Wheelhouse Weekly, August 27, 2024

Volume 30… Number 35, August 27, 2024

STORIES COVERED

In This Issue:

• MV PRESIDENT BUSH Joins APL Fleet
• Navy Secretary Tells Maersk CEO the Company Should Order US-Built Ships
• Number of Confined Space Deaths Continues to Rise
• Containers Offloaded From Ship That Struck Baltimore Bridge in March
• Crew of Greek-Flag Tanker Forced to Abandon Ship After Houthi Attack
• Also: NMC Suggestions on Contacting the Customer Service Center

Mark Your Calendar:

• Offshore Membership Meeting in Charleston Hall on Aug. 28
• MM&P Closed for Labor Day
• Atlantic Maritime Group Membership Meeting on Sept. 4

Job Opportunities:

• Offshore Jobs Available
• Job Opportunities on the Great Lakes

And:

• MITAGS-East Academic Notes
• MITAGS–West Academic Notes

MV PRESIDENT BUSH JOINS APL FLEET

The MV PRESIDENT BUSH has been flagged into the American President Lines fleet as part of the company’s fleet renewal program.

The PRESIDENT BUSH is the fourth of up to seven new ships (following the PRESIDENT REAGAN, the PRESIDENT JOHN QUINCY ADAMS and the PRESIDENT GRANT) that APL is bringing into its fleet to replace older vessels.

The fleet renewal program is scheduled to continue with the arrival in the coming months of the PRESIDENT MONROE and the PRESIDENT JOHNSON.

The 837-foot newbuilds will assume the Maritime Security Program slots of the outgoing vessels they replace.

APL says the delivery and phase-in of the replacement ships will take place on a monthly basis, with the last vessel tentatively scheduled to join the fleet in December 2024.

The MM&P members who assumed control of the vessel on Aug. 22 are Master Paul Sallee, Chief Mate Dylan Carrara, Second Mate Andrew Rogers, and Third Mate Aidan Doyle.

This licensed deck officer complement has been reduced from the five officers assigned to the APL vessel it has replaced as well as the Maltese-flag vessel that has now been re-flagged and re-named the MV PRESIDENT BUSH.

Based on the vessel’s schedule and the duties these officers are responsible for—including the monitoring, training and SASH prevention (“EMBARC”) policies for Merchant Marine cadets—the workload is excessive.

This has been proven to be the case aboard the vessels previously flagged-in.

Most egregiously in the case of the Chief Mate, who has now been placed on watch and who is expected to work 98 hours per week, these officers’ work/rest schedules will not comply with the work/rest hours permitted under international convention and federal law.

MM&P has asked the U.S. Coast Guard to review the vessel’s Certificate of Inspection to ensure compliance with the requirements of minimum safe manning and to ensure the seaworthiness of the vessel.

“While MM&P is very happy to see new tonnage flagged into the U.S. Merchant Marine, 98-hour work weeks for Chief Officers are untenable,” said Captain Don Marcus, President of MM&P.

“The resulting stress and fatigue only drive individuals out of the industry.”

“At some point, the human element needs to be considered by APL.”

“Reasonable working conditions and quality of life at sea will not only keep seafarers in the industry it will help prevent disasters at sea caused by fatigued and stressed senior officers who are compelled by their employers to get the job done at all costs—including the safety of their ships and their personal health.”

“APL should take heed and use some common sense.”
Back to Stories Covered

---

NAVY SECRETARY TELLS MAERSK CEO THE COMPANY SHOULD ORDER US-BUILT SHIPS

U.S. Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro is working on multiple fronts to revitalize America’s maritime industry, and with it the country’s ability to engage in what he calls “maritime statecraft.”

In speeches and in interviews, he has called for a national strategy to “recapitalize” U.S. maritime power by increasing the number of ships built in this country and forging new partnerships with investors at home and abroad.

As part of this quest, Del Toro had a suggestion for A.P. Moller-Maersk CEO Vincent Clerc during a meeting at the company’s headquarters in Denmark earlier this month: he suggested that Maersk order ships that are made in the United States.

Del Toro has invited Korean shipbuilders to buy or build shipyards in the U.S. market, hoping to fix over-budget, behind-schedule naval shipbuilding programs.

