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Prayer Corner
Fr. Richard Barclift, AOS USA Cruise Ship Priest member, thanks everyone for prayers answered during his Cardiac
surgical procedure earlier this month.
For Deacon Glenn & Pat Teske with AOS Green Bay. Pat is experiencing some memory problems since the car accident in May, and Deacon Glenn is still recovering from the Heart Cath. Please continue to keep them in your prayers.
For our mariner member, Jon Furukawa, during his deployment in Iraq.
For those held hostage by pirates throughout the world.
For all those in pirate infested waters that God will protect them.
For those suffering from floods, droughts, tornados, and other harsh weather conditions. May the Peace of Christ sustain them, as they work to rebuild their homes and their lives.
We ask the intercessions of Our Lady Star of the Sea, for a calm, uneventful hurricane season.
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Join AOS USA Today!
To join AOS USA simply click on the following link:
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 AOS USA Co-Sponsors US Observance of the IMO's
World Maritime Day - Register Today!
During the May Annual Meeting of AOS USA in Duluth, our membership voted to be a sponsoring organization for one of the two US observances of World Maritime Day. This will be taking place at the Port Arthur Internationals Seafarer Center on September 29, 2011. This is also the same day that the main observance will take place in at the IMO's headquarters in London.
The organizers have established a web site: www.seafarerissues.net. Here you can find the agenda, register for the event, pay the registration fee, and make a reservation at the dedicated hotel.
In addition you can CLICK HERE to get the WMD flyer and agenda.
Because of the generous underwriting BY many in the maritime industry, registration is only $25.00. You can register by CLICKING HERE, and you can pay by PayPal by CLICKING HERE. Finally, you can make reservations at the designated hotel, Hampton Inn - Port Arthur by CLICKING HERE.
Fr. Sinclair Oubre, J.C.L.
President
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 Why is piracy so hard to stop?
It often seems quite incongruous that in the 21st century we have seen a resurgence of piracy, with large modern merchant ships being captured by pirates in small skiffs with hand-held weapons, carried off to the coast of Somalia and their crews held hostage against ransoms of many million dollars. There are also piratical incidents regularly reported in West African waters, while the waters of South East Asia, including the Malacca Strait, see occasional cases. In March 2010, Somali pirates held captive some 30 ships and upwards of 700 merchant seafarers, and while it may have reduced since this peak, the menace has spread to cover a large part of the Indian Ocean. Piracy out of Somalia flourishes in the absence of any proper law enforcement ashore in what has effectively become a "failed state". It is now a major "industry" costing shipping billions of dollars.
CLICK HERE FOR FULL ARTICLE
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Pirate Activity in the Red Sea/Eritrea Area
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Further to our previous media releases detailing a potential new trend in pirate tactics in an area of the Red Sea off Eritrea, Neptune Maritime Security has had the opportunity to examine the available data through our Intelligence Bank, including material supplied by intelligence sources, and presents the following report to interested parties.
In July, pirate activity off Eritrea was limited to small numbers of pirates mounting similarly small-scale attacks on shipping. For example, on July 20th, an oil tanker, Front Pride, was attacked by a single skiff containing six pirates while underway in position 13:27N-042:39E, approximately 27nm NW off Assab, Eritrea. Pirates fired an RPG at the vessel, but the armed security team onboard returned fire and the pirates aborted the attack.
CLICK HERE FOR FULL ARTICLE
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MV POLAR released from pirate control and safe in Salalah after 300 days
August 30, 2011, published in News by EU NAVFOR Public Affairs Office
MV POLAR
In the early hours of 26 August, M/V POLAR was released from pirate control after 300 days in captivity and has recently safely reached the port of Salalah, Oman.
The Panama flagged and Liberian owned tanker was enroute to Singapore from Suez at the time of her capture, approximately 620 nautical miles East of Socotra Island.
EUNAVFOR Somalia - Operation ATALANTA's main tasks are to escort ships carrying humanitarian aid of the World Food Program (WFP) and vessels of African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), deter and disrupt piracy and protect other vulnerable vessels in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean. In addition, EUNAVFOR monitors fishing activity off the coast of Somalia.
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ICSW Launches New Online Toolkit on Seafarers' Welfare
18 July 2011
The International Committee on Seafarers' Welfare today launches a new online toolkit on seafarers' welfare. The new toolkit is aimed at all organisations and individuals involved with seafarers' welfare around the world.
The toolkit comprises of a set of tools on National Welfare Boards, port welfare committees, and fundraising for seafarers welfare. Additional content on seafarers' welfare and cruise ships, running successful seafarer centres, and welfare on board will follow in the new few months.
The main aim of the toolkit is to promote good practice and to share knowledge, experiences, and skills.
The toolkit is designed to assist organisations and individuals in setting up and developing national welfare boards and port welfare committees, key features of the new Maritime Labour Convention 2006. The website also provides practical advice on fundraising for seafarers' welfare.
The toolkit contains a number of case studies that provide 'real life' examples. More case studies will be added as the site develops.
An important feature of the website is the translate function. All of the website can be translated in a wide range of different languages by selecting the drop down menu on the top right of the screen. The translation is instantaneous and this functionality opens up access to the website to a wide range of different nationalities involved in seafarers' welfare.
We hope that users will interact with the site and provide new case studies and fresh content. We welcome feedback about the site. Please link your website to the online toolkit and let your members, networks, and colleagues know about the site.
The web address is www.seafarerswelfaretoolkit.org
The ICSW deeply appreciates the support of The TK Foundation for the online toolkit.
Roger Harris
Executive Director
For further information email icsw@icsw.org.uk or call +44 (0)300 012 4279
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Important Upcoming Events for
AOS USA Members
AOS Maritime Chaplaincy Training Program
Aug. 7-19, 2011
Montreal, Canada
http://www.aos-canada.org/AOS-CanadaTraining.pdf
IMO World Maritime Day
Celebrated the week of Sept 26-30, 2011
Western Gulf World Maritime Day Observance
September 29, 2011
9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Port Arthur International Seafarer Center
401 Houston Ave.
Port Arthur, TX 77640
www.seafarerissues.net
USA Celebration of World Maritime Day
September 29, 2011
@ Port Arthur International Seafarers' Center
Houston Maritime Chaplaincy Training Program
Feb. 5-16, 2012
@ Houston International Seafarers' Center
Houston School Application
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