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Prayer Requests:
For the repose of the Soul of Mrs. Dorothy Smokovich, wife of former AOS Alpena Ship Visitor, Capt. Steve Smokovich.
When Steve retired as a mariner on the Great Lakes he gaves his time to AOS Alpena, Michigan. After his death, she continued to pray for the work of the Apostleship of the Sea around the world. Please keep her family in your prayers.
For Mrs. Anite Badeaux, Grandmother of Doreen Badeaux. Anite had a stroke last week, at the age of 101, and is hospitalized. Her mind is amazingly clear, though speaking is difficult now. She asks for prayers.
For the repose of the Soul of Brother Anthony Ornelas AOS - Houston.
For the repose of the Soul of Deacon Edward Vargas, AOS - Honolulu.
For the repose of the soul of Miss Khiem Nguyen, volunteer with the Port Arthur International Seafarers' Center and AOS - Diocese of Beaumont.
For Fr. Edward McKenna, AOS-USA Cruise Ship Priest who is recovering from heart surgery. He is progressing well! He asks for prayers from his AOS Family.
For Msgr. Francis Frey, AOS-USA Cruise Ship Priest member whose cancer has returned. His doctors have advised him they can only slow it down. Please keep this good priest in your prayers.
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Join AOS USA Today!
To join AOS USA simply click on the following link:
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Walking with Christ
Dear Friends,
As Holy Week approaches, AOS-USA wishes each of you a blessed and fruitful journey with Christ. By walking with him closely this next week, we pray that you will truly share in the Joy of Easter.
Let's also make a concerted effort to remind Christian seafarers of the importance of this week. We must emphasis that even if they cannot attend services, they can still participate in walking in the way of the Cross.
Most of your Seafarers' Centers have books, prayer pamphlets, rosaries, and other supplies that can help them. Be sure to remind them that they can download Apps to their phones to help them. There are many out there, but a personal favorite of mine is Laudate, which is a free download.
Click here
Laudate has the Stations of the Cross, "Confession" (a Daily Examination of Conscience), the Liturgy of the Hours, the Daily Readings, and so much more. Let's really walk with Christ this week, and encourage those we serve to do the same, that we may all share in His Joy and triumph at Easter!
Doreen M. Badeaux
Secretary General
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AGREEMENT REACHED FOR AMENDMENTS TO THE MARITIME LABOUR CONVENTION,
2006 TO ADDRESS ABANDONMENT OF SEAFARERS AND CREW CLAIMS Courtesy: International Chamber of Shipping
April 11, 2014
Governments, maritime employer representatives co-ordinated by the International Shipping Federation
(ISF) and their counterparts from the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) met this week at the International Labour Organization in Geneva for the first meeting of the Special Tripartite Committee (STC) established under the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 (MLC, 2006).
During the meeting agreement was reached for amendments to the Convention to ensure the provision of financial
security systems to assist seafarers in the event of their abandonment and for compensation for seafarers' contractual claims for death and personal injury.
ISF spokesperson Arthur Bowring, who led the Shipowner Group in the discussions, stated "We believe that the first meeting of the MLC Special Tripartite Committee has been a watershed in the history of the Maritime Labour Convention. The MLC, 2006 is intended to bring social justice and fair competition to the Shipping Industry and the lack of a specific reference to abandonment in the mandatory instruments
of ILO and IMO was an omission that needed comprehensive action. The first Special Tripartite Committee considered amendments developed over ten years by the Joint ILO and IMO working group and we believe that the outcome of our work this week is a significant achievement."
He went on to explain that "Shipowners have a responsibility for seafarers under their contractual employment arrangements, and the problems created when the seafarers are abandoned needed specific legislative measures. The new amendments not only provide that safeguard but also recognise the role to be played by flag states and labour supply states."
In fact only a very tiny proportion of the world's seafarers experience the despair of abandonment but that does not make the occurrence any less serious for the affected seafarers and their families.
