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AOS USA Maritime Updates 

The Professional Association of Catholic Mariners, Cruise Ship Priests and Catholic Maritime Ministers.

 

April 10, 2015
In This Issue
Finding Easter Joy in Times of Turmoil.
Special Easter Message for Ukrainian Seafarers!
Black Sea: Dark Side of Black Sea.
Ministering to Cruise Ship Passengers, Staff and Crew.
Joint Industry Press Release regarding Mediterranean Crisis!
Italy Rescues 1,500 Migrants.
Fleeing Yemen: A Personal Account!
Yemen Ports become focus for rebel attacks!
Six Candidates in the Race for IMO Top Position!
Oil platform fire in Gulf of Mexico.
Welcome on Board Deacon!
CMA, WOW and YOU!
Cardinal Tagles' letter to Filipino Seafarers
Worlds largest ship nears completion.
Ebola Resources
Join AOS-USA in saying the AOS Prayer daily!
Other News Items.
Upcoming Events
PrayingHands

    Prayer Requests:

 

 For Deacon Allan Frederiksen, AOS Houston, who had emergency hernia surgery yesterday. He appreciates your prayers.

 

For the husband of Pat Poulos. Pat is the Director of the Houston International Seafarers' Center. Her husband was just released from the hospital and is recovering from pneumonia. 

 

For Fr. Ron Oser, AOS-USA Cruise Ship Priest Member who is having a total knee replacement. He appreciates your prayers.  

 

For Fr Jim Schiffer, AOS-USA Cruise Ship Priest Member who asks for prayers as his Meieniers disease has caused multiple health issues lately. He appreciates your prayers. 

 

For the repose of the Soul for the Father of Fr Ron Brickner, AOS-USA Cruise Ship Priest member.  Fr Ron's Dad passed away in December.  

 

For Fr. Michael Sullivan, Cruise Ship Priest Member who fell and injured himself. 

 

For the Mother of Karen Parsons AOS Galveston/Texas City, who passed away recently.   

 

For Fr. Joe Brando, AOS-USA Cruise Ship Priest who has cancer. He asks for your prayers.

 

   

Prayers of Thanksgiving for Miss Mary Cadotte, step-daughter of Jim McGee, with the Seafarers' International Union in Houston. Mary was diagnosed with 

Hodgekin's Disease, but she is doing very well now and continuing her college classes.


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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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)


Doreen_June2013   Finding Easter Joy in Times of Turmoil.

Dear Friends,

This Easter Season, we have an ever increasing need for the Joy of the Gospel to fill our hearts, and to fill our World.

The crises in the Mediterranean and in the Ukraine continue, and require our sincere prayers and advocacy.

We encourage you to read and share the information about the migration issues in the Mediterranean, and ask that you join us in prayer for an end to this crisis of humanity.

One of the articles below gives a personal account about fleeing Yemen. I believe it helps paint the picture of what these people are going through, and why we must unite with them in prayer.

Below, please find a special Easter Message for Ukrainian seafarers, from the Head of the Patriarchal Commission for Seafarers in the Ukraine. We hope you will share this at your Centers, and when you Board ships this weekend, as they begin to celebrate Easter on April 12.

During our Annual Conference later this month, we will have a special session concentrating on the needs of Ukrainian Seafarers. We hope this session will help both our Port Chaplains and our Cruise Ship Priests as they interface with Ukrainian seafarers onboard.  If you haven't already registered for the conference, click here:
Click to Register for AOS-USA Annual Conference

Finally, on behalf of Capt. McShea, the Administrative Board, and all the members of AOS-USA, I wish you choicest blessings during this Holy Easter Season. May Our Lady Star of the Sea guard and guide you and fill you with the Joy of Easter that can never be extinguished even in times of turmoil!

If you haven't found that joy, check out this video.
That tomb is still empty
That tomb is still empty


Doreen M. Badeaux
Secretary General
       

 


Special Easter Message for Ukrainian Seafarers
Courtesy: AOS Odesa, Ukraine 
 
The Majority of Ukrainian seafarers celebrate Easter by the Julian calendar. This year it will be April 12. I attach greetings from bishop Peter Stasiuk Head of the Patriarchal Commission For Seafarers (Ukraine) 

Fr. Olexandr Smerechynskyy 
AOS Odesa Ukraine
 
Click to Read Easter Greeting   
   

 

  

Black Sea (Dark Side of Black Sea: Seafaring in Sub Standard Vessels)

Black Sea Documentary 

Courtesy: ITF 

Published 5 September 2014 

   

BLACK SEA ( DARK SIDE OF BLACK SEA: SEAFARING IN SUBSTANDARD VESSELS) 
BLACK SEA ( DARK SIDE OF BLACK SEA: SEAFARING IN SUBSTANDARD VESSELS)


  Ministering to Cruise Passengers, Staff & Crew      

 

 

This has been a great week on the Eurodam for ministry. A very lovely lady lost her husband to a sudden heart attack on Monday while we were at sea. I arrived at the clinic in time to be with him as he died, and some of the Catholics on the ship rallied around to support his wife until she was able to fly home. I escorted his body from the ship, and accompanied his wife to the airport at St Thomas as she returned home. It was a tragedy filled with blessings for many of us.

