Six students currently enrolled in the AB course at the Paul Hall Center for Maritime Training and Education hail from Alaska. Four of those students – Orlando Caro, David F. Osterback, Nelton Rodriguez and Gary Santos -- are graduates of the center’s unlicensed apprentice program. The other two, Francis J. Burke and Douglas F. Perry Jr., came to the school via a program for displaced fishermen.The AB course consists of hands-on training and classroom work covering deck seamanship, rules of the road, marlinespike seamanship, helmsmanship, cargo handling, safety, fire fighting, emergency procedures, first aid, anchoring, and mooring, and aids to navigation.
The Alaskan students are pictured below. In the group shot, from left to right are Caro, Osterback, Rodriguez, Santos, Burke and Perry.
The SIU-contracted tanker Alaskan Explorer (above) was delivered earlier this week to BP Oil Shipping Company, USA.
The vessel is the second of four Alaska-class double-hull oil tankers being built in San Diego for BP. The third ship is scheduled for delivery in late 2005 and the fourth ship in 2006.
The first in the group, the Alaskan Frontier, entered service last year. It is operated by SIU-contracted Alaska Tanker Co., as will be the case with its sister ships.
Each vessel is 941 feet long, with a beam of 164 feet and a capacity of 1.3 million barrels of oil.
In announcing the Alaskan Explorer’s delivery, the National Steel and Shipbuilding Company (NASSCO) described the Alaska-class vessels as “the most environmentally friendly oil tankers ever built. Their double-hull construction has been designed for a life of 35 years and their deck structure has a life of 50 years, a robust configuration that will perform at peak efficiency for decades in the rigors of the Gulf of Alaska’s waters. The diesel-electric propulsion system, with redundant engines, shafts and screws, significantly increases reliability and reduces air emissions and maintenance downtime. The ships use seawater instead of oil to cool and lubricate their propeller shafts, eliminating the possibility of accidental oil leaks. Their cargo piping, normally installed on the deck, is run inside the cargo tanks, to reduce the risk of small spills.”
###
The U.S. Transportation Command has issued the following press release concerning the SIU-crewed USNS Altair. The full release appears below and also is available on TRANSCOM's web site hereUSNS Altair hosts dignitaries, media in South Africa
March 18, 2005
By Edward Baxter, MSC Europe Public Affairs
(USTCNS) --- To succeed in the global war against terrorism, U.S. forces must operate with the best equipment and supplies. So, the Department of Defense calls upon the U.S. Navy’s Military Sealift Command, or MSC, to deliver thousands of tons of cargo, each and every day, to our forces operating around the world.
As MSC’s ships transit the world’s oceans, however, moving cargo efficiently and in a timely manner often requires the cooperation of host nations.
Ports in South Africa are a convenient stop along regularly traveled ocean routes, and, recently, Capt. David K. Wright, USN, Commander, MSC Europe, took the opportunity to thank those who have made MSC’s operations there a great success.
On a warm African summer night in February aboard MSC’s fast sealift ship USNS Altair at the port of Durban, U.S. Consul General at Durban Michael Thurston and the Mayor of Durban Obed Mlaba, joined about 25 other guests for a two hour evening reception to give everyone there a ‘pat on the back.’
South African ports of Durban, Richard’s Bay, and Cape Town have been and remain today, vital bunkering stops for scores of MSC ships to refuel, pick up supplies, and to rest crewmembers prior to transiting back to the U.S. or their next port of call.
Most important, for MSC ships returning from off-loading their equipment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, South Africa offers the perfect location to provide enough fuel and supplies so that MSC ships can transit to the U.S. without stopping again—returning quickly to the U.S. to reload and transit again to the Middle East—ensuring our forces receive the best equipment and supplies, on time, every time! While the Suez Canal is the most direct route between the Middle East and the east coast of the U.S., operational considerations often route ships around the Cape of Good Hope and South Africa is the midway point for that route.
“I think the key here is efficiency and timeliness. South African ports offer tremendous services for our ships and ensure our ships remain on schedule,” said Capt. Wright.
Other guests at the reception included the U.S. Naval Attaché and press officer from the U.S. Embassy in Pretoria, the deputy consul general at Durban, representatives from local government, the South African navy, the Durban port authority, and regional husbanding agents.
MSC Europe’s Public Affairs Officer Ed Baxter kicked off presentations at the gala and introduced both Capt. Wright, and their host for the evening, Capt. Breslin. Also attending from MSC were MSC Europe’s representative in South Africa Cmdr. Dave Larson, USNR, Marge Holtz of MSC Public Affairs, and MSC Europe operations officer Scott Merry.
Capt. Breslin then welcomed the guests aboard and discussed the ship’s mission and capabilities.
Capt. Wright then presented MSC Europe command plaques to Michael Thurston, Mayor Mlaba, Lt.Cmdr. Leon Steyn, SAN, representing the commander of the South African naval base at Durban, and to Paul Voigt, Managing Director of ISS-Voigt Shipping, MSC’s chief husbanding agent in South Africa—all for their cooperation and support towards MSC operations in South Africa.
The following day, MSC co-hosted a media event with the U.S. Embassy in Pretoria where local and national print and broadcast media visited Altair. Altair’s Chief Mate Larry Ledwon and Second Mate Kerry Grubb led tours of the ship. Media later assembled on the bridge where they had an opportunity to ask questions and stayed for lunch aboard.
Altair is carrying hundreds of U.S. Army vehicles, moving equipment, and bridging equipment returning from service in Iraq. “I think this event will go a long way toward keeping our frequent stops for fuel and provisions in South Africa understood and in a positive light,” Capt. Wright said.
###
The U.S. Military Sealift Command (MSC) has announced that SIU-contracted Maersk Line, Limited has been awarded a contract to operate six vessels – the USNS Effective, USNS Impeccable, USNS Loyal, USNS Victorious, USNS Invincible and USNS Observation Island.The release appears below and also is available on MSC’s web site here
MSC awards special mission ship operating contract
The U.S. Navy's Military Sealift Command awarded a one-year, $23 million contract to Maersk Line Limited, of Norfolk, Va., for the operation and maintenance of four ocean surveillance ships and two missile range instrumentation ships.
The contract includes four one-year options and five six-month award term options, which, if awarded, would bring the cumulative value of the contract to $190 million.
The ocean surveillance ships – USNS Effective, USNS Impeccable, USNS Loyal and USNS Victorious – work directly with the Navy fleets to listen for undersea threats. The range instrumentation ships – USNS Invincible and USNS Observation Island – support the U.S. Air Force by serving as seaborne platforms for radar systems. As part of MSC’s Special Mission Program, the noncombatant, government-owned ships will be crewed by U.S. commercial mariners.
Special mission ships provide operating platforms and services for unique U.S. military and federal government missions. These specialized services include oceanographic and hydrographic surveys, underwater surveillance, missile flight data collection and tracking, acoustic survey and submarine support.
In addition to performing special missions, MSC operates more than 110 noncombatant, civilian-crewed ships that replenish U.S. Navy ships, strategically preposition combat cargo at sea around the world and move 95 percent of military equipment and supplies used by deployed U.S. forces.
###
