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Prayer Requests:
For the repose of the Soul of Alice Milloy, AOS-Corpus Christi. Please keep her family, and all those at the Corpus Christi Seamen's Center in your prayers.
For Fr. Rivers Patout, who will undergo surgery for a Brain Tumor this Wednesday, May 21 at 7:30 am. He asks for your prayers and sincerely appreciates them!
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.
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Join AOS USA Today!
To join AOS USA simply click on the following link:
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This issue contains.... - Annual meeting of the AOS Regional Coordinators
- Singapore pastor's lifeline for trafficked fishers
- The maritime security policies and the real seafarer
- The Somali pirates are returning to fishing
- New measures to protect seafarers from abandonment
Click Here to Download Your Copy!
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 From the Bridge Capt. George P. McShea, Jr
President
Today is National Maritime Day!
Today the nation honors our maritime industry and seafarers. Many ports around the nation will hold events today and into the weekend celebrating the maritime industry. I, personally, will be participating on Saturday in the Maritime Day Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC. The Mass will be celebrated by Bishop J. Kevin Boland, the Bishop Promoter of the Apostleship of the Sea - USA.
Please take the time to involve yourself in any local events honoring our industry and the thousands of folks who work in jobs related to the sea.
Unfortunately, when I look at the state of the US Maritime Industry and our government's lack of any coherent maritime policy, I am concerned about the future - especially with respect to the US Merchant Marine. Every year our US flag fleet decreases in numbers, and young people have no idea what the maritime industry is about, let alone what the possibilities of a career in maritime might offer. Recently we have seen an upswing in the US Flag Jones Act trade due to the shale oil industry, but will the government burst that bubble by allowing foreign flag tankers into the trade? Or will they allow the export of our nation's crude supplies and take US flag ships out of the equation that way?
Since graduation from high school I have been a part of the US maritime industry. You rarely have the opportunity to work in a profession that you love and enjoy being part of. I guess that is the reason I have to sound off when I meet more and more people who could care less about all things maritime.
So starting today, spread the word about the US maritime industry and support everyone who works on and around the sea. May you have smooth seas and following winds, and be safe in all of your endeavors.
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The White House
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
May 19, 2014
Presidential Proclamation --
National Maritime Day, 2014
- - - - - - -
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION
America's open seas have long been a source of prosperity and
strength, and since before our Nation's founding, the men and women of the United States Merchant Marine have defended them. From securing Atlantic routes during the naval battles of the Revolutionary War to supplying our Armed Forces around the world in the 21st century and delivering American goods to overseas markets in times of peace, they have always played a vital role in our Nation's success. During National Maritime Day, we celebrate this proud history and salute the mariners who have safeguarded our way of life.
Today's Merchant Marine upholds its generations-long role as our "fourth arm of defense." Yet they also go beyond this mission, transporting food where there is hunger and carrying much-needed supplies to those in distress. Thanks to our dedicated mariners, people around the world continue to see the American flag as a symbol of hope.
To create middle-class jobs and maintain our leading position in an ever-changing world, we must provide new marketplaces for our businesses to compete. As we expand commerce, we do so with confidence that the United States Merchant Marine will keep our supply lines secure. Because just as America's workers and innovators can rise to any challenge, our mariners have demonstrated time and again that they can meet any test. Today, let us reaffirm our support for their essential mission.
The Congress, by a joint resolution approved May 20, 1933, has designated May 22 of each year as "National Maritime Day," and has authorized and requested the President to issue annually a proclamation calling for its appropriate observance.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim May 22, 2014, as National Maritime Day. I call upon the people of the United States to mark this observance and to display the flag of the United States at their homes and in their communities. I also request that all ships sailing under the American flag dress ship on that day.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this nineteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand fourteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-eighth.
BARACK OBAMA
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A Message from our
AOS National Director
Dear AOS colleagues,
May 22nd is National Day of Prayer and Remembrance for Mariners and People of the Sea. I encourage you to observe this annual event by means of liturgy celebration, i.e. special petitions in the Prayer of the Faithful at Mass. When Mass is celebrated on May 22nd , the text for the Votive Mass, the Blessed Virgin Mary, Star of the Sea is encouraged (see attached Stella Maris Liturgy Guide) . There are chaplaincies that observe this event by means of other activities in collaboration with a local maritime community. In a special way, let us also remember in prayer those who died this year, may they be with God in paradise.
