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Prayer Requests:
For Doreen Badeaux who will be undergoing surgery next Wednesday for a hysterectomy. She appreciates your prayers.
For Fr. Joe Brando, AOS-USA Cruise Ship Priest who has cancer. He asks for your prayers.
For Fr. Steven L. Yander, AOS-USA Cruise Ship Priest, who is having open heart surgery. He appreciates your prayers.
Fr. Edward McKenna, Cruise Ship Priest who recently suffered a stroke. He asks for prayers from his AOS-USA Family.
For Miss Mary Cadotte, step-daughter of Jim McGee, with the Seafarers' International Union in Houston. Mary was just diagnosed with
Hodgekin's Disease, and is undergoing testing at MD Anderson.
AOS PRAYER
Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy upon all Seafarers.
(1 Our Father)
(Hail Mary)
Our Lady, Star of the Sea, pray for us.
St. Peter, pray for us.
St. Andrew, pray for us.
Lord save us, we perish.
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Join AOS USA Today!
To join AOS USA simply click on the following link:
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AOS/USCCB Website:
Some went down to the sea in ships, doing business on the great waters; they saw the deeds of the Lord, his wondrous works in the deep. (Psalm 107:23-24)
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US Coast Guard Seafarers' Access Public Meeting Video Link
Dear Friends,
Today is a very important day for Seafarers. The US Coast Guard is holding a public meeting at 9:00 a.m. East Coast time regarding Seafarers' Access to Maritime Facilities. In short, this a discussion regarding Shore Leave Access for mariners.
As all of our Port Chaplains and Mariner Members know, since Sept. 11, 2001 the balance between homeland security, facility security and the rights of US and foreign mariners to shore leave has been difficult to balance.
This morning, Fr. Sinclair Oubre is at the Coast Guard Hearing in Washington, DC to speak to this issue on behalf of AOS-USA.
Yesterday, he met with a coalition of maritime ministers, seafarers' union officials and others at the Maritime Trades Department, in order to coordinate efforts and speak with one voice. Jason Zuidema from NAMMA is also part of that coalition.
So there is a wonderful, well-informed group that will be representing the needs of Mariners for shore leave access, and the needs of Port Chaplains and Seafarers' Centers to access their vessels. You can watch the hearings live at 9:00 am East Coast Time (8:00 am our time) at the following link:  | | Sea Farer's Access Public Meeting |
The video feed will be live at 9 a.m. EST and will be available after the meeting for viewing again. Those wishing to submit comments to the Federal Register Docket can click the following link for information on how to do so: The comment period ends on February 27, 2015.
If you are in need of assistance in formulating your comments, please review the document submitted by Fr. Sinclair. Finally, let us ask Our Lady Star of the Sea to guide today's proceedings, and to guide the minds and hearts of those who will ultimately make the decisions which will affect all mariners in US Ports and Facilities. Doreen M. Badeaux Secretary General
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Working with Congress to Ensure Seafarers' Port Access Rights are Respected at U.S. Port Terminals
The following video link from Maritime TV sets out some of the issues surrounding seafarers shore leave access:
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 Lifetime Achievement Award Winner
Courtesy: Lloyd's List
22 January 2015
Editor's Note: Congratulations to AOS-USA Mariner Member Joe Cox for earning this prestigious award. Joe has also lead the charge on the "Our Lady Star of the Sea Roundel" which will be installed in the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception this coming May.
The finalists have been announced and the countdown to the region's biggest maritime event of the year has begun!
We are delighted to announce President and CEO of the American Chamber of Shipping, Joe Cox, winner of the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award for this year.
Mr Cox will be presented with his award on February 18 along with winners in the other 16 categories during a glittering gala evening at one of the most exclusive hotels in Houston, the Houstonian Club & Spa.
You can view the finalists list here
Over 300 industry professionals from across the region enjoyed the celebrations at the inaugural event last year.
Attendees included: Maersk Line, Class NK, Port of Houston Authority, Mediterranean Shipping, Deutsche Bank, Titan Salvage, ABS, Standard Chartered Bank, NASCO, Kriby Corporation, Lloyd's Register North America Inc., NOIA, Fednav, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, Navios Maritime Acquisition Corporation.
Join us this year and take advantage of networking with key industry figures from across the region, all in one place.
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Satellites to Track Illegal "Pirate Fishing"
Courtesy: MarineLink.Com
Posted by: Eric Haun
21 January 2015
About 20 percent of the world's fishing catch is taken illegally by poachers, experts estimate, but a new satellite tracking system launched on Wednesday aims to crack down on the industrial-scale theft known as "pirate fishing."
