The U.S. Coast Guard's National Maritime Center recently issued the following Marine Safety Information Bulletin. It's available on the agency's website HERE. Mariners are encouraged to give it a close read and take advantage of any resources that may seem useful. The COVID-19 pandemic continues to have significant impacts on…
May
20
May
20
Speakers Stress Need for New American-Flag Tonnage Members of Congress, the administration and the armed forces earlier this week emphasized the importance of the U.S. Merchant Marine and American-flag sealift capability. They spoke during a May 18 joint hearing of the U.S. House Armed Services Subcommittees on Seapower and Projection…
May
19
The U.S. Department of Transportation and its Maritime Administration will observe this year’s National Maritime Day online, with a one-hour video that’ll be available starting at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, May 20. The theme: "America's Maritime Workforce: Connecting the Nation and the World." Check it out on MARAD’s YouTube channel:…
May
15
From the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency: U.S. Maritime Alert 2021-006A Threat Type: Threat to Commercial Vessels Geographic Area: Eastern Mediterranean Multiple maritime incidents have been reported in the vicinity of the Israeli ports of Ashdod and Ashkelon on May 11-12, 2021. The nature of these incidents is reported to be rocket…
May
13
The American Maritime Partnership, to which the SIU is affiliated, has issued the following statement: For Immediate Release: May 13, 2021 Media Contact: [email protected] WASHINGTON – The American Maritime Partnership (AMP), the voice of the domestic maritime industry, today released the following statement regarding the Biden Administration’s issuance of a…
May
13
The SIU continues to fully support the Jones Act, as we’ve done without exception since our founding in 1938. At the same time, we have never objected to waiving the Jones Act if doing so is a truly necessary response to national emergencies. Any waiver must not come at the…
May
13
The coalition USA Maritime, to which the SIU is affiliated, has released a multi-page information graphic summarizing the industry's efforts and goals to help protect the environment. A PDF copy is available HERE. The first page is shown below.
May
11
The following news release was issued by the Department of Transportation on May 11. USDOT Details Ongoing Efforts to Help Mitigate Potential Impacts of the Colonial Pipeline Disruption The Biden-Harris Administration is continually assessing the impact of the ongoing Colonial Pipeline incident on fuel supplies for the East Coast and…
May
07
From the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF), to which the SIU is affiliated. SIU Secretary-Treasurer David Heindel, quoted in the release and pictured below, also serves as an ITF official. No more excuses for global brands as new tool launched in fight to resolve crew change crisis 06 May 2021…
May
06
Beginning July 1, 2021, an annual physical through the Seafarers Health and Benefits Plan will be required prior to shipping out. The SIU and the American Maritime Association (AMA, representing companies that are signatory to the standard freightship and tanker agreements) last year had dropped the requirement for a union…