In observance of National Day of Prayer, AOS National Office will sponsor a Maritime Day Mass on May 24th at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Washington, DC (see attached a flyer). Tomorrow, May 22nd, a Mass of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Stella Maris will be celebrated at the USCCB chapel, and I will also participate in the National Maritime Day Observance at the Department of Transportation.
USCCB has a news release about the Day of Prayer and Remembrance, here is a link: http://www.usccb.org/news/2014/14-084.cfm
In gratitude for all the work you do to uphold the life and dignity of seafarers and all people of the sea, I remain,
Sr. Myrna Tordillo, mscs
National Director
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My thanks to Dennis Bryant for capturing so many of my own thoughts. On one hand, our nation calls attention to the service of merchant mariners, and on the other hand, we jerk them around, and suspect them of being a threat to our nation. Go figure!
Fr. Sinclair Oubre
The Treatment of Foreign Seafarers
By Dennis L. Bryant
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
The United States effectively treats foreign seafarers more harshly than any other group that enters the country without breaking the law.
The general rule is that all persons who are not U.S. nationals or permanent residents must have a visa to enter the United States.
Persons desiring to become U.S. citizens or permanent residents must obtain an immigrant visa. Most other persons desiring to enter the United States for a limited period of time must obtain a nonimmigrant visa. To obtain a nonimmigrant visa, one must have a valid passport and complete the Nonimmigrant Visa Application, Form DS-160 and submit it and a photograph (head shot) to the relevant U.S. embassy or consulate.
The applicant must then schedule an interview, but the interview is generally required only for persons between the ages of 14 and 79.
An application fee of $160 must be paid prior to the interview. In many cases, there is also a visa issuance fee. But some nationalities may be eligible for more favorable treatment.
The Visa Waiver Program (VWP) allows citizens from participating countries to travel to the United States without a visa for stays of 90 days or less.
Such travelers must be eligible to use the VWP and have a valid Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) approval prior to travel. The traveler's purpose must be permitted by a Visitor (B) Visa (e.g., tourism or various business purposes). Travel must be performed on an approved air or sea carrier and the traveler must have a round trip ticket indicating return passage to a country outside the United States that is a participant in the VWP.
Currently, there are 38 participating VWP countries.
These countries include all the EU and EEA members, plus Australia, Brunei, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan.
Citizens of Canada and Bermuda do not require visas to enter the United States for visit, tourism and temporary business travel purposes. Also, citizens of Canada and Bermuda do not require visas to enter the United States for purposes of travel as a crewmember. Citizens and permanent residents of Mexico generally must have a nonimmigrant visa or a Border Crossing Card (also known as a "Laser Visa"). For ease of travel, the B-1/B-2 visa and the Border Crossing Card have been combined into one document (DSP-150).
A Crewmember Visa (D-1) must be obtained by persons working on board vessels or international airlines entering the United States if the individual intends to depart the vessel or airliner (even for short periods) while it is in the United States. The process for obtaining a Crewmember Visa includes all the requirements for obtaining a regular nonimmigrant visa. In addition, the applicant for a Crewmember Visa must provide evidence of the purpose of the trip the intent to depart the United States after the trip, and the ability to pay all costs of the trip if applicable. Evidence of family ties in the applicant's home country may suffice for showing the intent to depart. The Visa Waiver Program is not applicable to entry as a crewmember, but (as noted above) citizens of Canada and Bermuda do not require visas to enter the United States for purposes of travel as a crewmember.
Commercial airlines have scheduled routes. In addition, airline crewmembers tend to stay with the same airline for extended periods. Therefore, crewmembers on foreign airlines that call at U.S. airports know with certainty that they will need Crewmember Visas. The same cannot be said of most merchant vessels. They have no scheduled routes in most cases and sometimes change destinations en route. Many merchant mariners are employed by the same maritime employer for only one year at a time; long-term employment contracts are the exception rather than the rule on the marine sector. A merchant mariner on a foreign vessel, in most cases, has no idea whether the vessel will call in a U.S. port during the six-month period during which a Crewmember Visa is valid. Therefore, most merchant mariners do not go through the time and expense required to obtain such a visa.