Run by the British technology firm Satellite Applications Catapult and backed by the Pew Charitable Trusts, project 'Eyes on the Seas' will open a "Virtual Watch Room".
Computers will be able to watch satellite feeds of the waters around Easter Island, a Chilean territory in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, and the western Pacific island nation of Palau, which lacks the resources to monitor all the illegal fishing taking place near its waters.
The project is now live and capable of monitoring waters across the world's oceans.
The technology analyses numerous sources of live satellite tracking data, enabling monitors to link to information about a ship's country of registration and ownership history to spot suspicious vessels.
"This system will enable authorities to share information on those vessels operating outside the law, build a comprehensive case against them, track them into port or within reach of enforcement vessels, and take action against them," Joshua Reichert from the Pew Charitable Trusts said in a statement.
"We want to identify bad actors and hold them accountable, making enforcement easier and more cost effective."
Tommy E. Remengesau Jr., Palau's president, said his country had already been able to identify suspicious vessels in its marine zone with the help of the project's supporters.
The "watch room" is a digital platform which can be accessed remotely by governments, rather than a physical space.
The programme's backers plan to expand it to other countries over the next three years.
Illegal fishermen, the value of whose catch is estimated at up to $23.5 billion annually, operate with near impunity in some areas where they think themselves safe from tracking, according to Pew Trusts.
In some regions, as much as 40 percent of the total catch is thought to be taken unlawfully.
Consumers and environmental groups have often had no way of knowing whether the fish they are eating comes from illegal operations but the new satellite programme can help change that, said Spain's former environment minister, Cristina Narbona.
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Study Reveals Inadequate Rest Hours Compliance
Courtesy: Maritime Professional
22 January 2015
Preliminary results from the Concentrated Inspection Campaign (CIC) on STCW Hours of Rest, carried out between September 1 and November 30, 2014 in the Paris MoU region show that 16 ships (14% of detentions during CIC) were detained over the three-month period as a direct result of the CIC for deficiencies related to hours of rest. Main areas of concern are hours of rest not being recorded properly and watchkeeping personnel without sufficient rest.
In recent years there has been a growing concern regarding hours of rest for watchkeeping personnel, Paris MoU said. Supported by PSC inspection results and a number of incidents, the Paris and Tokyo MoU, as well as other MoUs, decided to organize a joint campaign to verify a list of 10 selected items against the STCW requirements.
The CIC questionnaire was completed during 4,041 inspections. A total of 912 CIC-related deficiencies were recorded and 16 ships (14% of the detentions) were detained as a direct result of the CIC during the three-month period. Secretary General Richard Schiferli expressed serious concerns: "Insufficient rest of watchkeeping personnel has already caused several incidents over the past years. It may be the cause of fatigue, which can have major consequences for safety and the environment. Two watch systems are particularly vulnerable in this respect." During the campaign most inspections concerned general cargo/multipurpose ships with 1,207 (30%) inspections, followed by bulk carriers with 948 (23%) inspections, container ships with 407 (11%) inspections, chemical tankers with 375 (9%) inspections and oil tankers with 325 (8%) inspections.
According to Paris MoU, 11 (70%) of the detained ships were general cargo/multipurpose ships, three (19%) were bulk carriers, one containership and one other ship type. Analysis of the recorded deficiencies shows that most deficiencies relate to hours of rest not being recorded correctly in 449 cases (11%), watchkeeping personnel did not have sufficient rest in 203 cases (5%) and bridge lookout not maintained in 101 cases (3%). A total of 21 inspections revealed that the manning level was not in accordance with the Minimum Safe Manning Document. The flag with the highest number of CIC-topic related detentions was Moldova with three CIC-topic related detentions. The inspections showed that a total of 1,268 ships were operating with a two watch system for the navigational watch and 13 of these ships were detained. The CIC was a joint campaign with the Tokyo MoU. Others cooperating MoUs have followed the same routine during the campaign.
Paris MoU said the detailed results of the campaign will be further analyzed and findings will be presented to the 48th meeting of the Port State Control Committee in May 2015, after which the report will be submitted to the International Maritime Organization.
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Splitting the Jones Act Baby
Courtesy: Maritime Executive
By: Denise Krepp
January 20, 2015
The maritime industry spent the past week marshaling its forces to oppose Senator McCain's Jones Act amendment. The Senator calls the law antiquated and one that impedes free trade. In contrast, shipbuilders, US vessel owners, and labor unions argue that it is vital for national security. Both are correct.