He has been working with the Department of Energy, the Maritime Administration and Congress to find ways to make American shipbuilding more financially attractive for foreign owners.

In June, Hanwha announced the acquisition, for $100 million, of Philly Shipyard, a leading U.S. shipbuilder that has delivered approximately half of the large U.S. Jones Act commercial ships in the United States since 2000.

“With some of the world’s most technologically advanced shipbuilders already heeding our call to invest in integrated commercial and naval shipbuilding facilities in the United States, the next step in our maritime statecraft strategy is to attract the world’s foremost commercial shipping firms to signal their demand for new ships built in American shipyards,” Del Toro said in the speech he delivered at Maersk headquarters.

Clerc has not commented publicly on Del Toro’s proposal.

The secretary’s office said that Maersk’s team would continue the discussion during a visit to the U.S. in the weeks to come.

“Our calculus is that bringing a larger portion of the newbuild orderbooks of the world’s biggest shipping firms to American shores in the coming years will offer significant returns to Navy shipbuilding and sealift,” Del Toro said in a statement.

The Navy Secretary has warned that without a stronger private sector maritime industry, the country is limited in its ability to meet international commercial challenges, and the military is restricted in its capacity to respond to foreign threats.

He said the decline in U.S. commercial maritime capability “has exposed ourselves, as a nation, to shipbuilding, sealift and economic trade vulnerabilities.”

According to 2022 CIA estimates, China has 7,362 commercial vessels engaged in carrying goods. At the time, the United States had 178.
Back to Stories Covered

---

NUMBER OF CONFINED SPACE DEATHS CONTINUES TO RISE

The death of two seafarers last week aboard the Russian-flag freighter NAVIS 2 underlines the danger that confined spaces continue to pose to shipboard and shoreside workers.

Enclosed spaces are a persistent hazard in the maritime industry, in part because of the difficulty of detecting dangerously low oxygen levels or the presence of poisonous gas.

Another factor in the growing death toll is the fact that a single incident frequently results in multiple fatalities: all too often, a second or third crewmember sees an unconscious shipmate in the hold, goes in to help, and suffers the same fate.

The NAVIS 2, which was carrying 5,000 tons of animal feed, arrived in the port of Bandirma, Turkey, on Aug. 21.

On Aug. 23, during unloading operations, the two seafarers, both Russian nationals, apparently fell victim to poisonous gas that had accumulated in the cargo hold.

Local authorities have said they are investigating the accident.

Although industry-wide statistics on confined space deaths vary widely, the number is on the rise.

InterManager recently reported 300 enclosed space deaths between 1996 and 2023, for an average of 11 annually.

But the 300-person total includes a sharp increase—to 31—during the first half of 2023.

The International Bulk Terminals Association (IBTA) recently reported much higher numbers in its own survey, which involved vessels covered by the SOLAS Convention.

IBTA found that 953 people, including mariners and longshore workers, died in confined spaces between 2000 and 2023.

Although the statistics for the 24-year period averaged 40 fatalities annually, it said the number rose to 56 deaths a year in the period between 2019 and 2023.

The industry has made efforts to improve safety training and design safer holds, but it is clear that much more work remains to be done.

Researchers say it includes ensuring that workers:

— always receive information on the hazards of the specific cargo being carried;

— have access to appropriate cleaning and wash-down equipment so as to minimize the need to work from portable and vertical ladders.
Back to Stories Covered

---

CONTAINERS OFFLOADED FROM SHIP THAT STRUCK BALTIMORE BRIDGE IN MARCH

The last containers have been offloaded from the MV DALI, five months after it struck Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing it to collapse and killing six members of a road maintenance crew.

After the shipping channel was reopened and the vessel had been cleared for travel, it sailed to Norfolk at the end of June, still carrying thousands of containers.

The delay in offloading was due in part to the fact that the owners of the cargo were required to post security bonds before their containers were released.

The vessel had to be repositioned several times after its arrival, including a move in July to Norfolk International Terminal.

A spokesperson for the Coast Guard said moving the ship has been complicated by the fact that it no longer has working anchors: the machinery to operate one anchor was destroyed in the accident; the other anchor had to be removed during the salvage operation.

