Safety Training Saves the Day
Having had a little more than a week to process the incredible saga of the SIU-crewed Stena Immaculate, a couple of things in particular stand out.
One is that the safety training completed by our members and by the officers really helped make the difference between life and death. As I’m sure you either already read or will see at some point, Seafarers very passionately spoke up about their training and how it helped save them. This is true both of their fire fighting and safety classes at our affiliated school in Piney Point, Maryland, and with their regular shipboard drills.
Obviously, no one ever wants emergencies to happen, but they’re a fact of life. That is why the SIU and the Paul Hall Center for Maritime Training and Education heavily emphasize preparedness for everyone going to sea, whether they’re an apprentice, an old salt, or anywhere in between.
Without question, the training all came together when the Stena Immaculate crew needed it. The mariners gelled, or we could have had a vastly different outcome.
Another prominent takeaway is that, no matter the extent that muscle memory kicked in as they fought the fire, the mariners still had to maintain composure and get the job done. They deserve plenty of credit for having each other’s backs and for coming through under extremely challenging circumstances.
As we’ve noted in separate communications, notwithstanding our union’s collective relief about the Stena Immaculate mariners’ safety, we acknowledge and mourn the presumed loss of a crew member from the ship that struck ours. The investigation probably will take a long time; regardless of what the facts bear out, a mariner’s life has been lost, and that’s always tragic.
I’m sure we’ll do some follow-up reporting and commentary, but for now, I again salute our mariners along with the officers, Crowley executives, and everyone else who pitched in when they were badly needed. Everyone stepped up, and each individual effort made a difference – as did the work of the Paul Hall Center instructors who made sure our people received the right knowledge and preparation.
New Tonnage, Legislation
Under different circumstances, our lead coverage this month would have been about multiple ships entering the SIU fleet. The American Energy and the SL Midway are still important stories, though. They reflect your union’s ongoing efforts to promote and protect your job security, and to sustain and grow the U.S.-flag fleet. They signal new job opportunities for rank-and-file Seafarers.
Similarly, the recent introduction of bipartisan legislation that would boost cargo preference laws is a potentially outstanding development, and one that didn’t happen randomly. Our industry fights for maritime pillars such as cargo preference and the Jones Act practically every day on Capitol Hill (and wherever else we need to be heard).
It’s that kind of persistence and persuasiveness that also helped secure a recent wave of support for the Jones Act, prominently including the commanding officer of the U.S. Transportation Command, Gen. Randall Reed. When leaders like Gen. Reed (and all of his TRANSCOM predecessors) are in your corner, you know you’re on the right side.
Our industry also anticipates a pro-maritime executive order that President Trump mentioned in his formal address to Congress in March. Drafts of the order focus not only on shipbuilding but also on other components, including shipboard manpower. It borrows from the most prominent current maritime bill of all, the SHIPS For America Act, which is expected to be reintroduced soon.
These are all reasons for encouragement, and they provide motivation to stay the course as we work to help secure a brighter future for the SIU and for the U.S. Merchant Marine as a whole. I’m confident about these opportunities, and we’ll continue working smartly to reach our goals.
###
Comments are closed.