An example (from the pre-9/11 era) may illustrate the visa conundrum. A ship's officer from a visa waiver country was assigned to join his ship in a U.S. port. He received the assignment several weeks in advance and decided to visit the United States as a tourist during the period before he was to join the ship. After two weeks of touring the U.S., he joined the ship as scheduled. The U.S. immigration officer for the ship noted his arrival and promptly informed the master that a civil penalty would be assessed if this particular ship's officer went ashore for any reason. I was attending a major shipping conference in Washington, DC shortly thereafter.
During a Q&A with the Deputy Chief Counsel of the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), a senior representative of the shipping company involved related the above and asked why this individual presented no threat to the United States during the two weeks that he toured the country, but was suddenly a threat when he boarded his ship. The INS representative's reply was that tourism and crewmember issues were entirely separate programs. In other words, common sense was and is not applicable.
When cargo (merchandise) from outside the United States is bound for unlading in the U.S., advance notice of the particulars concerning the cargo is transmitted to the U.S. Government. Every cargo is screened. If the cargo is deemed suspicious, it undergoes scanning and possibly other individualized examination. Less than 10% of cargo coming to the United States is subjected to this enhanced examination. In other words, more than 90% of the cargo coming to the U.S. is deemed to not present a security threat and is admitted through routine processing, based largely upon the paperwork related to cargo.
The U.S. Government is also provided advance notice of all crewmembers on all ships bound for a U.S. port. The advance notice of arrival must include, for each crewmember, the individual's full name, date of birth, nationality, passport or mariner document number, position or duties on the vessel, and where the crewmember embarked. This information is then compared against an extensive database of known and suspected terrorists and similar undesirables. If the individual is determined to be a severe threat, the vessel can be barred from entry into U.S. waters while the individual remains on board. If the threat is deemed less serious, the vessel must hire armed guards to keep the individual from departing while the vessel is in U.S. waters. Even if a crewmember presents no known threat, he or she may not depart the vessel (generally may not even come down the gangway to check draft marks or to make a telephone call from a landline) unless that individual has a U.S. Crewmember Visa. In other words, unlike with cargo where a particular piece of cargo is deemed unthreatening unless shown otherwise, a crewmember without a U.S. Crewmember Visa is deemed a threat to the security of the United States if he or she steps ashore even for a moment. A passport (even from a country that participates in the Visa Waiver Program) is insufficient. Likewise, possession of a seafarers' identity document issued in accordance with the ILO Seafarers' Identity Documents Convention will not suffice.
For all practical purposes, the United States treats foreign seafarers as threats to the security of the U.S. unless and until that seafarer has jumped through various bureaucratic hoops. Those hoops are effectively impossible for most foreign seafarers to negotiate. Thus, foreign seafarers are substantially denied the ability to take liberty or shore leave when their ships call in U.S. ports. It is ironic that the United States Government allows these same seafarers to navigate large vessels loaded with oftentimes hazardous cargoes through U.S. waterways and to call at and unlade/lade in U.S. ports. The threat potentially presented by these ships and their cargoes appears far greater than that presented by an individual crewmember without a U.S. Crewmember Visa, but I am unfortunately getting logical.
There are a variety of means by which a terrorist might enter the United States to wreak havoc. The 9/11 terrorists all obtained tourist visas and then flew to the U.S. on commercial airliners. A terrorist could join the numerous economic migrants who successfully cross the southwest border each year. Alternatively, a terrorist could walk across the unguarded border with Canada. If a terrorist opted to try to enter the United States as a foreign crewmember, the process becomes more complex and uncertain. The individual would have to undergo at least rudimentary training so as to qualify as a seafarer. Failure to have some basic skills will generally prevent one from getting hired. If hired, being unskilled will likely lead to quick dismissal. Assuming that the terrorist demonstrates the requisite skills and gets hired on an ocean-going merchant vessel, the individual must wait for the vessel to make a U.S. port call, which is certainly a long-shot within the six-to-12 month period on a particular vessel. No self-respecting terrorist or terrorist organization would select the maritime option as an efficient means of getting a malefactor into the United States.