 

On a brighter note, I am adding photo of the crew at Mass on Sunday night.

 

Fr. Thomas J. Boyer 

AOS-USA Cruise Ship Priest  

 

  

  Joint Industry Press Release:

Thousands of Lives will be Lost in the Mediterranean unless EU Governments take Urgent Action Say Shipowner Groups and Seafarer Unions      

8 April 2015 
 
 
 

European and global operators of merchant ships have joined forces with seafarers' unions to urge EU Member States to take immediate collective action to address the growing humanitarian crisis in the Mediterranean Sea. 

 

Since 2014, thousands of people have been attempting the dangerous sea crossing to Europe, from Africa and the Middle East, in overcrowded boats not fit for purpose, with over 3,500 people having already lost their lives.  Many are at the mercy of people smugglers.   

 

In a joint letter to leaders of all 28 EU Members States, the European Community Shipowners' Associations (ECSA), the European Transport Workers' Federation (ETF), the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) and the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) have warned that the crisis is spiralling out of control.  They warn there is a serious risk of further catastrophic loss of life unless EU Member States respond with greater urgency.

 

The shipowner groups and unions are calling on all EU Member States to give immediate priority to increasing resources for Search and Rescue operations in the Mediterranean, in view of the very large number of potentially dangerous rescues now being conducted by merchant ships, a situation they believe is becoming untenable.

 

Merchant ships rescued around 40,000 people last year and this number is predicted to increase dramatically.  The shipping industry fully accepts its legal responsibility to rescue anyone in distress at sea, but argues it is unacceptable that the international community is increasingly relying on merchant ships and their crews to undertake more and more large-scale rescues.  Single ships have had to rescue as many as 500 people at a time, creating serious risks to the health and welfare of seafarers who should not be expected to deal which such situations. 

 

The navies and coastguards of those EU Member States on the front line in the Mediterranean have made impressive efforts to respond.  But as the situation gets worse the shipping industry believes there must be a commensurate increase in State funded resources for Search and Rescue operations to address this major humanitarian crisis.  In practice this means that all EU Member States need to share the financial burden in order to help prevent thousands more deaths.

 

However, the shipping industry also suggests that the EU and the international community need to provide refugees and migrants with alternative means of finding safety, without risking their lives by crossing the Mediterranean in unseaworthy boats.

 

The shipping industry says that the development of solutions to this crisis must be treated as an absolute priority as 'it is literally a matter of life and death'.  The shipowners' representatives and unions are therefore requesting that this issue should be added, as a matter of real urgency, to the agenda of the European Council and relevant meetings of EU Ministers.

 

This joint call for action is being followed-up with EU governments at national level by Europe's national shipowners' associations and seafarers' unions.

 


  Italy Rescues 1,500 Migrants
Courtesy: Maritime Executive
April 5, 2015
 

Italian navy and coast guard ships rescued around 1,500 migrants aboard five boats in the southern Mediterranean in less than 24 hours, officials said on Sunday.

All of the migrants were rescued on Saturday by two coast guard ships and one navy ship in five separate operations, the coast guard said in a statement.

 

Three of the migrants' boats were in difficulty and sent rescue requests via satellite phones while they were off the coast of Libya. The Italian vessels spotted the other two while heading for the others.

 

The migrants were all transboarded onto the Italian ships and were being taken to either the island of Lampedusa or ports in Sicily, the statement said.

 

About 170,000 migrants entered the European Union through Italy last year by way of the dangerous sea crossing organized by human traffickers, most departing from Libya. More than 3,000 perished.

 

During the first two months of this year, arrivals were up 43 percent versus the same period of 2014, officials have said.

 

United Nations Boosts Coordination

United Nations agencies met in March at IMO and agreed to establish a mechanism to enhance existing inter-agency communication about the flood of migrants taking to sea in their attempt to leave Africa.