The vessel is expected to undergo additional repairs in Virginia before eventually being recertified by the class society and the authorities for travel to a shipyard in the Far East.

All but four of the crewmembers disembarked before the DALI left Baltimore at the end of June.

Some were repatriated while others remained in Baltimore as the investigation and legal cases proceeded. A replacement crew was brought on board to operate the vessel.

A bill introduced in Congress earlier this month would require the owner of the DALI to pay up to $854 million in damages for the collapse of the bridge and the deaths of the construction workers.
Back to Stories Covered

---

CREW OF GREEK-FLAG TANKER FORCED TO ABANDON SHIP AFTER HOUTHI ATTACK

The crew of a Greek-flag tanker, SOUNION, was forced to abandon ship last week after the vessel was struck by an exploding drone boat.

The Houthis said in a statement Thursday that they were responsible for the attack on the tanker, which is reportedly carrying 150,000 tons of crude oil.

The 25-person crew abandoned ship with assistance from a French frigate.

One crewmember is reported to have suffered a minor injury but no one else was harmed.

According to the French command, the frigate was approaching the SOUNION in the waters north of Hodeidah when it detected a new attack underway.

An unmanned drone boat heavily loaded with explosives was intercepted and “neutralized,” a spokesperson for the French Navy said.

European Union authorities said over the weekend there was no sign of oil leaking from the vessel.
Back to Stories Covered

---

NMC SUGGESTIONS ON CONTACTING THE CUSTOMER SERVICE CENTER

The National Maritime Center has provided the following suggestions on ways to connect with its Customer Service Center faster, especially during peak hours:

— Call Early in the Morning: The CSC experiences its busiest times around midday. To avoid longer wait times, NMC recommends calling early in the morning when phone lines are less busy.

The CSC is open 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday. The NMC phone number is 1-888-IASKNMC (427-5662).

— Use Live Chat: The NMC says its Live Chat is a faster alternative to calling and that it “connects you with the NMC support team quickly and efficiently.”

Additionally, it says, its Chatbot can assist with many inquiries, providing immediate answers without the need to wait for a representative.

— Check Your Application Status Online: Save time by using the Check Your Status tool on the NMC website. This feature allows you to verify the status of your application instantly, without needing to call in.

— Credential Verification Tool: If you need to verify the validity of your credential, use NMC’s online Credential Verification Tool, a quick and easy-to-use resource which provides immediate confirmation of a credential’s status.

— Email for Status and Questions: If you are unable to reach NMC by phone, the agency suggests sending an email to IASKNMC@uscg.mil with questions or to request a status update.

Include your full name, mariner reference number, and any relevant details to help avoid delays in processing your request. Processing times at the NMC vary based on email volume.
Back to Stories Covered

---

OFFSHORE MEMBERSHIP MEETING IN CHARLESTON HALL ON AUG. 28

There will be an Offshore membership meeting in the MM&P Charleston Union Hall on Wednesday, Aug. 28 at 1100.

Secretary-Treasurer Don Josberger will be in attendance to give his report.

Please contact John Livingston at charleston@bridgedeck.org for a head count.

The Charleston Hall is located at:

1481 Tobias Gadson Blvd. Suite 2C

Charleston, SC 29407

The phone number is: 843-766-3565 .

All MM&P members in the area are encouraged to attend the meeting.
Back to Stories Covered

---

MM&P CLOSED FOR LABOR DAY

All MM&P union halls, the MM&P Plan Office, MM&P headquarters and the MM&P Federal Credit Union will be closed on Monday, Sept. 2 for Labor Day.
Back to Stories Covered

---

ATLANTIC MARITIME GROUP MEMBERSHIP MEETING ON SEPT. 4

The Atlantic Maritime Group will hold its regular membership meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 4, from 1100 to 1300.

This will be a hybrid meeting, held in person and online.

Any member wishing to attend the meeting must be in good standing.

The deadline for requesting a link to participate online is Sept. 3 before 1500.

Please send an email to Paulina Trzepacz, Ptrzepacz@bridgedeck.org, before 1500 on Sept. 3.

Any member who misses the deadline and wishes to participate in the meeting will be required to attend in person. There will be no exceptions.

