AOS USA 3 colored logo
AOS USA Maritime Updates 
The Professional Association of Catholic Mariners and the Official Catholic Organization for Cruise Ship Priests and Catholic Maritime Ministers. February 4, 2010
In This Issue
Looking out for Seafarers
Meeting in Savannah
Good News from AOS Chenai
Piracy update
PrayingHands 

     Prayer Corner

 
Please keep in prayer:

Abandon Crewmembers Around the World

9 Dead Crewmembers of the M/V Aegean Wind

Dead & Missing on the Ferry Catalyn B

 

Seafarers Held by pirates & All mariners traveling in pirate infested waters.  May God safely pilot them to safe harbors.

Fr. Corbin Eddy recovery from a fall on the ice.

Fr. Jospeh Fenton on the recent deaths of two brothers.

Affiliate Member, Carol Noack as she recovers from surgery

AOS USA 3 colored logo 
 
Join AOS USA Today!
 
To join AOS USA simply click on the following link:
 
Ministry Quicklinks
 
 
 
 
 
   AOS Streaming Video
Doreen Badeaux photoMembership Renewals
Doreen M. Badeaux
AOS USA Secretary General
 

Dear Friends,
 
If you have not already done so, it is time to renew your membership with AOS USA for the year 2010.  (Yes, I had to pay my $60 too......)
 
For those of you who received our e-news and are not members, I encourage you to join! 
 
Anyone can join as an Affiliate member, and the dues help us to provide this news letter and assistance to port chaplaincies throughout the US, and sometimes beyond!
 
Do you have Port Chaplains or Volunteers in your ports who are not members? Encourage them to join!
 
Membership Categories are as follows:
Pastoral Member  - $60 (Send copy of Bishop's appointment letter and photo)
 
Associate Member  - $60 (Send letter of endorsement by your Diocesan Pastoral Member/Chaplain and photo)
 
Cruise Ship Priest Member - $60 (Send Bishop's or Religious Superior's permission letter and photo)
 
Mariner Member - $60 (Send copy of license, merchant marine document or letter of endorsement by a Pastoral member and photo)
 
Student/Cadet Mariner Member - $5 (Send copy of Student ID and photo)
 
Affiliate Member - $35 (Open to anyone)
 
You can sign up very easily online by going to the following link:
 
All the Best to each of you!
Doreen
 

Looking Out for Seafarers:

 The U.S. Coast Guard and Seafarer Welfare Organizations

Co-authored by:

LCDR Norbert John Pail Jr. (USCG Houston/Galveston) &
Fr. Sinclair K. Oubre, JCL (AOS USA)
 
 
Click to read the article from the Winter 2009-2010 edition of Coast Guard Proceedings
 
AOS and AOS USA leadershipP
 In January, AOS and AOS USA leadership met in Savannah to discuss the Cruise Ship Priest Program.

Pictured are: Fr Sinclair K. Oubre, JCL (President AOS USA), Bishop J. Kevin Boland (AOS Bishop Promoter), Sr Myrna Tordillo (AOS National Director), Doreen M. Badeaux AOS USA Secretary General

Savannah has deep Maritime roots, and is of course the home of the USS Savannah which we remember each year on National Maritime Day.
 
ShipsofSeaIf you are in Savannah be sure to stop by to visit the Ships of the Sea Museum.
 
Pictured here is one of the very helpful curators, Ms Darby Kim Thomas.
 
 
Savannah's maritime history includeds the true story of Florence Martus who lived from 1869 - 1943.  She became known as  "The Waving Girl".  According to the statue of her along the famous river front, "Her immortality stems from her friendly greeting to passing ships, a welcome to strangers entering the port, and a farewell to wave them safely onward."
 
WavingGirl
 
 

Good News from AOS Chenai

Fr. B. Anthony

 

Dear Friends at AOS USA:
 
Loving Greetings from AoS Chennai
I have good news to share with you about the latest supreme court order on missing tug Jupiter-6. The Insurance firm will pay $3,20,000 to the families of missing tug crews.This will be the great help for 10 indian crews families.
 
Kindly pulish this news in the AoS usa  news letter.
 
Thanking you
With Love and prayers
Fr.B.Anthony

 

Latest Supreme Court order on missing tug Jupiter-6

Insurance firm will pay $3,20,000 to families of missing tug crew

Legal Correspondent

New Delhi: A London-based insurance company has told the Supreme Court that families of the 10 missing crew of the tug, 'Jupiter 6', would be paid a total compensation of $3,20,000.
A Bench of Justices R.V. Raveendran and G.S. Singhvi recorded the submissions made by senior counsel Rajiv Dutta, appearing for the two manning agents in Mumbai - Pelmar Shipping and Engineering Pvt. Ltd. and P & I Services Ltd. - that Navigators Protection and Indemnity, London, had given them this information. The Bench granted six weeks' time for disbursement of the amount.
 
It was hearing a writ petition filed by Sabeeha Faikage and other family members of the missing crew. They said the crew were employed by their foreign principals to work on board 'Jupiter 6'. The ship was said to have sailed from the Walvis Bay to India via South Africa on August 21, 2005, when the crew informed their families of their return to India. The petitioners said that according to the agent 'Jupiter 6' had gone missing since September 5, 2005.
 