 

The agencies are concerned about the loss of life, injury, trauma and serious human rights violations affecting migrants, asylum-seekers and refugees. Building on the 'Joint Statement on Protection at Sea in the Twenty-First Century', that was agreed during the UN High Commissioner for Refugees' Dialogue on Protection Challenges, held in Geneva on 10 December 2014, it was agreed to establish an interim, informal mechanism for enhancing inter-agency communication that would facilitate operational-level communication.

 

Although precise details of the mechanism are yet to be finalized, it was envisaged that it might, for example, consider: the establishment of joint databases to share and collate information and statistics on irregular movements and suspect vessels; quantifying the effects of irregular and unsafe crossings on the shipping industry and improving maritime situational awareness.

 

Situation Intolerable

Speaking at the meeting, IMO Secretary-General Koji Sekimizu said "The issue of mixed migration by sea, including irregular migration, has been a serious concern for decades - if not longer. But, in recent years, it has reached epidemic proportions, to the extent where the whole system for coping with such migrants is being stretched up to, and sometimes beyond, its breaking point," and he called for a collective effort to bring about a solution to the problem of thousands of lives being placed in danger at sea.

 

Sekimizu has also called for more concerted action to address the issue of criminals who organize illegal and unregulated sea passage by migrants, putting thousands of lives at risk.    

 

"We do not seek to prevent migration. People have the human right to migrate. But it is time to stop illegal, unregulated passage arranged by people smugglers. Not only do they put the lives of the migrants in danger, they also endanger the rescue services and merchant shipping which take part in the rescue operations. Something needs to be done against the smugglers or the situation will not improve. It is placing an intolerable strain on rescue services and on merchant vessels," Sekimizu said.

 

"This is a serious issue for IMO and a humanitarian tragedy. There is a strong tradition of search and rescue at sea and this will continue, but the search and rescue services provided by a number of countries are overstretched. Even with the contribution of the Italian Navy and Italian Coast Guard, more than 600 merchant ships were diverted last year to go to the support of persons in distress at sea. This is beyond acceptable limits and without the Italian efforts many more would have died. The efforts of Italian rescuers - and others - are greatly appreciated but we have reached the point where we need to focus more effort on the prevention side."

 

  

Fleeing Yemen: A Personal Account

Courtesy: Maritime Executive 

By: Sami Aboudi 

April 5, 2015

The rocket that tore through a minivan outside the Aden Grand Hotel last week killing nine men, women and children was a clear message that it was time to leave. Yemen's civil war had come too close for comfort.

 

As Shi'ite Muslim fighters closed in on Aden to confront President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi and his supporters, they cut off all escape routes by road and foreigners in the city began jostling for a way out.

 

Workers from the oil, shipping and services industries, as well as doctors, engineers and students made for the old port terminal erected by Aden's colonial British rulers more than 90 years ago. They included Indians, Nepalis, Syrians, Egyptians and Iraqis, as well as British and Americans, some of Yemeni origin.

 

Many arrived to waiting navy ships sent by their own governments to evacuate them. Others searched desperately for any boat to carry them to safety.

 

The vessel that was to be my salvation turned out to be a rusting oil tanker chartered to carry 40 students home to Djibouti. Eventually, more than 200 people would cram the deck of the Sea Princess II on a 20-hour journey through the Gulf of Aden.

With no passenger quarters, evacuees shared the bare steel deck to catch some sleep at night. By day they squeezed into small corridors at the rear of the ship to shelter from the blazing sun, feeding mainly on small portions of bread and cheese or jam provided by the crew.

 

UNDER FIRE

The rocket attack on the minivan shook the hotel like an earthquake, shattering windows and dislodging a cellar door from the wall.

 

A Syrian hotel staff member cleaned up the wounds of a young Yemeni who stumbled into the lobby with blood dripping from cuts all over his body and a bone protruding from his elbow, and ordered him a taxi to a hospital.

 

When a second explosion rocked the hotel most Yemeni staff left.

 

Desperate to get his family out of Aden, one of the hotel's Iraqi staff ventured to the port, where he learned that a ship was preparing to sail. He rushed back to pass on the news.

Four of us quickly packed, jumped into a taxi and rushed for the port, explosions and gunfire reverberating behind us as we raced through the city's old quarters towards the tip of Aden's volcanic peninsula.

 

At the port, we found the small immigration office in chaos. Staff denied a ship was due to sail soon, ignoring pleas from the Djiboutian students who insisted that a vessel had been chartered to take them home.

 

We made our way the shabby concrete blocks of the nearby fishing port, that officials confirmed that the Sea Princess II was docked, and due to sail soon.

 

We handed our passports to immigration to be stamped for departure, and waited outside the metal gate for our documents to come back.

 

We waited all day.