The Jones Act of 1920 and the Merchant Marine Act of 1936 helped America become a maritime superpower. These laws mandated the building of 500 merchant ships. They also created a new federal agency, the US Maritime Commission, that was responsible for maintaining a strong merchant marine fleet that could support US defense needs and requirements. By 1955, US merchant mariners were sailing the high seas on 1,072 US ships and you couldn't enter a foreign port without seeing a US flag.
Sadly, the number of US vessels in international trade has shrunk dramatically - less than 90 remain. The majority of US imports and exports are being transported on foreign flag vessels with foreign crews. The domestic fleet has not suffered this dramatic decline but overall, the US flag fleet is much smaller than its heyday in the 1950s.
Senator McCain's proposal amends current law and allows foreign built vessels to be used to transport goods from one US port to another. Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico will support this change as the prices for food and everyday items will drop. Louisiana, Mississippi, and Florida shipbuilders will lose their jobs. Deciding whose interests are more important would stump even King Solomon.
The one constant is this debate is the need for US built warships and merchant vessels to support them. The US government isn't going to outsource building its carriers to China. These vessels contain classified equipment which can't be compromised during the construction phase.
Similarly, the US isn't going to risk using foreign built commercial vessels to transport sensitive defense items.
The question then is how many vessels, civilian and military, does the Defense Department need to fight US wars. DOD is responsible for providing military stats. The Maritime Administration is responsible for the merchant marine information and Representatives Hunter and Garamendi tasked the agency with determining this information last year.
Unfortunately, MARAD can't provide the data. The White House won't allow it. They'll allow it to hold symposiums to "develop" a national maritime strategy on the assumption that it will placate maritime stakeholders who have long complained of shabby treatment. They won't, however, let the agency provide solid numbers or finalize the strategy because to do so would support cargo preference, a program that White House has tried its darnedest to kill.
So what's the solution? The first step is to best manage what remains of the US blue water fleet. Congress should combine the existing duplicative maritime agencies including the Coast Guard, the Maritime Administration, the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation, and the Federal Maritime Commission to minimize burdensome regulations on industry. Under the current scheme, the only ones benefiting are federal employees. They keep their jobs while subjecting the maritime industry to mind-numbing paperwork drills that force businesses to spend excessive amount of money complying with outdated policies.
Best management also includes finalizing the much-delayed national maritime strategy. From personal experience, I know that the Departments of State, Energy, and Agriculture, in addition to the White House, will oppose this idea but it must happen if we are to get a better understanding of how many US merchant marine vessels are needed to support war efforts. The current strategy is antiquated and will continue be so as long as officials drag their collective feet.
Lastly, the final strategy must address the high costs of goods in the non-contiguous states and territories while at the same preserving the US shipbuilding base. These interests should be weighted equally. Continuing to allow one to take priority over the other is unconscionable. A Mississippi ship builder shouldn't lose her job so that a Hawaiian shopper pays less at the grocery store and vice versa.
K. Denise Rucker Krepp is a homeland security, transportation, and energy expert who began her career as an active duty Coast Guard officer in 1998. After September 11th, Ms. Krepp was part of the team that created the Transportation Security Administration and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
The opinions expressed herein are the author's and not necessarily those of The Maritime Executive.
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McCain Takes the Floor on Jones Act Amendment
Courtesy: Maritime Executive
January 22, 2015
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FLOOR STATEMENT BY SEN. McCAIN ON AMENDMENT TO REPEAL JONES ACT 1-22-15
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 McCain Takes Dead Aim at U.S. Maritime
Courtesy: Maritime Executive
By: Tony Munoz
January 18, 2015
The 114th Congress was no sooner sworn in before Senator John McCain (R-AZ) attacked the very heart of the Jones Act, its U.S.-build requirement. McCain took the opportunity to attach the repeal amendment to the Keystone XL Pipeline bill, which was passed by the House earlier this month and is now awaiting further action in the Senate.
President Obama has vowed to veto the Keystone legislation if and when it hits his desk, and it would take a two-thirds majority in both chambers of Congress to override it. Meanwhile, pollsters state that the majority of Americans approve of the 875-mile pipeline extension from Canada that would transfer heavy tar sands to refineries on the U.S. Gulf Coast.
The American people have been led to believe that Keystone will create thousands of new jobs and pump billions of dollars into the economy. The fact is the estimated two-year construction project will create only 3,900 new jobs and require only 35 permanent employees to run it thereafter.
"Here Comes Old Flat-Top...."
