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Secretary Mineta to honor mariners (5/9)

The U.S. Maritime Administration has posted the following news item on its web site. The direct link to the article on MarAd's site is here Mineta to award medals for Hurricane Recovery Work On May 22, 2006, National Maritime Day, Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta will award the Merchant Marine Medal for Outstanding Achievement to representatives of the crews and operating companies of the agency’s ships that supported recovery efforts from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The ceremony is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. at the U.S. Department of Transportation Headquarters. The unprecedented activation of Ready Reserve Force ships and training ships for a domestic emergency provided the stricken Gulf Coast with urgently needed supplies, water, generation of electricity, assistance for oil spill cleanup, and food and shelter for rescue and recovery workers. MARAD ships provided 269,000 meals and 83,165 berth nights for recovery workers and evacuees. Designated recipients are officers and crews of six ships from MARAD’s Ready Reserve Force: Cape Kennedy, Cape Knox, Cape Vincent, Diamond State, Equality State and Wright; three training ships from state maritime academies: State of Maine, Empire State and Sirius; and one other ship from MARAD’s National Defense Reserve Fleet, Texas Clipper II. Approximately 400 mariners are eligible for the medals. The commercial management companies are Keystone Shipping of Bala Cynwyd, PA; Pacific Gulf Marine of Gretna, LA; Interocean American Shipping of Voorhees, NJ; Ocean Shipholdings of Houston, TX, and Crowley Liner Services of Jacksonville, FL. Acting Administrator Jamian authorized the funding and awarding for 1,000 medals, which will be awarded at the first availability after production is complete. The Merchant Marine Medal for Outstanding Achievement was established in 2002, and is awarded to members of the maritime industry who have given extraordinarily valuable contributions to the U.S. merchant marine. The medal was designed by the Army’s Institute of Heraldry; it is 1 3/8 inches in diameter, and made of bronze. MARAD’s programs promote the development and maintenance of an adequate, well-balanced United States merchant marine. ###