As a reminder, the MM&P New York/New Jersey Hall is located at:

570 Broad St.

Ste. 701

Newark, NJ

Back to Stories Covered

---

OFFSHORE JOBS AVAILABLE

CM needed for ALLIED PACIFIC, TPIC required, start September 5th in Far East.

2M Urgently needed for PAX, TPIC preferred, but if any interested candidates with Tanker Assist, please throw in for the job.

MARAD ROS CM and 3M positions open. No training required. Pensioners may work Government Contracts.

CMs, 2Ms, 3Ms Needed for LMSR’s, email jhope@bridgedeck.org with any questions or visit any Offshore Hall.
Back to Stories Covered

---

JOB OPPORTUNITIES ON THE GREAT LAKES

There are job openings on the Great Lakes!

If you want more information about any of the listings that appear below, go to https://bridgedeck.org/job-opportunities/.

Interested candidates should reach out to Thomas Bell at the MM&P Cleveland office: tbell@bridgedeck.org.

KEY LAKES, a division of Key Stone, has openings for Mates with Great Lakes pilotage; they may take an Open Water Mate if COI allows. The company operates a fleet of two 1000’ x 105’ ships.

GRAND RIVER NAVIGATION has an opening for a 1st Assistant Engineer.

GREAT LAKES TOWING has an opening for a minimum 200-ton Great Lakes master with Towing endorsement, pilotage not required.
Back to Stories Covered

---

MITAGS ACADEMIC NOTES

For registration contact our Admissions Department: 866.656.5568 or admissions@mitags.org

Classes are 5-day unless otherwise noted

Class dates followed by an * are full
AB – Able Seaman (5-Day): 09/16/24, 02/10/25

ARPA-OIC– Automated Radar Plotting Aids (4-Day): 11/04/24, 03/24/25

AZIPOD (2-Day): Contact Admissions

BRM – Bridge Resource Management (5-Day): Not currently scheduled

BRMP –Bridge Resource Management for Pilots (2-Day): Contact Admissions

BRMP-EMR –Bridge Resource Management for Pilots with Emergency Shiphandling – (Now also included in BRMP-Refresher) (3-Day): Contact Admissions

BRMP-Refresher (Now including Emergency Shiphandling for Pilots) (3-Day): Not currently scheduled

BT – Basic Safety Training (5-Day): 09/09/24

BT-Revalidation (2-day) (Must have 1 year of sea service in last 5 years): *09/30/24, 10/28/24

BT-Refresher (3-day): *09/30/24, 10/28/24

CHS-OIC – Cargo Handling Basic (5-Day): 02/17/25

[CMM – Chief Mate and Master Courses]

ADVSTB-CMM – Advanced Stability (5-Day): 10/07/24, 12/09/24, 01/13/25, 03/24/25, 04/28/25

ADVWX-CMM – Advanced Meteorology (5-Day): 09/23/24, 12/16/24, 01-06/25, 03/17/25, 06/02/25

CHS-CMM – Advanced Cargo Operations (10 Days): 10/14/24, 01/20/25

CM-OPS 1 – Chief Mate Operations (5-Day): 12/09/24, 02/10/25, 05/12/25

CM-OPS 2 Maersk – Chief Mate Operations II Maersk Specific (5-Day): 12/16/24, 02/17/25, 05/19/25

ECDIS – Electronic Chart Display Information Systems (5-Day): 11/11/24, 03/31/25

LMS – Leadership and Managerial Skills (Management Level – Formerly MCL-CMM) (5-Day): 11/18/24, 03/10/25

MPP-CMM – Marine Propulsion Plants (5-Day): 09/30/24, 03/03/25

(DCS-1 available on request – contact Admissions)

SHMGT-CMM- Ship Management (5-Day): 10/28/24, 02/17/25

SHS-ADV-I-CMM – Advanced Shiphandling (week 1) (5-Day): 09/09/24*, 09/30/24*, 11/04/24, 12/02/24, 01/13/25, 02/03/25, 03/10/25, 04/07/25, 05/05/25,

