Call it a win-win development. The SIU recently added two vessels to its fleet, while the U.S. Maritime Security Program (MSP) gained newer tonnage. Beginning in late January, Seafarers crewed up the car carriers Alliance Norfolk (in New York) and Alliance St. Louis (in Baltimore). Both vessels now are operated by SIU-contracted Maersk Line, Limited.
The ships initially had sailed for Hoegh Autoliners under the Norwegian flag, but now sail under the Stars and Stripes. The Alliance Norfolk (built in 2007) and Alliance St. Louis (2005) are basically identical, each measuring approximately 650 long with a beam of about 104 feet. They were constructed by Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME).
They replaced the containerships Maersk Nevada and Maersk Nebraska (both built in 1985) in the MSP fleet, but those vessels remain in the company’s commercial service, normally transporting grain.
Ed Hanley, Maersk Line, Limited vice president of labor relations, commended SIU members for “displaying outstanding professionalism and teamwork during the reflaggings. Their dedication to duty and ‘can do’ attitude overcame the many obstacles associated with taking over new vessels, which allowed for a smooth integration under the U.S. flag. The company and U.S. Coast Guard officials on site were impressed with the readiness of the crew and their emphasis on safety and security.”
The U.S. Maritime Administration describes the Maritime Security Program as “a fundamental element of the U. S. maritime transportation system, providing an active, privately owned, U.S.-flag, and U.S.-crewed liner fleet in international trade that is available to support Department of Defense sustainment in a contingency.”
The MSP was established by the Maritime Security Act of 1996. The program helps maintain a pool of well-trained American seafarers who are available to crew the ships of both the U.S. government-owned strategic sealift fleet as well as the U.S. commercial fleet, both in peace and war.
Bipartisan support from Congress as well as the administrations of George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton crafted and guided the original legislation to its ultimate passage in 1996. That measure provided funding for 47 militarily useful U.S.-flag commercial vessels over a 10-year period. In return, the companies participating in the program made sure their intermodal facilities were available to the U.S. armed forces in time of war or national emergency.
Because the MSP proved its value during operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, efforts were launched in 2002 to extend and expand the MSP before its expiration in 2005. A year later, Congress passed and President George W. Bush signed legislation to enhance the MSP with 10 more years and 13 more vessels.
During those grassroots efforts to secure a new MSP, a report by the highly respected National Defense Transportation Association stated that the United States military would be unable to deploy and sustain its forces worldwide without using privately owned, U.S.-flagged commercial vessels. The study by the Maritime Policy Working Group of the NDTA’s Military Sealift Committee demonstrated that the MSP has become a pillar of the nation’s strategic sealift and global response capability, providing mariners, vessels and intermodal systems to support the military in such missions as Iraq and Afghanistan.
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