Wheelhouse Weekly, January 4, 2022

Volume 28… Number 1…January 4, 2022

STORIES COVERED

In This Issue:

• LA Times Joins MM&P Members at Work Aboard DELTA TERESA
• Global Seafarer, a Publication of the Nautilus Federation, Is Now Online
• Houthi Rebels Seize UAE-Flag OSV, Alleging Clandestine Weapons Transport

Gulf of Guinea:

• US Maritime Advisory
• One Killed, Six Kidnapped, in Attack on Chinese Fishing Vessel

American Maritime Voices:

• New Coalition Aims To Mobilize Support for the Jones Act

Mark Your Calendar:

• A Virtual Conversation With White House Ports Envoy John Porcari
• MM&P Closed Jan. 17 for Martin Luther King’s Birthday

News for Offshore Members:

• Offshore and PRO Jobs Available Now!

And:

• COVID-19 Vaccination and Masking Required for All MITAGS Students
• MITAGS East Academic Notes
• MITAGS West Academic Notes

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LA TIMES JOINS MM&P MEMBERS AT WORK ABOARD DELTA TERESA

At 0400, two days before Christmas, a journalist and a photographer for the LA Times stepped aboard DELTA TERESA as it idled at the entrance to Long Beach Harbor.

The tug has been deployed by San Francisco-based Baydelta Maritime to the Southern California ports, now the focus of news coverage by media outlets worldwide.

In the wheelhouse, LA Times staff reporter Thomas Curwen joined Captain Mike Johnson for “a front-row seat to a world economy thrown off balance by the pandemic: ships anchored offshore, containers waiting to be offloaded, so much stuff without a home.”

“Every dock is taken up, and if there is an opening, people are fighting to get there,” he quotes Johnson as saying.

Up next: a tour of the engine room with deckhand and engineer Max Cota.

“The twin-diesel engines can deliver nearly 6,600 horsepower and pull 90 tons. Only locomotives, tractors and farm equipment come close to having such power,” Curwen writes.

“You have to be perfect on every job. There’s no room for error,” Johnson tells him.

Members of the MM&P United Inland Group-Pacific Maritime Region crew the vessels in the Baydelta Maritime fleet.

The story is posted on the LA Times website. Click: here

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GLOBAL SEAFARER, A PUBLICATION OF THE NAUTILUS FEDERATION, IS NOW ONLINE

The newest issue of Global Seafarer, the quarterly publication of the Nautilus Federation, is now online.

MM&P is one of the 20 maritime labor unions that belong to the Nautilus Federation, a strategic partnership focused on safeguarding the rights of mariners and fostering progressive trade unionism.

The cover story of this issue of Global Seafarer examines what it will mean to be a seafarer 20 years from now, since there are big changes on the horizon in terms of green technology, automation and regulation.

Also in this issue:

— Singapore-flagged containership’s bridge deserted for an hour after chief officer disappears;

— results of Marine Accident Board investigations into crushing accident aboard cargo vessel and collision between dredge and unmanned barge;

— seafarer access to medical care a matter of life and death, International Maritime Organization says;

— hydrogen has been hailed as a clean fuel that could help the shipping industry meet its carbon reduction targets, but its use comes with significant challenges; and

— regulatory review outlines the shortcomings of ECDIS.

To read the new issue of Global Seafarer, click here
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HOUTHI REBELS SEIZE UAE-FLAG OSV, ALLEGING CLANDESTINE WEAPONS TRANSPORT

The Houthi rebels who control northern Yemen have seized a commercial vessel, the RWABEE, and its international crew.

The Houthis said the vessel had been taken to the port of Salif, north of Hodeidah. The crew is reportedly being detained aboard the ship.

UK officials reported that the vessel was seized on Jan. 2, approximately 23 nautical miles west of the Ras Isa Marine Terminal.

In a TV broadcast, a Houthi spokesman said it was being used by the Arab coalition supporting the Yemeni government to move military equipment and soldiers.

The broadcast included footage of military-style inflatable rafts, trucks and other vehicles, as well as what appeared to be a collection of rifles inside a container.

The Houthis say the crewmembers aboard the ship include Americans and Britons.

A statement from the Saudi-led coalition acknowledged the attack, saying the Houthis had committed an act of “armed piracy.”

The coalition asserts that the ship was carrying medical equipment from a dismantled Saudi field hospital and alleges that the Houthis transferred the weapons onto the ship.
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US MARITIME ADVISORY

The maritime authorities have issued advisory 2022-001 on the threat of piracy, armed robbery and kidnapping in the Gulf of Guinea. The advisory states in part:

Pirates, armed robbers, and kidnappers continue to operate off Nigeria, Benin, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Gabon and Sao Tome and Principe.

They target tankers, container ships, general cargo vessels, fishing vessels, passenger vessels, and vessels supporting oil drilling and production.