 

At sunset, we were told it was too late for the ship to sail and we should come back the next morning.

Our protests fell on deaf ears as staff hurried home before the wartime nightly curfew came into effect.

 

With no place to go to and our passports still with immigration officials, we spent the night in sailors' quarters -- three rooms inside the port's offices with sponge mattresses dirty with sweat and dust.

 

Hungry and worried that our passports were lost, we barely slept, staring instead at the dark ceiling and listening to explosions and barking dogs outside.

 

As the sun rose, the port sprang to life as staff arrived for work. We waited while port officials angrily debated whether to ferry passengers to the ship from the fishermen's port or from the tourist terminal about a mile away, and whether we could all fit on one ship.

 

We were sent to the dockside, several hundred meters away, to wait for another four hours in the sun.

 

When a group of us finally pulled out of the dock in a small boat, we heard explosions in the distance and at least two projectiles splashed in the water a few hundred meters away.

 

Less than 3 miles (5 km) behind us, Houthi fighters were fighting their way into the Aden district we had fled the day before.

It was another six hours before the ship was ready to sail, having received clearance from the multiple naval forces patrolling the Gulf of Aden.

 

But as soon as it weighed anchor, boats of various sizes streamed alongside, carrying desperate foreigners begging to be allowed on board.

 

The Syrian captain was reluctant to take on passengers not listed by port authorities.

 

But, looking down at the pleading faces of scared men, women and children, he ordered them all brought on board. As night fell, our ship quietly pulled out of harbor, and slipped away from Yemen's war.

 
  

  Yemen Ports Become Focus for Rebel Attacks     

Courtesy: IHS Maritime 360
By: Stephen Spark
7 April 2015   

  

Ports in Yemen are increasingly coming under attack from Saudi and Gulf Co-operation Council states as they attempt to regain control of areas run by Shia Houthi militias and al-Qaeda jihadis.

 

The Yemen Times reported yesterday that the strategic port city of Aden, the last stronghold of forces loyal to President Hadi, had fallen to Houthi rebels. The claim was denied by loyalist forces and by the deputy head of the port association, Abd ar-Rabb al-Halyaki.

 

Houthi commanders have threatened to launch attacks on Saudi Arabia, in response to continuing airstrikes, where there is a sizeable Shia minority. This could result in the conflict widening across the Arabian peninsula.

 

It was also reported last week that the port city of Al-Mukalla, just 65km from the Ash Shihr oil terminal and 140km from Total's Balhaf gas terminal, had been seized by al-Qaeda.

 

The Red Sea port of Al Hudaydah (Hodeida) is within a Houthi-controlled area but is still functioning. Both China and India have been evacuating their citizens through the port. An airstrike on a dairy factory at the port last week caused numerous civilian deaths, and imports and exports have ceased, with Yemen-bound ships being diverted to other ports in the region.

Reuters on Thursday quoted a flour company manager as saying, "It has been a few days now since our imports have stopped and we are not receiving any more wheat." A shipping agency official said that no stevedores are available to unload ships, although reportedly some vessels are awaiting oil cargoes at Aden Refinery.

 

All the rebel-held areas bordering the Gulf of Aden have become major targets for coalition airstrikes, making delivery of urgently needed humanitarian aid all but impossible. Yemen has to import 90% of its food, most of it by sea.

 

The worsening bloodshed has also provoked an exodus of foreign workers, who are mostly being evacuated by their countries' naval vessels. Two Shipping Corporation of India passenger vessels, Kavaratti and Coral, have also been commandeered for the evacuation effort.

 

In the past decade, up to half a million Somalis crossed to Yemen in search of security and work, but now the flow has reversed, with both Somalis and Yemenis fleeing across the Gulf of Aden to find sanctuary in Somalia. Most are arriving on small boats at the ports of Bosaso, in Puntland, and Berbera, Somaliland. However, a large number of refugees are also making landfall in Djibouti, which has asked the international community for help to manage the influx. Ports along the southern shore of the Gulf of Aden are becoming congested with diverted vessels and refugee ships.

 

There is no immediate threat of the critical Bab al-Mandeb strait being closed to shipping, but ship masters and operators have been warned that the situation around Yemen is extremely volatile and should take appropriate advice.

 

The UK P&I Club on Thursday issued an advisory stating, "...we recommend members contact their flag state and notify their war risks insurers before proceeding to Yemen. Members should also be aware that in view of the instability, the ability of the club's correspondents to assist with issues arising in Yemeni ports may be severely hampered.

  

  

Six Candidates in the Race for IMO Top Position      

Courtesy: WorldMaritimeNews.Com   


The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has received the nominations of six candidates, proposed by their respective governments for the position of the Secretary-General of the IMO.