SHS-ADV-II-CMM – Advanced Shiphandling (week 2) (5-Day): 08/26/24, 09/16/24*, 10/07/24, 11/11/24*, 12/09/24, 01/20/25, 02/10/25, 03/07/25, 04/14/25, 05/12/25

**SHS-ADV-I & II are now approved to include SAR-CMM assessments at MITAGS**

VPEN-CMM – Voyage Planning & Electronic Navigation (5-Day): 11/04/24, 04/28/25

WKP-CMM – Advanced Watchkeeping (5-Day): Not Currently Scheduled

WX-HW-PAC – Heavy Weather Avoidance Routing: Pacific Ocean (2-day) – 11/16/24

CIW-DPA/IA – Continual Improvement Workshop: Designated Person Ashore & Internal Auditor (3-Day) ** This course is NOT covered by the MATES Program **Online: Not Currently Scheduled

CIW-SMS – Continual Improvement Workshop: Successful Safety Management (2-Day) – Online: Not Currently Scheduled

CNAV-OIC– Celestial Navigation (15-Day): 05/05/25

CRISIS-COMMS – Crisis Communications (1-Day): Not currently scheduled

CRSMGT – Crisis Management and Human Behavior (1-Day): Not currently scheduled

CDMGT – Crowd Management (1-Day): Not currently scheduled

CSE – Confined Space Entry (3-Day): Not currently scheduled

CSE-AWR – Confined Space Entry Awareness (2-Day): Not currently scheduled

DDE – Great Lakes (20-Day): 01/27/25

ECDIS for Pilots (2-Day): Not currently scheduled

ERM – Engine Resource Management (5-Day): 12/09/24, 03/17/25

FF-ADV – Advanced Firefighting (4-day): Not currently scheduled

FF-BADV – Fire Fighting Combined Basic & Advanced (5-Day): Not Currently scheduled

FF-ADV-Rev (1-day) (Must have 1 year of sea service in last 5 years) – Advanced Fire Fighting Revalidation: 10/02/24, 10/30/24

FF-ADV-REF (2-day) – Advanced Fire Fighting Refresher: 10/03/24

FSM – Fatigue, Sleep, & Medications (1-Day): Online: Not currently scheduled

GL-Pilot – Great Lakes Pilotage Familiarization (2-Day): 02/07/25

GMDSS – Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (10-Day): 01/06/25

HAZ – Hazardous Materials (5 day): 12/02/24

LAP – License Advancement Program for Mate to Master (20-Day): 10/07/24, 03/10/25

LAP-Great Lakes – License Advancement Program – Great Lakes (15-Day): 02/10/25

LAP-ORG3rd – License Advancement Program for Original 3rd Mate, Oceans, Any Gross Ton License (15-Day): 06/03/25

LEG – Legal Aspects of Pilotage (1-Day): Not Currently Scheduled

LNG-BADV – Basic and Advanced IGF Code Operations (3 Day): 09/09/24*, 10/21/24*, 10/28/24, 12/16/24, 01/13/25, 03/12/25, 05/05/25, 06/04/25

LTS –Leadership and Teamworking Skills (Formerly MCL-OIC) (1-Day): 02/24/25

MEECE – Management of Electrical and Electronic Control Equipment (Assessments /not included): 12/02/24, 03/24/25

MED-PIC – Medical Person in Charge (10-Day): 09/30/24, 12/02/24, 01/20/25, 04/07/25, 05/12/25

MED-PIC-REF– Medical Person in Charge Refresher: 11/18/24, 01/06/25, 03/03/25, 04/28/25

MED-PRO – Medical Care Provider: (5-Day): 02/03/25, 04/07/25, 05/12/25

MED-DOT-DA – Dept. of Transportation Drug & Alcohol Testing (1-Day): 10/05/24, 11/17/24, 12/07/24, 01/11/25, 01/25/25, 03/08/25, 04/12/25, 05/03/25, 05/17/25

[MSC – Military Sealift Command Courses]

MSC-ATO-II – Military Sealift Command Anti-Terrorism Officer II (5-Day): 01/20/25

MSC-ATO-III – Military Sealift Command Anti-Terrorism Officer III (1-Day): Not Currently Scheduled

MSC-CBRD-OFF – Military Sealift Command Chemical, Biological, Radiological Defense Officer (5-Day): Not currently scheduled