ISF members were particularly concerned to see the new ILO video explaining the case of the B Ladybug, where the crew has been without financial or welfare support from the shipowner for well over twelve months. This is the sort of deplorable situation that the new amendments to the MLC, 2006 will help to speedily address.
The STC meeting also clarified Standard A4.2 to ensure that contractual claims for death and personal injury are now appropriately covered.
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New Short Videos from ISWAN
Courtesy: ISWAN
ISWAN has new short videos available. Check them out here:
View Videos
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Seafarers' charity providing support to crew and families of fatal ship collision
Courtesy: AOS - Great Britain
April 2, 2014
The dangers of shipping and fishing should not be underestimated, says seafarers' charity Apostleship of the Sea, following the collision of a car carrier and a fishing boat in Spanish waters.
Media have reported that three crew are confirmed dead after the Baltic Breeze, a Singapore-flagged car carrier, collided with a fishing boat near the Spanish port of Vigo in the early morning of Tuesday 1st April.
The Baltic Breeze and its crew are well known to the Apostleship of the Sea from its calls at various ports including Bristol, Sheerness & Southampton where its port chaplains have visited the crew to provide local information, help with getting in contact with families and other practical support.
According to local Spanish media "The two vessels were alerted" to try to avoid the collision, but in the end this was inevitable because they were very close.
The fishers' wives association of the local Apostleship of the Sea in Vigo, Spain has been providing support to the fishers' families affected by the tragedy.
Martin Foley, AoS national director said 'despite the recent good news showing a reduction in shipping losses during 2013, this tragedy highlights the high price that can be paid by seafarers and fishermen when things go wrong.'
'This tragedy is a reminder of the dangers seafarers and fishermen face each day to bring us various goods and food we rely on' Foley continued. 'Today our thoughts and prayers are very much with those who lost their lives, their families and the surviving crew of both vessels.'
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Winners Announced for the 2014 International Seafarers' Welfare Awards
Courtesy: ISWAN April 9, 2014
The winners of the 2014 International Seafarers' Welfare Awards were announced on Monday 7 April during a high profile ceremony hosted by Secretary General of the International Labour Organisation, Mr Guy Ryder at the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in Geneva, Switzerland.
The winners are:
* Judges Special Award : Ms Apinya Tajit, Thailand
* Shipping Company of the Year: Wallem Ship Management
* Port of the Year: Port of Antwerp, Belgium
* Seafarer Centre of the Year: Flying Angel Club, Fremantle, Australia
* Dr Dierk Lindemann Welfare Personality of the Year Award: Fr Paul Noel, Durban, South Africa
The Welfare personality of the Year Award is named after Dr Dierk Lindemann who sadly passed away on 17 March 2014. Dr Lindemann served as the Shipowner's Group spokesperson at the ILO and took a lead role in getting the Maritime Labour Convention adopted.
Welcoming participants at the award ceremony, ILO Director-General Guy Ryder, said the awards represented the "recognition of people who do extraordinary work and are an encouragement to make further efforts for the welfare of seafarers. These are really important objectives and the ILO is pleased to play a role in this ceremony."
"Working at sea in isolated circumstances can and does leave seafarers highly vulnerable," Mr. Ryder said. "These realities should encourage all of us to redouble our efforts to ensure the welfare of those 1.5 million seafarers around the world."
Commenting on the evening Roger Harris, ISWAN Executive Director, said: "The awards recognise excellent achievement and they inspire others to do more for the welfare of seafarers. We are particularly pleased that the awards are being held at the ILO with the Maritime Labour Convention eight months in force."
This year's judges were Mr Masamichi Morooka President of the International Shipping Federation and International Chamber of Shipping, Mr Steve Cotton, Acting General Secretary of the International Transport Workers' Federation, Dr Cleopatra Doumbia-Henry, Director of the International Labour Standards Department, International Labour Organisation and Fr Bruno Ciceri, Chairman of the International Christian Maritime Association.