Approximately 90% of goods imported to the United States from overseas arrives by ship and, of that, over 95% arrives on foreign-flagged ships manned by foreign crewmembers. If imported cargoes were treated like foreign crewmembers, the U.S. economy would grind to a halt. Fortunately, there is a strong lobby in Washington, DC to ensure that foreign trade is expedited. There is no such lobby in Washington for foreign seafarers.
The Author
Dennis L. Bryant is with Maritime Regulatory Consulting, and a regular contributor to Maritime Reporter & Engineering News as well as online at MaritimeProfessional.com.
t: 1 352 692 5493
e: [email protected]
(As published in the May 2014 edition of Maritime Reporter & Engineering News - http://magazines.marinelink.com/Magazines/MaritimeReporter)
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Abandoned, but not alone ILO News visits the crew of the B Ladybug, who have been stranded off the coast of Malta for almost a year after their ship owner went bankrupt.  | | Abandoned, but not alone |
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St. Brendan the Navigator
 (Editors Note: This past Friday, May 16 marked the Feast Day of St. Brendan the Navigator. Please click the link below from Catholic.Org to learn more about this Maritime Saint!)
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Maritime Administration Announces Office Realignments
Courtesy: MARAD
May 15, 2014
The Maritime Administration today announced an organizational realignment that will strengthen the Agency's ability to ensure the nation has sufficient capability to meet sealift needs during conflicts or national emergencies. The former Office of National Security is now the Office of Strategic Sealift, with three areas of focus; Federal Sealift, Commercial Sealift, and Maritime Workforce. Federal Sealift continues to be responsible for Ready Reserve Force vessels, Emergency Preparedness and the National Defense Reserve Fleet. Commercial Sealift will coordinate both the Cargo Preference and Maritime Security Programs. The Office of Maritime Workforce Development will evaluate mariner training needs, and enforce service obligations for maritime academy graduates. This realignment synchronizes the activities that support the vessels and crews that play a key role in our nation's economic and national security.
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Why We Need to Invest in Our Ports Infrastructure, in 90 Seconds
Courtesy: whitehouse.gov May 13, 2014
 | | Investing in American Ports Infrastructure |
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Former U.S. Rep Jim Oberstar of Minnesota Dies at 79
Courtesy: CNN
By Sara Fischer May 5, 2014
(Editors Note: Congressman Oberstar was a great supporter of the US Merchant Marine and the Coast Guard,
and guided the compromise on the Cruise Ship Penalty Wage reform in 2010, and did section 811 on access. AOS-USA bids a fond farewell to this man who did so much for mariners and the Maritime Industry. Please join us in prayers of thanksgiving for a life well-lived.)
(CNN) -- Former U.S. Rep. James "Jim" Oberstar, who represented Minnesota's 8th congressional district for over a quarter century, has died. Oberstar was 79.
Oberstar was elected in 1974 as a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, known as DFL, and held his seat from 1975 to 2011. He was elected among one of the largest classes of freshman Democrats in the House after the Watergate scandal broke in 1974.
President Barack Obama praised Oberstar for his commitment to the people of Minnesota.
"Jim cared deeply about the people of Minnesota, devoting his 36 years of service to improving America's infrastructure, creating opportunity for hardworking Minnesotans, and building a strong economy for future generations of Americans," Obama said in a statement released by the White House.
President Bill Clinton remembered Minnesota's longest-serving Congressman as a tireless public servant.
"Jim was a devoted friend and supporter of the Haitian people. I relied on him for advice on Haiti first as President and again after the terrible Haitian earthquake in 2010," Clinton said in a statement.
Oberstar was the state's longest-serving member of Congress. He became chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in 2006. In a close race, he lost to Republican challenger Chip Cravaack in the Republican House takeover in 2010.
"Jim Oberstar knew everything there was to know about our nation's infrastructure, and fought tirelessly to rebuild and renew it," House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said.
"... His passing is heartbreaking news for his friends and former colleagues from both sides of the aisle. It was an honor and a privilege to work alongside him, and we only hope it is a comfort to his wife Jean, his children and his grandchildren that so many share in their loss at this sad time."
Minnesota officials are mourning Oberstar's loss.
DFL Party Chairman Ken Martin said that the state lost a true Minnesota legend. Gov. Mark Dayton called him a "true champion" for Minnesota. Sen. Amy Klobuchar tweeted he was a "man of true purpose and grit."
