Seafarers Log
An iconic figure in SIU history passed away late last year. Retired Port Agent Bobby Selzer, 78, died Nov. 6 after fighting health problems for many months. The Brooklyn, New York, resident served the union for 56 years before calling it a career in late 2016. SIU Executive Vice President…
Seafarers Log
In a speech at the International Workboat Show late last year, U.S. Maritime Administrator Rear Adm. Mark Buzby (USN, Ret.) took the mainstream media to task for its coverage of the Jones Act and the American maritime industry’s support for Puerto Rico. “Everyone in this room knows – or should…
Seafarers Log
After many months of careful design, review and implementation, the staff of the SIU-affiliated Paul Hall Center for Maritime Training and Education (PHC) has completed an overhaul of the culinary program with the introduction of Culinary 2.0, which is aimed at benefiting SIU members. With a state-of-the-art test kitchen and…
Seafarers Log
On Nov. 13, 2017, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) issued amendments to its drug testing regulations. These changes were scheduled to take effect Jan. 1, 2018, and apply to all mariners who ship with the SIU. These are the significant changes that SIU members should be aware of: -…
Seafarers Log
SIU members aboard NY Waterway ferries have put their training to the test recently, with two different crews rescuing men who jumped into the Hudson River during the month of November. On Nov. 3, Captain David Dort and his crew on the ferry Thomas Kean rescued a man from the…
Seafarers Log
SIU members are sailing aboard another union-built ship. Two days before Thanksgiving, Philly Shipyard delivered the American Pride, a 50,000 dwt product tanker constructed for American Petroleum Tankers (APT), a subsidiary of Kinder Morgan, Inc. Delivered 10 days ahead of schedule, the ship is operated by Seafarers-contracted Intrepid Personnel and…
Seafarers Log
As the lengthy process of rebuilding Puerto Rico continues, the SIU late last year teamed up with several other organizations for a long-range project that delivers portable water purifiers to residents of the territory. Named Operation Agua and spearheaded by the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), the endeavor got off…
Seafarers Log
SIU President Michael Sacco reflects on top stories from 2017 and then looks ahead Any given year is bound to include its share of ups and downs, but 2017 in some ways seemed extreme. In particular, the series of hurricanes that tore through the Caribbean and parts of…
Seafarers Log
In a speech at the International Workboat Show late last year, U.S. Maritime Administrator Rear Adm. Mark Buzby (USN, Ret.) took the mainstream media to task for its coverage of the Jones Act and the American maritime industry’s support for Puerto Rico. “Everyone in this room knows – or should…
Seafarers Log
On Nov. 13, 2017, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) issued amendments to its drug testing regulations. These changes were scheduled to take effect Jan. 1, 2018, and apply to all mariners who ship with the SIU. These are the significant changes that SIU members should be aware of: -…