 

The deadline for nominations was set on the 31st of March 2015.

 

The present incumbent, Mr. Koji Sekimizu, ends his four-year term as Secretary-General on 31st of December 2015.

The election for the post will be held at the 114th session of the 40-Member strong IMO Council, which meets from 29nth of June to 3rd of July 2015. The decision of the Council is subject to approval of the IMO Assembly, which will vote on the candidate during the session scheduled to take place from 23rd of November to 2nd of December 2015.

 

The nominated candidates are as follows:

  • Mr. Andreas Chrysostomou, Republic of Cyprus
  • Mr. Vitaly Klyuev, Russian Federation
  • Mr. Ki-tack Lim, Republic of Korea
  • Dr. Maximo Q. Mejia Jr., Republic of the Philippines
  • Mr. Andreas Nordseth, Kingdom of Denmark
  • Mr. Juvenal Shiundu, Republic of Kenya
  

Oil platform fire toll in Gulf of Mexico: 4 dead, 302 evacuated     

   Courtesy: Reuters

By: Ana Isabel Martinez  

1 April 2015  

 

At least four people died after a fire broke out on an oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico early on Wednesday, leading to the evacuation of 302 workers, Mexican state-run oil company Pemex said.

 

Local emergency services said as many as 45 people were injured in the blaze, which erupted overnight on the Abkatun Permanente platform in the oil-rich Bay of Campeche.

 

Eight firefighting boats were battling the flames, Pemex said, adding that one of the fatalities was from their company, another was a contractor for Mexican oil services firm Cotemar and two others have yet to be identified.

 

Videos posted on Twitter showed the offshore platform engulfed in flames, lighting up the night sky, as rescue workers looked on from nearby ships.

 

The fire broke out in the dehydration and pumping area of the platform, Pemex said, though it was not yet clear what caused it. There was no oil spill, a company spokesman said.

 

Authorities gave differing estimates on the number injured in the fire. Pemex said 16 people were hurt, two of them seriously. A spokesman for emergency services in nearby Ciudad del Carmen said on Wednesday morning that 45 people had been admitted with injuries.

 

Part of the Abkatun Pol Chuc offshore complex, the damaged platform separates crude oil and gas from various wells to produce around 40,000 barrels per day (bpd), output which has now been suspended, the Pemex spokesman said.

In total, the Abkatun Pol Chuc complex produces around 300,000 bpd. Output at the rest of the site was not affected.

Mexico is the world's No. 10 crude producer at just under 2.3 million bpd, down about a third from a peak of 3.4 million bpd in 2004.

 

Pemex has had a number of accidents in recent years and the latest one comes as Mexico seeks to lure private investors to revive its flagging oil industry.

 

In 2013, at least 37 people were killed by a blast at Pemex's Mexico City headquarters, and another 26 people died in a fire at a Pemex natural gas facility in northern Mexico in September 2012.

 

Last year, Mexico finalized a reform to end Pemex's 75-year-old oil and gas monopoly, but expectations of a boom in private investment have been tempered by the plunge in global crude prices.

 

Cotemar is based in Ciudad del Carmen and provides offshore services to Pemex, according to its website. (Additional reporting by Gabriel Stargardter; Writing by Dave Graham; Editing by Kieran Murray, Peter Galloway and Gunna Dickson

 

  
Welcome on board Deacon!
By: Deacon Jim McLaughlin
AOS Ontario, Canada

Special note from the Director of Diaconate in the Diocese of Ontario: "Deacons Jim and Ed visit the "Salties" as they pass through the Welland Canal which lifts ships from Lake Ontario to Lake Erie, to bypass Niagara Falls. Their funding has been made possible by the Knights of Columbus and the Carmelites."

 

With this greeting from the captains of oceanic ships (salties) Deacon Ed West and I begin our ministry of service to the seafarers with a rich history in global trade. Nearly 100,000 ships and approximately 1.2 million seafarers of all races, nationalities and religions transport over 85% of merchandise worldwide.

 

The procedure of getting permission to board often begins 18 hours earlier by tracking these ships on the Internet as they leave the Port of Montreal connecting the St. Lawrence Seaway to the Great Lakes and the 46km Welland Canal. The most effective protocol is to call the seaway's dispatcher who in turn calls the pilot on the ship, who then asks the captain if we can board before it enters either Lock 1 from Lake Ontario or Lock 7 from Lake Erie.

 

Regrettably, we don't always get permission as one out of every three ships denies boarding privileges. There are various reasons for not receiving permission as they're just too busy with ship chores, or the captain just doesn't see the value of a chaplain ministering to his crew, while some see deacons as an unwanted set of eyes on the ship.