Oberstar is survived by his wife, four children and eight grandchildren.
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Passing of Alice Milloy AOS Corpus Christi
(Editors Note: It is with sorrow that we inform you of the passing of long time AOS family member, Alice Milloy. Hers was a life well lived, serving others. We give thanks for her life and ask that you keep her in prayers during Masses this weekend.)
Alice Marthe Milloy, long time Corpus Christi resident, and founding member and former Executive Director of the Corpus Christi International Seamen's Center, died April 20, 2014, at the age of 99. She was born to Lorenzo and Lucie Perrault in Ottawa, Canada on New Year's Day, 1915, a fact that perhaps predicted her celebratory approach to life.
Although she treasured her French roots and never relinquished her Canadian citizenship, Alice (Mere) lived her life in the present, seldom looking back. She rarely mentioned her upbringing in Canada other than the beauty of the Laurentian Mountains, summers at Lake of the Woods, and her boarding school experiences with the French nuns.
Immigrating to Chicago in the 1930s, she enthusiastically embraced big city life. She loved her apartment in Chicago, her job as a buyer at Wieboldt's Department Store, her adopted Chicago family, the Lucals, and the cherished Gorey clan she joined when she and Dr. John E. Milloy married in 1944. She helped John open his first optometric practice in River Forest, Illinois and then, with Susan, John L. and Ross in tow, followed him to United States Navy duty stations in Memphis, Tennessee where Maryrose was born, to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, where Janet and Dorothea were added to the family, and eventually to Corpus Christi.
Entrepreneurial and energetic, Alice twice turned her avocations into business ventures: a design and retail store in Forest Park, Illinois and, as an outlet for her culinary skills, a catering company. Her cooking was legendary, less a hobby than a passion. A creative and adventuresome cook, she collected cookbooks from all over the world and frequently tried out new recipes. She loved to entertain and would throw a party or luncheon for any or no occasion. Even nightly family dinners featured a perfectly set table, beautiful, fresh flowers, candles and an interesting menu. She was also a voracious reader, often going through a book a night, and she instilled her love of reading in each of her offspring.
Despite having six children, Alice actively participated in community and church organizations including the Officer Wives' Club, the Deanery Council of Catholic Women, Catholic Daughters of America, Altar and Rosary Society, Women in Community Service, Job Corps, St. Vincent de Paul Society and the Bishop's Guild. She and John were among the founding families of both Our Lady of Perpetual Help and St. Pius X Catholic parishes and, in recent years, she attended Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Church.
But, it was her membership on the Board of the USO of South Texas in the 1970s that led to her role in the establishment and eventual leadership of the Corpus Christi International Seamen's Center. Part of the Apostleship of the Seas' mission to meet the spiritual and social needs of merchant mariners worldwide, the Seamen's Center became her 40 plus- year ministry and life's work. In her role as Executive Director, she welcomed, cared about, cooked for, raised funds for, coordinated the activities of and made the Center a home away from home for the thousands of seamen visiting the Port of Corpus Christi from around the world each year. Over the years, Alice received many awards recognizing her dedication to the seafaring community, including the United States Coast Guard's Public Service Award, the Sertoma Club's Service to Mankind Award and the Mayor's Committee on Aging nomination for the Greatest Generation Award.
In 2011, the Center was designated in her honor as the Alice M. Milloy International Seamen's Center. The family also wishes to thank her pastor, Father Yul Ibay and her longtime caregivers, Jackie Jones, Charlette Grant, and most especially, Eva Ruiz, as well as Drs. Robert Cone and Gregg Silverman and the staff of Mir Senior Care and Nurses on Wheels Hospice Care.
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Texas Maritime Academy General Rudder is Blessed
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Pictured left to right are Ron Roth, Fr. Sinclair Oubre, and Capt. Augusta Roth
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Last week Fr. Sinclair Oubre attended the Ship Operations Cooperative Program (SOCP) meeting in Galveston. While there, he was asked to bless the Academy's vessel, the General Rudder, as the Cadets will soon be going to sea for their Summer Cruises.
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Important Upcoming Events for
AOS USA Members
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
Sea Sunday
July 13, 2014
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