These groups have used motherships to support operations up to 200 nautical miles from shore, and it is not uncommon for them to fire on vessels during boarding and attempted boarding.

Kidnapping groups generally kidnap senior crewmembers to include the master, chief engineer, and any Western or foreign crew members.

Kidnapped crewmembers are normally taken ashore in the Niger Delta region from where ransom payments are demanded.

Details of incidents in the Gulf of Guinea can be found in the Office of Naval Intelligence “Shipping Threat Reports,” posted at https://www.oni.navy.mil/News/Shipping-Threat-Reports/.

Mariners transiting the area should visit the new Maritime Domain Awareness for Trade-Gulf of Guinea (MDAT-GoG) website at https://gog-mdat.org/home.

Note that this website does not currently load in Internet Explorer browsers.

You may also go to https://shipping.nato.int/nsc/operations/global-maritime-risk/west-africa-gulf-of-guinea.

US-flag operators should transit with extreme caution through the Gulf of Guinea Voluntary Reporting Area designated on Maritime Security Chart Q6114.

For more information about U.S. Maritime Alerts and Advisories, including subscription details, please visit https://go.usa.gov/x6QJc.

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ONE KILLED, SIX KIDNAPPED, IN ATTACK ON CHINESE FISHING VESSEL

One person was killed and six were kidnapped by attackers who boarded a Chinese fishing vessel on the night of Dec. 30 in the Mbini area of Equatorial Guinea, about 12 nautical miles northeast of the CEIBO floating production storage and offloading unit.

Dryad Security consultants reported that the vessel was attacked by an unknown number of assailants in a speedboat.

“The perpetrators are believed to have been armed and one crew member is understood to have been killed in the attack,” Dryad reported.

It said six members of the crew, including the captain, were kidnapped. The crewmembers were said to be from Ghana and Mali.

The pirates have recently targeted large commercial vessels, including a Greek-owned containership chartered to CMA CGM, but are also seeking out smaller vessels that they perceive to be more vulnerable.

“Prior to the recent attacks, the waters off Equatorial Guinea have historically witnessed significantly less reporting than those of neighboring waters,” Dryad wrote in its analysis of the Dec. 30 attack.

“The perpetrators have historically shown a capacity to avoid the maritime security footprint within the Gulf of Guinea and are likely to seek to continue to exploit weaknesses where these are found.”
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NEW COALITION AIMS TO MOBILIZE SUPPORT FOR THE JONES ACT

American Maritime Voices is a new forum created by the American Maritime Partnership, the industry-wide coalition dedicated to promoting and supporting the Jones Act.

MM&P and MIRAID are both members of the American Maritime Partnership.

The new forum will mobilize support for the domestic shipping industry, in particular as we respond to attacks against the Jones Act in Congress and “think-tanks” that ignore the critical contributions that the domestic maritime industry makes to our nation’s economic, homeland and military security.

To find out more, and to add your voice, go to: americanmaritimevoices.org.
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A VIRTUAL CONVERSATION WITH WHITE HOUSE PORTS ENVOY JOHN PORCARI

The International Propeller Club of the United States invites you to a virtual conversation with:

The Honorable John Porcari
Ports Envoy
White House Supply Chain Disruptions Task Force
Department of Transportation

On Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2022, at 11:00 am EST.

Please use this link to register:

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/wn_mn3wnmsmr-ge83yy9_qw3a

Please share this link with others.

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MM&P CLOSED JAN. 17 FOR MARTIN LUTHER KING’S BIRTHDAY

All MM&P union halls, the MM&P Federal Credit Union, the MM&P Plan Office and MM&P headquarters will be closed on Monday, Jan. 17, for the birthday of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The Nobel Prize laureate and civil rights activist was assassinated in 1968 in Memphis, where he had gone to support a strike by the city’s sanitation workers.

“The labor movement did not diminish the strength of the nation but enlarged it,” King once said.

“Those who attack labor forget these simple truths, but history remembers.”
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OFFSHORE AND PRO JOBS AVAILABLE NOW!

Calling all Members and Applicants: Be advised that there are Offshore and PRO jobs
available now! Please visit, call or email your local union hall for details.

As an additional incentive for filling PRO work, the amount of points earned for each
eight-hour shift will be raised from two points to five points.

This change will go into effect for all PRO work called on Nov. 24, 2021, and stay in
effect until the next scheduled GEB meeting, to be held on Feb. 9-10, 2022.
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COVID-19 VACCINATION AND MASKING REQUIRED FOR ALL MITAGS STUDENTS

Full COVID vaccination is mandatory for everyone attending training on campus at
MITAGS East and MITAGS West.

Full vaccination is mandatory for all students unless you have a documented medical
exemption or claim a religious/philosophical exemption.

Documentation either of full COVID vaccination or a written claim of exemption must
be submitted to Admissions in advance of your course.

