SIU members were among the honorees at the most recent Admiral of the Ocean Seas (AOTOS) awards ceremony, which took place Dec. 1 in New York City.
Seafarers from the NY Waterway ferry Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the roll-on/roll-off ship Midnight Sun (TOTE), and the replenishment oiler USNS John Lewis (whose crew includes CIVMARS from the SIU Government Services Division) were among those recognized by event host the United Seamen’s Service (USS).
Receiving the primary awards were Pasha Group President and CEO George Pasha IV; Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association President Adam Vokac; and Interlake Maritime Services President Mark W. Barker.
SIU personnel in attendance included President David Heindel, Executive Vice President Augie Tellez, Secretary- Treasurer Tom Orzechowski, Vice President Contracts George Tricker, Vice President West Coast Nick Marrone, Vice President Atlantic Coast Joseph Soresi, Vice President Government Services Nicholas Celona, Vice President Lakes and Inland Waters Bryan Powell, Assistant Vice President Pat Vandegrift, Philadelphia Port Agent Joe Baselice, Jersey City Port Agent Ray Henderson, Norfolk Port Agent Mario Torrey, Patrolman Osvaldo Ramos, and Manpower Director Mark von Siegel.
Pasha, whose company employes numerous SIU members, said in part, “We need additional investment in training and schooling of our mariner workforce, including funding for high school and pre-high school programs. We need to lower barriers for entry for our seafarers and to allow for our service members to transition into commercial roles more easily. It is crucial for this administration to communicate the significance and value of these well-paying jobs and to actively support the unions and employers in recruiting and retaining these essential positions.”
He added, “We extend our gratitude to our hard-working mariners who tirelessly carry out heroic duties to ensure the ships remain safe and reliably on time. We also honor the work of United Seamen’s Service in providing comfort and assistance to our mariners worldwide.”
As previously reported in detail, the Roosevelt crew helped rescue hundreds of passengers from a Staten Island Ferry boat that had caught fire; the Midnight Sun crew quickly extinguished a shipboard fire; and the John Lewis crew rescued a boater who’d been stranded at sea for five days off the coast of Southern California.
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