 

Despite this problem, I was very fortunate to get on a ship in late fall manned with seafarers from India. Their wages hadn't been deposited regularly to support their families and I was asked, "could I help them?"

 

As chaplains, we can't challenge any issues while on board the ship, but we're advocates for these men and have an obligation to advise the National Maritime Authority at their next port to investigate. Pope Francis made this very clear when he called on all those who work for the well-being of seafarers' and their families, "...to be the voice of those workers who live far from their loved ones and face dangerous and difficult situations."

I've been on other ships with seafarers from Poland, Mainland China, the Philippines, Cyprus, Bahamas, Lithuania, Russia and the Netherlands with no problems of this nature.

 

What a wonderful joy to be accepted by these men who have limited opportunities to go ashore and without visits to their ships, the local church wouldn't exist for them. As chaplains, we are there to offer spiritual assistance with devotion booklets, rosaries and just listen to their personal issues. We are also able to help connect these men with their families.

 

Most oceanic seafarers sign contracts for 6-9 months and the long months of absence and loneliness from their families is an obvious problem. Therefore, communications with their homeland is one of the most important issues for seafarers and their welfare as access to the Internet and phones at sea is still limited and expensive.

 

I bring on board Wi-Fi and to see their faces light up while skyping with their wives and children, and those with sweethearts, is like the price of a very good book as one opens the first page and knows they're in for a very good read.

"Deacon, could you come over here and meet my wife and children," I was asked, as he engaged in laughter and tears. There was his wife with his two young children and she said to me, "Thank you Deacon, for bringing our family together and my husband wishing me a happy birthday." There were a lot of tears floating around and no one escaped this joy, including me.

On another occasion I received an invitation by email to join up with a ship I had been on four days earlier as it travelled to Duluth, Minnesota. It was now travelling back and was in the Welland Canal and had already left Lock 7. Now this is definitely not protocol to receive an invitation inviting me to join up with this ship; however, I quickly sent out a note that I was unable to meet up with them at Lock 7 on short notice but could meet them at the next lock and dashed off.

 

As it turned out, the captain had no idea I was waiting at the lock to board his ship and initially refused. I borrowed the dock crew's radio and told with the captain that someone from his ship had sent me an email to meet with them. He relented and invited me to come on board.

 

The question was still, who had sent this invitation? This became clear as the ship's cook greeted me saying, "I knew you would be here." "How did you know that I asked?" "Because I prayed to Jesus that you would come," he said. He also revealed how the email arrived as he had called his wife in the Philippians with his sim card and asked her to send me an email. He was motivated to do this because several of the crew hadn't used the Wi-Fi earlier because they had been engaged working on a mechanical problem.

 

What is the true and ultimate measure of man? I would characterize this by the quality of relationships with others. This joyful seafarer thought of his fellow seafarers and their need to engage with their families. Together we became instruments of God's love for his children by seeing Christ's face in our brothers and sisters. That is what we are all called to do in our lives.

  

  
CMA, WOW - and YOU

Courtesy: Maritime Executive

By: Joseph Keefe 

March 31, 2015

 

 

The 'human element' moves to the forefront at the Connecticut Maritime Association's 30th annual event, and then, later, at the 7th annual Women on the Water gathering at Kings Point.

 

I must admit that I struggled to come up with an overriding theme for the content presented at last week's 30th Annual Connecticut Maritime Association event. Panels and speeches covered a wide range of different topics within the generic theme of "Celebrating the Best and Improving the Rest." In the end, this year's CMA event - like the Women on the Water (WOW) event that followed - always seemed to come back around to just one thing: the human element.  

 

CMA

According to one CMA speaker, in last five years the global merchant fleet has increased by as much as 36 million DWT tons but only 5.5% in terms of numbers of ships. The backlog order book showed a similar metric with orders amounting to 18% of the current fleet (by DWT); but just 8% in terms of ship numbers alone. The message, however, was clear: We are not ready in terms of seafarers. And, the speaker added, we need to invest (more) in our crews.

 

Douglas Stevenson of the Church Seamen's Institute took the theme one step further by asking, "Do we respect the crew?" and further underscored that question with deep concerns about poor access to shore leave - particularly here in the United States - and the paucity of shoreside facilities for visiting crew. Beyond this, he said that SCI's latest survey (2014) indicated that ships rarely paid for the shore visas alluded to in the new Maritime Labor Convention (MLC 2006) and also expressed concerned about the scope and direction of the proposed U.S. Coast shore leave rules currently being considered.  