Last December McCain spoke before the Heritage Foundation and promised to repeal the Jones Act in the next session of Congress. He was the incoming Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee and would have the power to shape national security policy. Jones Act advocates have long used national security as a key argument against the lifting of U.S. cabotage. The senator has said on numerous occasions that the Jones Act has no value for national defense whatsoever.
McCain always starts his attacks on the Jones Act by calling it an antiquated law that makes the U.S. less competitive and raises prices for American consumers. While citing the huge cost differential between transporting domestic energy on U.S. bottoms versus foreign-flagged ships, he also calls cabotage on the Great Lakes and in Puerto Rico, Alaska and Hawaii unnecessary protectionism, which hinders Washington's ability to negotiate trade deals.
The 78-year-old senator from Arizona was elected to Congress in 1983 and to the Senate in 1987. Today, McCain is out to slaughter the sacred cows of maritime protectionism, which he says are the Jones Act and the Cargo Preference Act of 1954.
But he is also going big game hunting in the U.S. defense budget and has singled out the Navy's $34 billion Littoral Combat Ship program, claiming the ships themselves could not survive combat. He plans to audit the $399 billon F-35 jet fighter program and defense contractors and cost overruns as well.
"He's One Holy Roller..."
McCain asserts the Jones Act hurts farmers, manufacturers, energy companies and ordinary U.S. citizens because it adds about 22 percent to shipping costs. He also claims that repealing the act would pump an additional $1 billion back into the economy.
Lifting the Jones Act would open U.S. markets to foreign competition and might decrease prices for consumers, but at what cost? McCain's laissez-faire sentiments would actually destroy U.S. jobs, lower personal income, devastate U.S. vessel-operating companies and obliterate American shipbuilders, never mind the national security impact.
There are currently 117 shipyards in 26 states, which employ about 110,000 workers. The total of direct and indirect shipyard jobs, however, is closer to 402,000, and they provide about $23.9 billion in income and add $360 billion to U.S. GDP.
Meanwhile, statistics show that there is a steady loss of blue-collar jobs such as those found in shipyards, contributing to growing income inequality in the U.S. Despite the fact that 63 percent of the jobs lost during the Great Recession have been replaced, middle class incomes have actually declined by 11.6 percent.
Emmanuel Saez, the well-known economics professor at UC Berkeley, points out that at the end of WW II the top one percent of Americans accounted for 23.9 percent of total pretax income while the bottom 90 percent got 67.5 percent. Today, the top one percent still gets 22.5 percent of total income while the share of the bottom 90 percent has fallen below 50 percent for the first time ever, so the gap between rich and poor grows ever larger.
McCain's Folly
The repeal of the shipbuilding provision of the Jones Act would put hundreds of thousands of Americans out of work in more than half the states. Once McCain destroys the shipbuilding sector, vessel operators will lose billions of dollars in capital investments and hundreds of thousands of U.S. mariners would be unemployed or working for pennies on the dollar for foreign companies.
Today, crude in the U.S. is transported 70 percent by pipeline, 23 percent by water on tankers and barges, four percent by truck and three percent by rail. The construction of the Keystone Pipeline will add a temporary infusion of $3.4 billion to GDP over two years and 35 new permanent jobs. As McCain attached his amendment to repeal the Jones Act to the Keystone XL Pipeline bill, he said that it costs roughly $6.00 per barrel to move crude to refineries on the East Coast. "A foreign-flag tanker can move the same barrel of crude to a refinery in Canada for $2.00 per barrel," he said. "This takes money directly out of the pockets of American consumers."
The consumer McCain is talking about is the corporate citizen better known to most of us as the oil industry. The last new refinery opened in the U.S. in 1976, and since then the number of refineries has steadily declined. In fact, 25 percent of U.S. capacity is handled by only eleven refineries with Shell's Baytown complex in Texas being the largest. Repealing the Jones Act is really about reducing crude transport costs in the U.S. and not about what the new iron Grandma wants to buy at Walmart. It's really about subsidizing Big Oil.
Both Senator McCain and the Heritage Foundation support oil industry subsidies amounting to more than $2 billion each year. In fact, the oil industry got $11.5 billion in tax incentives for depleting U.S. reserves and $13.9 billion for intangible drilling costs. In 2013, after exhausting every possible loophole, the big five oil companies managed to post $93 billion in earnings. We suppose that some sacred cows really are sacred.