The court, while giving a series of directions in September 2008, asked the Centre to file an affidavit. Since the earlier affidavit did not address the concern expressed by the court, the Centre was asked to file a better one.
 
On Monday, Justice Raveendran told Additional Solicitor-General Harin Raval: "Even this affidavit does not contain all details we wanted. Their [petitioners'] main grievance is there is no mechanism now and they don't know whom to approach for compensation."
 
Senior counsel K.N. Balagopal and counsel P. Somasundaram, appearing for the petitioners, said the manning agents did not make any claim for compensation. Except a meagre ex gratia payment, no compensation was paid, Mr. Balagopal said. He said about one lakh Indian nationals employed in various ships would be on the high seas every day, but the Centre was silent on how compensation could be got for the Indian crew.
 
Mr. Dutta said the London-based firm was ready to pay the compensation to the family members of the missing Indian crew. In respect of family members of three Ukranian nationals, who died in the tug, the company said it would get in touch with its agent in Ukraine for settlement of the compensation.
 
Justice Raveendran told the ASG: "This is a serious issue in the context of hijacking of ships. We want you to come out with a comprehensive system so that issues like hijacking, death, injury of seamen or seamen being held hostage could be addressed by the government. You tell us what steps you [government] have taken to prevent piracy incidents [as happened in Somalia] in future. "
 

Background of the case:

In the case relating to the missing tug Jupiter-6, which went missing in the year 2005, the 'Sailors Helpline' took the initiative in bringing together the family members of the missing crew of Jupiter-6.

 

The Jupiter-6 which was engaged in towing M.V. Satsang (a dead ship) to the ship breaking yard in India, went missing mysteriously on September 5,2005 while she was 200 miles off Port Elizebath in South Africa. The Jupiter -6 had 10 Indians and 3 Ukranian crew.

The Sailors Helpline core committee headed  by V. Manoj  Joy- National Co-ordinator, Fr. B. Anthony- Joint Co-ordinator, P. Muthusamy, Secretary -Legal (advocate- Madras High Court) and seafarers welfare workers, provided the much needed free legal assistance to the family members of the missing crew of Jupiter-6.

Senior Counsel K.N. Balgopal, Advocates Somasundaram of the the Supreme Court of India appeared on behalf of the family members.

Prior to filing the petition before the H'onble Supreme Court of India, the Sailors Helpline undertook research on various aspects of the ship missing theories and also extensive study of Indian and international maritime regulations and laws. Later a small team from among the functionaries of the 'Helpline' was formed to draft the affidavit on behalf of the family members. Documents and supporting evidences running to nearly 300 pages was submitted to the Supreme Court.  

Earlier during the court hearing on September 24, 2008 the Honble Supreme Court of India has held the government responsible and it has directed the government to furnish details of the number of reports it has received on marine casualties involving Indian citizens on board foreign vessels after October 2002 and the number of reports received within 48 hours.

A bench headed by Justice RV Raveendran gave the directions after families of Indian seamen on board the missing vessel Jupiter -6, claimed that the government had failed to comply with the United Nations Convention on the Law of Seas.

The apex court also ordered interim compensation for each of the family of the 10 Indian sailors on board Jupiter 6.

As the UN convention requires manning agents of ships to be in touch with the Union government, the court wanted to know in how many cases did the director general of shipping receive information about missing ships from such agents.

We are happy that the Indian Supreme Court's ruling will provide better safeguard for the Indian seafarers.  

Thanks and regards,
 

V.M. Joy                                           Fr. B. Anthony

National Co-ordinator                   Joint Coordinator 

 

     

                                                                     SailorsHelpline                     


Pirate FlagSomali Piracy Update

  

 

 

 

 

 

Friends:

 

Maritime piracy off the Somali coast continues to threaten peaceful commercial activities in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean .In 2009, 47 vessels and nearly 300 crew were captured and exchanged for more than $60 million in cash.  In early 2010, 12 ships and crew, and an endangered yachting couple, were being held hostage. Large ships were still being attacked during the first weeks of the New Year.

  

The World Peace Foundation and the Cambridge Coalition to Combat Piracy are pleased to present the attached, concise, Policy Brief on the pirate scourge.

 

It contains 38 hard-hitting recommendations that suggest how world order, allied navies, ship owners and their crews, and the countries affected can combat piracy on land, sea, and legally.

 

We trust that you will find the analysis and recommendations relevant and actionable.

 

Please click

http://www.worldpeacefoundation.org/PolicyBriefs.html  

 

Andrew MwanguraSeafarers' Assistance Program
Mombasa KENYA

Upcoming Events
 
Feb 21 - March 5, 2010
Houston Maritime Ministries School 
Click this link for an application:
 

May God Bless you with Smooth Sailing throughout your day!

Contact Info
Doreen M. Badeaux
Secretary General
Apostleship of the Sea of the United States of America
1500 Jefferson Drive
Port Arthur, TX  77642-0646
PH:  409-985-4545
FAX:  409-985-5945