 

Phil Barry of Spinnaker Global declared that the labor situation could be defined, to a certain extent, by "the law of supply and demand." And, he said that a BIMCO study showed that a labor shortfall was coming, especially given the fact that the average seagoing career was now just 8 years. Exacerbating the issue ashore, he said, is a 'skills gap for leadership and management skills.'  

 

Although a generational shift at sea is clearly coming, we aren't necessarily ready for it, the panelists warned. Oil & Gas and shipping are two-legged operations, they said. The ship is one platform and the people are the other. Without one, the other cannot function. Nevertheless, and amidst the ongoing dip in oil prices, Oil & Gas mass layoffs and in the offshore vessel sector, reductions in force, are both gathering steam. From my perspective, the message was clear: we simply can't repeat the mistakes of the last oil crunch (mid 1980's) and expect that the energy industry and its shipping counterparts will be ready for the next surge in business, when it comes.  

 

The exclamation point on all of that, perhaps, occurred at this year's CMA Gala when 2015 Commodore Award Recipient Captain Panagiotis Tsakos was unable to attend and his 12-year grandson accepted the honors for him in his absence. In this case, the pleasant ceremony offered a glimpse of what might be to come. And, while we might just see this young man someday follow in his Grandfather's shoes, he's not quite ready for that just yet. Arguably, the next generation of mariners and offshore oil workers are in the same proverbial boat.

 

WOW

Just about 25 miles up the road at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, the annual Women on the Water (WOW) conference (co-hosted by the U.S. Maritime Administration) got into full swing just one day after the conclusion of CMA. With no real excuse to miss the event, I carefully navigated the aggressive commuter traffic and enormous potholes (some big enough to swallow my economy rental car) on I-95 to see what it was all about. As it turned out, this event was largely focused on the human element of shipping, as well.

 

The annual conference, which is hosted by a different U.S. maritime academy each year, brought together over 125 maritime professional mariners and maritime academy cadets.  The three day conference began with opening remarks from Maritime Administrator Paul Jaenichen. He welcomed the audience of mostly women by thanking attendees and saying, "Thank you for your interest in a strong and diverse maritime community, and thank you for taking the right steps to promote your personal growth and career development."

 

Female cadets from most if not all of the state maritime academies were present in the audience, eager to hear what the all-female panel of accomplished mariners and maritime professionals had to say. For my part, I honestly didn't know what to expect, especially being one of the few men in the building. That said; the gathered cadets received valuable advice mixed with a good dose of common sense from the speakers, all of whom reached back into their collective experiences to help make the transition to the working world on the water for these future mariners just a little bit easier.

 

For everyone involved, it was an enormously valuable day. Maritime Administrator Jaenichen, during one of the breaks, exclaimed, "This is a wonderful event. We need to find a way to get more stakeholders and students involved." I couldn't agree more. In fact, I think that male cadets would've benefited from the presentations just as much as the females. Beyond this, and sitting there listening to the words of wisdom, I'm pretty sure that 35 years ago, I could've used this sort of counseling when I stepped onto my first ship with the ink still wet on my Third Mate's ticket.  

 

It was a day full of surprises. I had the chance to speak to a couple of the professional women in the room. One of those particularly accomplished maritime academy graduates (also an experienced mariner) expressed her approval of the event's purpose but also told me privately, "I look forward to a time that we don't need to have these sorts of things." Her message, I think, echoed the theme of the conference, which asserts that "Talent is talent - regardless of the gender."

 

The conference gave attendees and cadets the opportunity to learn skills from presentations that included "Decoding the Gender Gaps," "Afloat Employment," "Mentoring" and even "Work-Life Balance." Appropriately, the Keynote speaker was Rear Admiral Mary Landry, United States Coast Guard (USCG) Retired.   

 

As the day began, Marad Chief Jaenichen told the gathered crowd, "Our industry needs to fully leverage the diversity of thought, character, courage and commitment that women have to offer. MARAD understands that a more diverse and inclusive workforce will give rise to a stronger and more prosperous maritime industry." At a time when a shortage of qualified mariners in the numbers required to crew the world's merchant ships is being predicted, that's good advice.

 

CMA, WOW & YOU

About 400 miles to the north of Kings Point, in the administration building at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, hangs a plaque which reads simply, "You can have a Merchant Marine with first class men even if they sail second class ships, but second class men can't be trusted with the finest ships afloat." The exact phraseology is a bit dated, but its message - taken from the first Maritime Commissioner, Joseph P. Kennedy - certainly is not. MMA first year cadets are to this day required to memorize the quote, and with good reason.