MSC-CBRD-1 – Military Sealift Command Chemical, Biological, Radiological Defense Orientation (Basic) (1-Day): 09/12/24, 10/31/24, 01/09/25, 03/13/25, 05/08/25, 06/12/25

MSC-DC – Military Sealift Command Damage Control (2-day): 09/13/24, 11/01/24, 01/10/25, 03/14/25, 05/09/25, 06/13/25

MSC-ENVPRO (1-Day – Evening Class): 09/13/24, 11/01/24, 01/12/25, 03/16/25, 05/11/25

MSC-FF-HELO (2-Day): Not currently scheduled

MSC-SMA – Military Sealift Command Small Arms Qualifications (4-Day): 09/16/24, 11/04/24, 01/13/25, 02/11/25, 03/17/25, 04/15/25, 05/12/25, 06/16/25

MSC-Security Watch Basic (1-Day/ 8-hour): 09/14/24, 11/02/24, 01/11/25, 03/15/25, 05/10/25, 06/14/25

MSC-Security Watch Advanced (1-Day): 09/15/24, 11/03/24, 01/12/25, 02/10/25, 03/16/25, 04/14/24, 05/11/25, 06/15/25

MSC-Ship’s Reaction Force (3-Day): 09/20/24, 11/08/24, 01/17/25, 03/31/25, 05/13/25, 06/20/25

NSAP-MMP – Navigational Skills Assessment Program-MM&P (2-Day): 12/09/24*, 12/11/24*, 01/07/25, 01/09/25

PSC – Personal Survival Craft (Lifeboatman) (5-Day): 09/23/24

PSC-REF – Personal Survival Craft Refresher (2-Day): 09/26/24, 02/17/25

RFPNW – Ratings Forming Part of a Navigational Watch (3-day): 01/29/25

ROR-1 – Radar Observer Renewal (1-Day): Not Currently Scheduled

ROR-1N – Radar Observer Renewal Evening Classes (1-Night): 10/02/24

ROU-OIC – Radar Observer Unlimited: 10/28/24, 03/17/25

SAR – Search & Rescue – (Now with OIC and CMM assessments) (3-Day): 02/26/25

SHS-BAS-OIC – Basic Shiphandling: 03/07/25, 04/14/25

SHS-EMR5 – Emergency Shiphandling (5 Day): 10/14/24*, 12/16/24*, 01/27/25, 04/21/25, 06/23/25

STB-OIC – Ship Construction and Basic Stability: 02/10/25

TCNAV/CO – Terrestrial Navigation and Compasses (15-Day): 01/20/25

TPIC – Tankerman Person in Charge: 09/16/24, 10/21/24, 11/11/24

TRAC-TUG-2 (2-Day): Not currently scheduled

TTT – ** NOT covered by the MATES Program **: 10/07/24

VSO – Vessel Security Officer (3-Day): 12/04/24

WKP-OIC – Watchkeeping (Operational Level) (10-Day): 01/20/25, 04/21/25

WX-OIC –Meteorology (Operational Level): 03/10/25
Back to Stories Covered

---

MITAGS–WEST ACADEMIC NOTES

You can enroll online at www.mitags.org or contact our Admissions Department 866.656.5568 or admissions@mitags.org

August 2024

28th Advanced Firefighting Revalidation

September 2024

4-7 Security Officer – Vessel, Company & Facility

9-13 Basic Training

9-13 Advanced Shiphandling (Week 1)

16-20 Advanced Shiphandling (Week 2)

16-27 GMDSS

23-26 ARPA

23-27 Advanced Meteorology
Back to Stories Covered

---

The MM&P Wheelhouse Weekly is the official electronic newsletter of the International Organization of Masters, Mates & Pilots, 700 Maritime Blvd., Suite B, Linthicum Heights, MD 21090-1953. Phone: 410-850-8700; Fax: 410-850-0973. All rights reserved. The MM&P Wheelhouse Weekly©2023. Articles can be reprinted without prior permission if credit is given to The MM&P Wheelhouse Weekly.

For subscriptions, address changes or messages to the editor, send an email to communications@bridgedeck.org.