the FOWT course June 7 are (in alphabetical order) Sure Anitak, Justin Armstrong, Rafael Costas, Juanita Christia, Lance Cutchember, Jeremy Duncan, Christopher Eason, Fontanos Ellison, Trent Enoch, Vincente Escala, Cody Fleming, Sherrod Frazier, Armando Garayua, Kenneth Green, Edward Grossman, Lisa Harewood, Gerard Hayes, John Herr, Richard Ho, Arthur Hurd, Kenneth Jackson, Joseph Krajnik, Samuel Levecque, Mark Marler, Grady Mason Jr., Harry McKever, Ashley Nelson, Christopher Offrey, David Provost, Kenneth Ross, Kenneth Smith, Richard Striverson, Daniel Thompson, Lima Valoaga, Michael Vada, Bryan Wells and Dennis Wilson. (Note: Not all are pictured.) July2002 �Paul Hall Center Classes Munassar Ahmed, Kasem Ali, Mario Bertrand, Richard Blackman, Lawrence Brissette, Drew Brown, Valerie Bufton, Edward Bush, Mark Carpenter, Roger Cash, Rey Chang, Andrea David, Ferdinand Duenas, Kenneth Epps, Charles Colucci, Michelle Fetterly, Edward Fuller, Walter Harris Jr., Harry Brown, Robert Hudas, Taha Ismail, Army Joe Leake I and Army Joe Leake II. Basic Safety Training Classes Terry Allen, Rafael Concepcion, Clint Haxton, Peter lannetta, Michael Jalbert, Glenn Johnson, Mahmoud Khalil, Timothy Koebel , Kenneth Lattin, Lionel Lee , James Logan, Richard Lovaas, Jerry Maya Jr., William Miller, Helen Mitchell, Allan Oyao Sr., Fernando Oyao, Deocadio Romney, Uriel Ross Sr., Taher, Saeed, Louis Scull II, bert Steiner, Kreg Stiebben, David Stravron, Dale Suiter II, Gary Walker, Michael WilRerson, Dulip Sookiram and Robert Weeks. Sharon Baham, Brook Bowers, David Coggio, Donald Ford, Robert Goodson, Eric Grant. ldowu Jonathan, Fabian Lanzy, Natividad Martinez, Robert Matthews, James McCarthy, Donald Pelto, Lance Riggs, Ali Saleh, William Smalley, Oswald Stoiber, Terry Tolley, Dennis Uchic, George Urban Ill, Richard Hamilton Jr. and Luis Filippetti. Elba Alfaro, Nancy Archie, Glenn Bamman, Zackay Brown, James Callahan, Virgilio Hoffmann, Ismael Martinez, Khalid Meftah, Gene Payne, Eddie Rembert, Exxl Ronquillo, Mary Suniga, Timothy Thompson, Andrea Ursem, Richard West, Jack Mohamad, Richard Doggett, Omaha Redda, Ralph Broadway and Thomas Gruber. (Note: Not all are pictured.) Right: Cecil Husted, Mark Pruitt, Jose Quinones, Ghassan Saeed, Leodiane Torrenueva, Peter Wojcikowski, Joseph Gutierrez, William Bates and Joseph Baselice. (Note: Not all are pictured.) Rolando Batiz, Kurt Benjamin, Blaine Bisegna, Dale Erickson, Welington Furment, Ion lrimia, Karl Leiter, Calvin Mason, Julio Soriano, Segundo Soriano, Horace Thompson and Fernin Elinton. (Note: Not all are pictured.) Carlos Boiser Jr., Daniel Crawford, Samuel Deason, Roger Griswold, Joseph Gutierrez, William Hudgins Jr., Troy Mack, Larry Morisette, Annie Nodd, Amin Quraish, Gilberto Serrano, Ronnie Woodruff and William Bates. July 2002 Douglas Burch, Glen James Sr., Neil Johnson, John Magennis, Michael Mefferd, Kurt Sandberg, Jose Santos, William Scully, Randall VanHorn, Wilfredo Velez, David Wakeman, James Woods and David Hudgins. Seafarers LOG 23 - �NMUPLANS Seepages for an update on the NMU Plans. - Maiitime ntiom .... NORFOLK Town Point Park in Norfolk, Va. was the site of the Maritime Day observances, sponsored by The Propeller Club of the United States, Port of Norfolk. Above left: Norfolk Port Agent Georg G. Kenny (left) and VP Kermett Mangram (right) congratulate Lloyd "Doug" Richardson for his 67 years of sailing. Virginia Pilot Association and McAllister tugs participate in the day's activities (left), while officials aboard the Va. Pilot Boat Dominion (right} prepare to lay a commemorative wreath . ST. LOUIS Following her remarks at the Maritime Day ceremonies in St. Louis, Valerie Miller, representing the SIU, presented a "Battlin' Pete" plaque to Jack Grothe, an official with the SS Samuel Parker Chapter of the American Merchant Marine Veterans. "Battlin' Pete" is the military service patch of the United States Merchant Marine, created by Walt Disney Studios in July 1944, recognizing the efforts of the merchant marine in World War II. GUAM Florence Nelson used her well-earned vacation time to prepare a dinner at the United Seamen's Club in honor of Maritime Day. Nelson currently is sailing on board the Sgt. William R. Button as a cook/baker. PORT ARTHUR -- .. - Heavy