 

The human element of shipping, which includes all professionals, regardless of gender, is arguably more important than the most advanced technology or most robust platforms that we can build and send to sea. That much was evident last week in Stamford at CMA and then again, just down the road at the WOW conference at Kings Point. At a time (like now, for example) when business and profits might not necessarily be where we would like them to be, that's a good 'takeaway' from both events. - MarPro. 

  

 


Cardinal Tagle's Letter to Filipino Seafarers
Courtesy: AOS Great Britain 
15 March 2015 

 

Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Archbishop of Manila, has thanked Apostleship of the Sea (AoS) for its continuous spiritual support for Filipino seafarers arriving at British ports. 

 

He also assured Filipino seafarers of the Catholic Church's continued support for them and commitment to their welfare. 


In a personally-written letter addressed to them during a visit to Newcastle, the cardinal said, "I thank Stella Maris (AoS) and the

Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle for taking care of your spiritual needs. Your noble profession brings a lot of good to your families, to our nation and to the world," Cardinal Tagle wrote.


"But we know the hardships and even dangers that you face daily. Remember that God loves you and we care profoundly for you. The Church does her best to minister to you and to uphold your rights," his letter said. 

The cardinal's letter was read out to the crew of the Arran in North Tees during a Mass held on board the ship. Mass was organised by AoS North Tees ship visiting volunteer Jimmy Ross and celebrated by Fr Sean Purdy from Newcastle Cathedral.                   
                 
AoS' Tees port chaplain Deacon Peter Barrigan who met Cardinal Tagle earlier in the week said, "I introduced myself as the chaplain for AoS to which he replied 'Ah, Stella Maris. We know all about you. Thank you for what you do for our people when they are away from home.'"

Deacon Peter added, "I told him we were having a Mass on board a ship and he was asked if he wanted to address the seafarers. He produced this letter.

"Fr Sean read out the letter to the crew after the Gospel. The captain on the Arran was delighted and couldn't wait to ring his wife to let her know."      
  

  World's Largest Ship: Pioneering Spirit Awaits Completion 

Courtesy: World Energy News 
1 April 2015  
Final construction aboard the world's largest vessel, Pioneering Spirit (formerly named Pieter Schelte), is wrapping up in the Port of Rotterdam before the vessel can be commissioned off Norway this summer.

 

Built primarily at DSME's Okpo Shipyard in South Korea, Allseas' installation/decommissioning and pipelay vessel Pioneering Spirit was inaugurated with a ceremony in Rotterdam in February 2015.

 

The 382m-long and 124m-wide Pioneering Spirit is the world's largest vessel in terms of gross tonnage (403,342gt) and has a topside lift capacity of 48,000t, a jacket lift capacity of 25,000t andpipelay tension capacity of 2,000t.

 

She now awaits final completion in the Netherlands before being deployed to remove the Yme platform topsides in the North Sea.

 

The vessel has recently won Allseas an additional contract with Statoil (STO $18.74) for the installation of three platform topsides in the Johan Sverdrup field starting in 2018.

 

    Star of the Sea Statue

 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.

Other News Items  

 

Apostolatus Maris Bulletin #119/ 2014/ II 

 

Apostolatus Maris Bulletin #118 Spring 2014 

 

Catholic Maritime News Spring 2014 

 

Apostolatus Maris Bulletin N. 117 Dec 2013 

 

Catholic Maritime News - Winter 2013 

 

Apostolatus Maris Bulletin N.116 June 2013/III

 

Apostolatus Maris Bulletin N.115 June 2013/II 

 

Catholic Maritime News Spring 2013 No. 72  

 

 Apostolatus Maris Bulletin N.114 March 2013/I 

 

 

Catholic Maritime News Winter 2012 No. 71 

 

Apostolatus Maris Bulletin N.113 2012/III   

 

Apostolatus Maris Bulletin N.112 2012/II  

 

Apostolatus Maris Bulletin April 2012 (111)  

   

2012 Easter Message from the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerants 

 

Apostolatus Maris Bulletin December 2011 (110) 

 

Apostolatus Maris Bulletin Sept 2011 (109) 

 

Apostolatus Maris Bulletin July 2011 (108) 

 

 

Audio Report: No Pirates of the Caribbean - Vatican Radio (December 7, 2011) 

 

Piracy video from Lloyd's List 

 

 

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
Click to Register!

National Maritime Day
May 22, 2015

Dedication of
Roundel of Our Lady Star of the Sea
in conjunction with
The Mass of Prayer and Remembrance for Mariners and the People of the Sea.
May 24, 2015
Mass:  12:00 Noon
Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception
400 Michigan Ave, NE
Washington, DC  20017 
 

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