The time for action is now. The maritime industry is the strongest it's been in years, its contribution to the economy and the nation's security stronger than ever. Let's make sure McCain's amendment gets dropped from the final version of the Keystone bill that reaches Obama's desk. Make your voice heard on this issue now. - MarEx
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Seafarers' International Union of Canada Stands Behind Its Statement
Courtesy: Newswire.Ca
By: Seafarers Union of Canada
January 1, 2015
MONTREAL, Jan. 15, 2015 /CNW Telbec/ - The Seafarers' International Union of Canada (SIU)), the most important sailors' union in Canada, representing the majority of unlicensed sailors working aboard vessels across Canada, today announced that they will not stand idle to the criticisms they face by the Canadian Government, including the joint statement issued last week by Transport Minister Lisa Raitt and International Trade Minister Ed Fast. Moreover, the SIU of Canada stands firmly behind its message that by opening Canadian Cabotage the Government is needlessly taking chances with Canada's Maritime Security.
There are over 1.4 million seafarers in the world, and while reputable shipowners will hire their own crew, most seafarers gain employment through third party manning agents. "If the Canadian Government can say with 100% certainty that they know who is on a vessel which is registered in Cyprus, owned in Greece, operated from Thailand, Classified in Japan, insured in the UK and crewed by Indonesian and Syrian Seafarers hired through third party manning agents, then they are living in a world that I did not know existed," said James Given, President, Seafarers' International Union of Canada. "It is unfathomable that our Government will not admit that CETA's Maritime Industry clause will weaken Canadian security."
The SIU of Canada is once again calling on the Canadian Government to hold an open and public debate of the contents and the outcomes for Canadians and Canadian industries if CETA becomes a reality. "We can guarantee one thing for sure, if CETA is signed and adopted, Canadian Maritime jobs will be lost and it will not take long before the rest of the Canadian transportation sectors are affected, including, air, road and rail," said President Given.
He went on to say: "As Seafarers we work hard to protect Canadian waters, our shoreline and our Country, if Cabotage is weakened via CETA, there will be no guarantee that our waters, our shoreline, or our Country will be as secure as it is today."
About the Seafarers' International Union of Canada: A Sailors' Union by Sailors for the benefit of Sailors. The Seafarers' International Union of Canada has been serving unlicensed seafarers since 1938 and is affiliated with the Seafarers' International Union of North America, presently representing 60,000 unlicensed seafarers across the continent. The most important sailors' union in Canada, the Seafarers' International Union, better known as the S.I.U., represents the majority of unlicensed sailors working aboard vessels on the Great Lakes, the St. Lawrence River, on the East Coast and the West Coast and in the Arctic. In addition to vessels operated in Canadian waters, S.I.U. members also have the opportunity to work aboard vessels delivering cargoes to the United States, Europe and South America.
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Stowaways Found in Dutch Ebola-Aid Ship
Courtesy: Maritime Executive
By: Kayla Turner
January 20, 2015
The Royal Netherlands Navy has discovered three stowaways on board a ship that delivered aid to Ebola-hit nations in West Africa, it confirmed on Tuesday.
According to media reports, the men climbed up ropes to get on board the joint logistic support ship, HNLMS Karel Doorman, while it was moored in Dakar, Senegal, then hid in a life boat and other parts of the ship. The vessel reportedly moored at a secure dock in Dakar which was guarded by local authorities. The Dutch crew guarded access to the ship itself, so it was unclear how the men managed to get aboard the military vessel.
Once discovered, the men were immediately given medical checks and showed no symptoms of Ebola or any other acute illness.
Once the ship docks in the Netherlands, the men will be handed over to military police, reports the Associated Press.
On January 2, the Navy announced that the Karel Doorman completed the delivery of 1.5 million kilograms of food, packed in 354 pallets and 148 containers, as well as 263 vehicles during two trips to the Ebola-affected area in West Africa. The final pallet was unloaded in the port of the Liberian capital city of Monrovia that afternoon.
Even though Karel Doorman just finished sea trials and has not been commissioned yet, she was sent on a three-month deployment to West Africa on November 6, 2014 to deliver aid to Ebola-struck countries.
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Join AOS-USA in saying the AOS Prayer each day!
Please take the time to say this pray with us each day:
Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy upon all Seafarers
(1 Our Father)
(Hail Mary)
Our Lady, Star of the Sea, pray for us.
St. Peter, pray for us.
St. Andrew, pray for us.
Lord save us, we perish.
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Important Upcoming Events for
AOS USA Members
Houston Maritime Ministry Training School
Feb. 1 - 13, 2015
Houston International Seafarers' Center
Click below for the application:
Houston School Application 2015
AOS-USA Annual Conference
April 21 - 23, 2015
American Maritime Officers Union
Dania, Florida
National Maritime Day
May 22, 2015
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