rain forced the Maritime Day activities in Port Arthur, Texas to move indoors to the E.J. Club (formerly the Foc'sle, which was owned and operated for more than 35 years by Jeff Riley, who sailed with the NMU and the SIU). Left: Mary Lee, widow of NMU Chief Steward Leonard Lee, reads a scripture passage at the service. Lee had sailed for more than 35 years. Today, Mrs. Lee heads a group of the Legion of Mary, a volunteer organization at the International Seamen's Center. With her are Marcus Hammond of the Department of Agriculture and vice president of the Port Arthur International Seamen's Center, and the U.S. Coast Guard Color Guard. Right: Ron Byrd of Kansas City Southern Railway receives a plaque from SIU member Fr. Sinclair Oubre in recognition of KCS's and Port Arthur's founder, Arthur Stilwell. Through the dream of Stilwell and the industry of KCS, Port Arthur became a major maritime center. Above, SIU member Lloyd "Doug" Richardson poses with his family during the Maritime Day observances. Richardson has been sailing for 67 years and, at 82, is the oldest active Seafarer registered for employment in the port of Norfolk. He began rm~~,,.~::.or he was 15, working abo tugs and barges hauling coal he Ea · a on eep sea career commenced when he was 22 years old, as an ordinary se oard the Alexander G Bell. He was on that ship in 1943 in the port of Naples, Italy, when it was subjected to bombing by enemy aircraft. He also served aboard the James W Nesmith, whtch was torpedoed by German U-boats. Richardson is still supporting the government's efforts, now sailing aboard Maritime prepositioning vessels. His last tour of duty was as an AB on the SPC5 Eric Gibson, and he intends to reclaim his position when the vessel re-crews. When asked what prompted him to go to sea, Richardson replied, "I love the water." And when asked why he continues to sail, he replied , "It's all I know." � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Seafarers Log Issues 2000-2009 Description An account of the resource Volumes LXII-LXXI of the Seafarers Log Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Seafarers Log Scanned Issues 1984-1988, 1994-Present, Seafarers Log Digital Copies Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Seafarers International Union of North America Document A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource July 2002 Description An account of the resource Headlines: HOUSE PASSES PORT SECURITY BILL; CONFERENCE COMMITTEE APPOINTED FORMER ATC 'RIDING GANG' WORKERS UPGRADE TO AB AWARDS PRESENTED TO ATC VESSEL, OTHER SIU SHIPS CONGRESS WEIGHS FOC THREAT SEAFARERS WELCOME NEW TUG AND BARGE MATSON ORDERS 2 CONTAINERSHIPS FROM KVAERNER GOVERNMENT SERVICES DIVISION WELCOMES USNS ARCTIC NEW PACT FOR TWIN RIVERS BOATMEN ED PULVER, VETERAN SIU OFFICIAL AND HUMANITARIAN, DIES AT 78 UNIONS APPROVE STRATEGY TO FUND POLITICAL ACTION HOUSTON BARGE CO. PLEADS GUILTY TO POLLUTION NOT QUITE SEALED WITH A KISS, BUT 44-DAY HERSHEY STRIKE ENDS DEADLY BARGE CRASH RENEWS CONCERNS UNION MOURNS PASSING OF ROBERT JORDAN LATEST TECHNOLOGY APPEARS PROMISING FOR CARGO SECURITY DOT PLANS NEW BALLAST WATER REGULATIONS ALASKA STUDENT CHRIS EUBANKS GETS PAUL HALL CENTER GRANT INNOVATOR RESCUES FAMILY ADRIFT ON DISABLED BOAT GULF MARINER URGES SENATE TO PROBE ANTI-WORKER CASES CORNHUSKER STATE RETURNS TO VIRGINIA AFTER SUPPORTING 'ENDURING FREEDOM' CAPE HORN CREW CITES COMMENDABLE WORK IN DREADFUL CONDITIONS DEFINING AN FOC VIDEOS OF LOST GERMAN SUB HELP RE-WRITE WWII HISTORY JOHN W. BROWN CRUISES INTO PAST SHARK ATTACKS: SEAFARER URGES SIU MEMBERS TO USE CAUTION WHEN ENTERING OCEAN WATERS AT WORK WITH THE SIU SERVING THE SHIPS THAT SUPPORT OUR TROOPS TRANSITING THE PANAMA CANAL ABOARD THE ITB PHILADELPHIA MARITIME DAY 2002 CELEBRATIONS Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Seafarers Log Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Seafarers Log Scanned Issues 1984-1988, 1994-Present Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Seafarers International Union of North America Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 7/1/2002 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Newsprint Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Vol. 64, No. 7 2002 Periodicals Seafarers Log