COVID

The presidents of six U.S. maritime unions have contacted the U.S. Secretary of State and the U.S. Secretary of Defense with an urgent call to facilitate overseas reliefs for American mariners. The full text of the letter, dated May 28, appears below. A PDF version is available HERE. Signing the…

As of this writing, the union has returned to approximately 70 percent of its normal volume of crew changes. For the most part, things are going well – but we know there are exceptions, especially with the overseas shuttle ships. The SIU is actively coordinating with the vessel operators, State…

Update for SIU Members At least 22 mariners aboard the Military Sealift Command vessel USNS Leroy Grumman have tested positive for COVID-19. The vessel’s crew includes CIVMARS from the SIU Government Services Division. The Grumman has been in a Boston shipyard since January. All crew members recently were evacuated from…

During the course of this COVID-19 pandemic, the Seafarers Health and Benefits Plan has relaxed certain time limits for COBRA coverage and for the submission of appeals for denied medical claims. For detailed information on these changes, you can contact the claims department or the membership assistance department at 800…

April 30, 2020 Dear Seafarers: The SIU, considering the overall health and safety of our crews, last month proposed a 30-day moratorium on crew changes, along with ship restriction. These were mutually agreed to by the union and the companies of the American Maritime Association (AMA), which are signatory to the…

The following news release was issued by the National Maritime Center. New Electronic Mail (E-mail) Renewal Examinations On May 1, 2020, the National Maritime Center (NMC) will launch a centralized electronic delivery process (via e-mail) for renewal examinations.  This change provides mariners the ability to request, complete, and submit renewal…

Dear SIU Brothers and Sisters: In addition to 2020 being a presidential election year, we are also scheduled to conduct our union election. While we still plan to run the SIU election as usual pursuant to the union’s constitution, we are taking extra steps in light of the COVID-19 pandemic…

April 16, 2020 Dear Seafarers: Working closely with the union’s contracted companies, the union is planning to move forward with phasing in larger-scale crew changes beginning on or around April 30. We will post and circulate a more-detailed communication in the near future, but in the meantime wanted to provide…

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) on April 15 announced that it is extending the expiration dates of certain Transportation Worker Identification Credentials (TWIC). The agency’s notice in the Federal Register reads in part: “TSA will extend the expiration date of TWICs that expired on or after March 1, 2020, by…

The following news release was issued by the U.S. State Department on April 13. The PDF is available here. As noted in the release, Passport Services will accommodate mariners whose current valid passport expires within 13 months, and those who need a passport for international voyages. NOTICE TO MARINERS WITH…