The awards are generously funded by the ITF Seafarers' Trust. The awards are also supported & endorsed by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), International Maritime Organisation (IMO), the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF), International Shipping Federation (ISF), and the Intentional Christian Maritime Association (ICMA). International Shipping Federation (ISF) is sponsoring the Welfare Personality of the Year Award and Wrist Ship Supply is sponsoring Seafarer Centre of the Year Awards. Crewtoo is the media sponsor of the awards.
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Cruise lines defend treatment of staff
Courtesy: The Telegraph
By: Natalie Parks
April 7, 2014
The cruise industry has refuted claims that it is ignoring the welfare of staff, a week after crew members on board an MSC ship were rescued from "slave-like" conditions.
MSC denied allegations that staff were forced to work for up to 16 hours a day, after its ship, the Magnifica, was boarded by officials from the Brazilian Labour Ministry in Salvador, where it had docked for a day.
Some staff had also reported allegations of sexual harassment, according to a report by the BBC.
But MSC Cruises rejected the labour ministry's claims and said its four ships operating in Brazil had passed intensive and repeated inspections by the ministry. It said it is fully complying with Brazilian and international labour regulations.
Further criticism of the cruise industry however came in the form of a report published this month by academics at Leeds Metropolitan University. It referred to evidence from 2010 that found that the rights of disadvantaged groups were being frequently violated in terms of the work they were given and the salary they were paid, based on their to nationality and cultural background.
It also said that cruise companies had provided little information as to how they were going to implement new regulations brought in by the Maritime Labour Convention last year, which cover the management of recruitment agencies, hours of work and rest and the written confirmation of contractual conditions - aspects of working life that many outside the cruising industry take for granted.
Cruise companies could be doing more to assess environmental issues too, the report suggested, by reporting on their impact on the coastal water and marine ecosystems of the destinations they visit. But a spokeswoman for CLIA UK defended the industry and said the report was "deeply disappointing" and "seriously flawed", with "inaccuracies and subjective commentary which fly in the face of the facts of the achievements that the cruise industry delivers throughout the world." "The cruise industry is highly regulated on an international basis to exacting standards towards both the environment and labour welfare," she said. "In both areas we go above and beyond those high thresholds to enable our 21 million annual global customers to enjoy the seas in which they cruise and be cared and looked after by a motivated and content workforce. "We put great store into our social responsibilities and we make an enormously positive impact on national economies all around the world, to the tune of £31billion a year in Europe. A recent study also shows cruising contributes £60 billion to the global economy, supports more than 775,000 jobs, and pays £20 billion in wages." A Dispatches news programme attacked the cruise industry over the employment rights of staff in 2012. The documentary focused on the working conditions of staff on board the chip Celebrity Eclipse. It revealed that many of the ship's staff receive less than half the UK national minimum wage, with some of the lowest-paid workers earning just $600 (£375) per month, the equivalent of around £1.30 an hour, and received no gratuities. Members of staff claimed they were required to work seven days a week for months on end without rest days, while others alleged that they were forced to pay expensive fees to recruitment agencies to obtain their jobs. A Celebrity Cruises spokesman said that the Channel 4 programme had been "biased and unbalanced", however. He added that the cruise line was "committed to our employees, both shipboard and shoreside", adding that it operated "within the letter of the law".
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And now for a little Lenten Humour.......
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20 Pinoy seafarers survive 8.2 magnitude quake in Chile
Courtesy: The Philippine Star April 4, 2014
MANILA, Philippines - The all-Filipino crew of a cargo vessel cheated death during the 8.2 magnitude earthquake that struck Chile on Tuesday.
Twenty Filipino seamen led by Captain John Francis Rubio said they were left traumatized by the quake that shook their ship while unloading cargo at Port Mejillones.
Rubio, skipper of the 18,000-tonnage bulk carrier MV Fortune Bay, said his crew was still shook up and almost sleepless for the past two days because of the frequent tsunami alert warnings by Chilean authorities.
