Seafarers Log
Worldwide progress against the COVID-19 pandemic is ongoing, but the union recently got some unwelcome reminders that it’s definitely not finished. Six Seafarers from the Maersk Montana, four from the Millville (Keystone) and three from the USNS Curtiss (Crowley) tested positive for the novel coronavirus while aboard the respective vessels…
Seafarers Log
Seafarers could be forgiven for wondering if there’s a calendar somewhere that lists 2021 as the year of the contract. Three more SIU agreements recently were ratified, on top of a half-dozen that were finalized earlier in the year – and more are on the way. The most recent pacts…
Seafarers Log
David J. Tolan, a longtime Sea-Land executive who helped modernize the American maritime industry, died July 6 in Cary, North Carolina. He was 88. A former mariner, Tolan came ashore in 1957 to work for Alcoa Steamship Co., and became an industry stalwart for decades. His tenure included serving as…
Seafarers Log
The head of America’s largest labor federation recently said it’s time to enact pro-worker legislation that would reshape the country for the better. AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, a longtime friend of the SIU, spoke June 29 during an online meeting organized by Jobs With Justice, a workers’ rights organization. He…
Seafarers Log
In early May, the United States Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM) announced it was partnering with the Center for International Maritime Security (CIMSEC) to solicit articles on strategic sealift. These articles were posted online during what was dubbed “Strategic Sealift Week” in late June, and included insights from eight different subject matter…
Seafarers Log
As announced during the July membership meetings, the Seafarers Appeals Board (SAB) recently took action that extends the maximum tour of duty for A- and B-seniority Seafarers above entry ratings. This step was taken due to ongoing effects of the global COVID-19 pandemic. Full text of the new regulation follows.…
Seafarers Log
A pair of SIU-crewed vessels, the USNS Bob Hope and USNS Yuma, played key roles in the recently completed Defender-Europe 21, an annual, large-scale U.S. Army Europe and Africa-led, multinational, joint exercise. Conducted from March through June, Defender-Europe 21 was designed to build strategic and operational readiness and interoperability between…
Seafarers Log
Maritime unions on July 7 applauded the release of the MV Ever Given from detention in the Suez Canal by Egyptian authorities, but warned that more must be done to safeguard seafarers’ rights and welfare during the pandemic. Stephen Cotton, general secretary of the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) (to…
Seafarers Log
Jones Act Remains Vital The recent ransomware attack against Colonial Pipeline brought the Jones Act back into the news, relatively briefly. The worst of the fuel supply problems in parts of the eastern and southern United States lasted for a week or so. Only a single Jones Act waiver was…
Seafarers Log
America’s freight cabotage law made headlines in early May, following a cyberattack that disrupted fuel movement in parts of the United States for about a week. A maritime expert posted an editorial explaining how the Colonial Pipeline saga reinforced the importance of the Jones Act to U.S. national, economic and…