Rubio said they had just unloaded corn and wheat at Port Mejillones and were loading zinc and lead concentrates for delivery to Japan and Korea when the earthquake struck.
Two vessels were in port while others were anchored off pier waiting for their turn to unload cargo.
Rubio was talking to his wife Shirley on Skype when their vessel shook violently.
The skipper rushed outside to check and learned from his radio operator of the ongoing earthquake.
The radioman also relayed the order of the port control tower for them to leave for the high seas amid tsunami warnings.
Rubio ordered the vessel's anchor raised while at the same time cut loose some 14 ropes tying the MV Fortune Bay to port.
The vessel was rushing out of port when the first tsunami struck.
MV Fortune Bay made it out in a record seven seconds with neither tugboat nor harbor pilot.
But because it was in a hurry to leave, the vessel left behind its 3rd assistant engineer, Joseph de Leon, who had gone sightseeing outside the port.
"The railings of the MV Fortune Bay were destroyed. But the Japanese owners of the vessel gave assurance that it would be fixed as soon as possible," Shirley told The STAR.
As relayed by Rubio to his wife, the vessel's all-Filipino crew were in total shock and were praying for their safety.
They stayed in the high seas until port control informed them that they could come back and resume loading cargo.
Rubio also received an email from De Leon saying he's safe and sound.
According to De Leon, he was on his way back to port when Chile authorities prevented him from returning and instead brought him to an evacuation center on higher ground where he spent the night.
The ship's agent escorted De Leon back to the vessel the following day.
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LNG sector now offering golden hellos to LNG seafarers
Courtesy: Port News March 25, 2014
The LNG sector is for the first time offering inducements to experienced LNG seafaring officers to come ashore and manage their ships according to international recruitment agency Faststream.
The move comes as the shipping industry seeks personnel to man and manage its growing fleet of LNG carriers, whilst facing stiff competition for staff from the growing floating LNG production sector.
Speaking at the Gastech Exhibition in Korea, Faststream managing director Mark Charman said that 127 new LNG vessels were currently under order each needing officers, ratings and experienced shore-based technical superintendents. These 127 vessels will need an estimated 2000 officers to serve on them.
However, whilst one off payments will help some companies attract experienced staff to manage vessels, Faststream says that the LNG sector needs to change its recruitment strategies if it is to attract sufficient personnel to both crew its ships and manage them ashore.
"Companies need to think about their value proposition to candidates. What is it that your company is offering - is it a short-term post with a high salary, or a longer term package with further opportunities? Seafarers should not be treated as just short term hires, but need to see how they fit within the wider company."
"Companies need to realise just how in demand LNG experienced engineers are and offer them realistic shoreside packages. They have tax free options at sea, newbuild and project offers open to them. What is going to motivate them to come ashore?"
He added:
"Shipping recruiters should be aware that LNG experienced seafarers are already being courted by the upcoming FLNG sector which offers higher pay and short rotations. The increasing interest in LNG as an alternative marine fuel for vessels is also just going to make recruitment even tougher in the years to come."
The LNG sector is plugging the gap by looking to other areas of the shipping industry for personnel. Increasing numbers of LPG seafarers are transferring to LNG vessels, electrical officers are coming from other vessel types and even from outside the maritime sector and cruise ship engineers with dual fuel experience are finding positions on LNG vessels and ashore.
According to Faststream data, the average salary for an LNG technical superintendent is $113,528, whilst LNG chief engineers command an average annual salary of $121,536.
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Louisiana Ranked Top Domestic Maritime State Courtesy: Workboat.Com April 9, 2014
New data released this week shows that Louisiana ranks first in the nation in economic impact from America's domestic maritime industry. The state's 54,850 maritime jobs pump more than $11.3 billion annually into the Louisiana economy. America's robust domestic maritime industry includes vessel operators, marine terminals, shipyards and workers engaged in the movement of cargo exclusively within the United States.
According to a study commissioned by the Transportation Institute and conducted by Pricewaterhouse-Coopers, Louisiana also ranks first in the country in maritime jobs per capita, with one in every 83 jobs connected to the state's domestic maritime industry, nearly twice that of any other state.
"Louisiana's maritime jobs aren't just important to our state's economy - they play an incredibly vital role in our national economy," said Sen. David Vitter, R-La.
Louisiana ranks third in the nation in shipbuilding, according to a recent study by the U.S. Maritime Administration covering commercial and military construction. Shipbuilding accounts for 29,250 jobs and more than $2.23 billion in annual economic impact for the state.
"Louisiana shipyards build every kind of seagoing vessel from giant cryogenic ships used to transport liquefied natural gas to some of the largest offshore oil and gas exploration rigs in the world," said Rep. Charles Boustany, R-La. "Louisiana also builds merchant vessels, Coast Guard cutters, barges, tugs, supply boats, fishing vessels, pleasure craft and river patrol boats. The shipbuilding industry provides stability throughout the state, in the form of jobs, development, investment, and community support."
Vitter and Boustany, as well as other members of Louisiana's Congressional delegation, emphasized the foundation of their state's domestic maritime industry comes from the Jones Act, which they said is critical to the military strategy of the United States and ensures the availability of a shipyard industrial base to support national defense needs.
"The maritime industry is a cornerstone of the American economy, and the Jones Act is essential in sustaining that vitality," said Rep. Cedric Richmond, D-La.
Across America, the domestic maritime industry includes approximately 40,000 vessels, supports 478,440 jobs and has an annual economic impact of $92.5 billion, according to the Transportation Institute's findings. The industry also generates approximately $29 billion in wages and $10 billion in tax revenues.
Louisiana's navigable waterway network of over 2,800 miles is second only to that of Alaska and handles more waterborne commerce than any other state, moving more than 500 million tons of domestic and foreign cargo each year. Louisiana is also home to the largest container port in the Western Hemisphere by tonnage and the second busiest port in the nation based on vessel arrivals.
"Louisiana is critical to our nation's domestic maritime industry because of its proximity to the lower Mississippi River, which connects 31 states through a critical 14,500-mile system of inland waterways. Tugboats play an important role in this vast port network, safely escorting and maneuvering large container, tanker and bulk cargo ships in Louisiana waters, as do towboats and barges which move millions of barrels of petroleum products every month," said Tom Allegretti, president and CEO of the American Waterways Operators and chairman of the American Maritime Partnership.
Robert Clemons, chairman of the Offshore Marine Service Association and vice president and chief operating officer of SEACOR Marine, added that Louisiana is America's lifeline to offshore energy. "More than 25 percent of America's domestic energy is produced offshore, and the oil and gas industry depends on the more than 2,000 specialized vessels in the U.S. fleet to carry out seismic research, drill test wells, lay pipe, transport and install production facilities and continually supply them with personnel, commodities, fuel and equipment," he said.
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Landrieu highlights importance of Jones Act to Louisiana economy
Courtesy: Workboat.Com
April 9, 2014
On Tuesday, U.S. Sen. Mary L. Landrieu, D-La., chair of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee highlighted the importance of the Jones Act to Louisiana's economy at a press conference. According to a study commissioned by the Transportation Institute and conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers, Louisiana's 54,850 maritime jobs pump more than $11.36 billion annually into the Louisiana economy. The study also found that the state ranks first in the country in maritime jobs per capita, with one in every 83 jobs connected to the state's domestic maritime industry, nearly twice that of any other state. "Maritime is the one of the largest industries in Louisiana, behind oil and gas and agriculture. But we wouldn't be standing here today to tout this economic prowess of the maritime industry in Louisiana if it weren't for the Jones Act. The Jones Act is a jobs act- pure and simple," Landrieu said. "I will continue to do all that I can to ensure the Jones Act is properly enforced and Louisiana maritime jobs are protected." Landrieu has long been a strong supporter of the Jones Act. In 2011, she wrote a letter to the president criticizing the administration's use of foreign vessels to transport crude oil within the U.S. during the ongoing Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) drawdown. The letter urged the use of domestic vessels and seafarers - as required in the Jones Act - in order to create jobs and improve the economy here at home. Also in 2011, Landrieu introduced the American Mariners Job Protection Act, which would help restrict Jones Act waivers, improve transparency and prevent maritime work from going to foreign companies. Landrieu was joined at the press conference by Robert Clemons, chairman of the Offshore Marine Service Association (OMSA) and vice president and chief operating officer of Seacor Marine. You can hear Clemons remarks in the video below.  | | Landrieu Highlights Importance of Jones Act to Louisiana Economy |
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Global piracy continues to decline
Courtesy: Dryad Maritime/defenceWeb
April 9, 2014
Piracy and maritime crime continues to fall across the globe, from the Horn of Africa to Southeast Asia, according to statistics compiled by a maritime intelligence provider for the first quarter of 2014.
Dryad Maritime today said there is an overall downturn in incidents across the Horn of Africa, the Gulf of Guinea and Southeast Asia compared to the same period last year. However, Dryad Maritime cautioned that 'shock' incidents and evolving criminal trends remain a very real threat to the shipping industry.
According to Dryad, the overall statistics show a 13% reduction in crime, but 'shock' incidents such as the kidnap and ransom of seafarers off the Niger Delta still present real and credible threats; six seafarers are still believed to be in captivity in Nigeria. Similarly, the hijack of MT Kerala from its Angolan anchorage with the subsequent theft of 13 000 tons of gasoil off the Niger Delta, has demonstrated the increasing reach of Nigerian based criminals. These shock incidents made international headlines but across the Gulf of Guinea the media have failed to report the spate of incidents that has seen crew kidnapped and then released, Dryad said.
"This analysis gives cause for concern and serves as a reminder to all seafarers to remain vigilant and employ appropriate risk reduction measures in all high risk areas," said Ian Millen, Dryad Maritime's Director of Intelligence. "Maritime criminals, from those off Nigeria to Somali pirates and those that operate in the archipelago of Southeast Asia remain very much in business and are capable of inflicting misery on seafarers. The first line of defence is to be aware of their presence and take measures to ensure that their criminal activities are countered".
In the Horn of Africa, reported incidents appear to have risen from 9 in the first quarter of 2013 to 15 in the first quarter of 2014, but Dryad analysts attribute part of this data to a misinterpretation of events such as the misidentification of regional fishermen in the Southern Red Sea and off the coast of Oman. However, Dryad cautions against complacency, as a number of the reported incidents occurred are the result of Somali piracy.
"Somali pirates have not been totally eradicated. Armed attacks against MT Nave Atropos, south of Salalah in January and the Kenyan vessel, MV Andrea, close to the Somali coast in February have proved that broad containment of the threat does not mean it has been removed. On both occasions, the Somali attackers were only repelled by embarked armed security teams on the vessels concerned" said Millen.
Across the waters of Southeast Asia, again the data highlights a decrease in reported maritime crime, with incidents dropping from 41 in the first quarter of 2013 to 31 in the first quarter of 2014. However, Dryad analysts note the incidents that have been logged possibly indicate a new modus operandi with criminals demonstrating a trend towards robbery from vessels underway in the Singapore Strait rather than boarding those anchor.
"The Singapore Strait has attracted attention with a number of vessels boarded for robbery in the first quarter of the year; a spate of attacks that has coincided with a reduction of incidents in the anchorages off Pulau Nipah, possibly signalling a change of modus operandi for criminal gangs who may have shifted attention to boarding vessels that are underway" continued Millen..
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Important Upcoming Events for
AOS USA Members
AOS-USA Annual Conference
April 29 - May 2, 2014
Corpus Christi, Texas
National Maritime Day
May 22, 2014
National Day of Remembrance and Prayer for Mariners
May 24, 2014
12:10 pm Mass
Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception
Crypt Church
400 Michigan Ave. N.E.
Washington, DC 20017-1566
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