Scans, photocopies, or electronic images of your COVID-19 vaccination cards (records)
or certification by a medical provider are acceptable.

Additionally, face-masks are required in all public spaces on both campuses, regardless
of vaccination status.

We appreciate your cooperation during these very trying times.
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MITAGS ACADEMIC NOTES

\\Classes are 5-day unless otherwise noted\\
Class dates followed by an * are full
AB – Able Seaman (5-Day) – 6/6/22, 8/15/22
AIS-1 – Automatic Identifications Systems Orientation (1-Day): Not currently scheduled

ARPA-OIC (4-Day) – Automated Radar Plotting Aids: 2/1/22, 3/15/22, 6/27/22, 9/27/22, 11/1/22

AZIPOD (2-Day) – 2/3/22, 5/12/22, 9/12/22

BRM – Bridge Resource Management (5-Day): 3/7/22

BRMP –Bridge Resource Management for Pilots (2-Day): 2/4/22, 2/28/22, 3/14/22
Online: Not currently scheduled

BRMP-EMR –Bridge Resource Management for Pilots with Emergency Shiphandling – (Now also included in BRMP-Refresher) (3-Day): 3/16/22

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

BT – Basic Safety Training (5-Day): 1/31/22, 5/9/22, 9/12/22

BT-Revalidation (2-day) (Must have 1 year of sea service in last 5 years) – 2/22/22, 3/22/22, 4/26/22, 6/8/22, 9/28/22, 10/19/22, 11/14/22, 12/20/22

BT-Refresher (3-day) – 2/22/22, 4/26/22, 9/28/22, 11/14/22, 12/19/22

CHS-OIC – Cargo Handling Basic (5-Day): 3/21/22

[CMM – Chief Mate and Master Courses]

ADVSTB-CMM – Advanced Stability (5-Day): 1/17/22, 3/21/22, 6/27/22, 8/15/22, 10/24/22, 12/19/22

ADVWX-CMM – Advanced Meteorology (5-Day): 1/10/22, 4/18/22, 6/20/22, 8/22/22, 10/17/22, 12/12/22

CHS-CMM – Advanced Cargo Operations (10 Days): 3/28/22

CM-OPS 1 – Chief Mate Operations – Week 1 (5-Day): 2/28/22, 7/11/22, 12/5/22

CM-OPS 2 Maersk – Chief Mate Operations II Maersk Specific (5-Day): 3/7/22, 7/18/22, 12/12/22

CM-OPS 2 APL – Chief Mate Operations II APL Specific – Not currently scheduled

ECDIS – Electronic Chart Display Information Systems (5-Day): 1/24/22, 5/2/22, 8/1/22, 10/10/22

LMS – Leadership and Managerial Skills (Management Level – Formerly MCL-CMM) (5-Day): 1/31/22, 4/25/22, 8/8/22, 11/14/22

MPP-CMM – Marine Propulsion Plants (5-Day): 3/14/22
(DCS-1 available on request – contact Admissions)

SEC-APPS – Practical Defense Tactics: Not Currently Scheduled

SHMGT-CMM- Ship Management (5-Day): 2/28/22

SHS-ADV-I-CMM – Advanced Shiphandling (week 1) (5-Day): 1/17/22, 2/14/22*, 3/21/22, 4/11/22, 5/16/22, 6/6/22, 7/25/22, 8/8/22, 9/19/22, 10/3/22, 10/17/22, 11/7/22, 12/5/22

SHS-ADV-II-CMM – Advanced Shiphandling (week 2) (5-Day): 1/24/22, 2/21/22*, 3/28/22, 4/18/22, 5/23/22, 6/13/22, 8/1/22, 8/15/22, 9/26/22, 10/10/22, 10/24/22, 11/14/22, 12/12/22

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

VPEN-CMM – Voyage Planning & Electronic Navigation (5-Day): 4/11/22, 10/3/22

WKP-CMM – Advanced Watchkeeping (5-Day): 3/7/22

WX-HW-ATL – Heavy Weather Avoidance Routing: Atlantic Ocean (2-day) – 6/15/22

WX-HW-IND – Heavy Weather Avoidance Routing: Indian Ocean (2-day) – Not Currently Scheduled

WX-HW-PAC – Heavy Weather Avoidance Routing: Pacific Ocean (2-day) – 1/17/22, 6/13/22
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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 (15-Day) – Celestial Navigation: 5/9/22, 8/15/22, 10/31/22

CRISIS-COMMS – Crisis Communications (1-Day): 3/18/22

CRSMGT – Crisis Management and Human Behavior (1-Day) – 2/18/22

CDMGT – Crowd Management (1-Day) – 2/17/22

CSE – Confined Space Entry (3-Day): Not Currently Scheduled

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

CY-MAR – Cyber-Skilled Mariner (5-Day) **NOT covered by the MATES Program ** – Not currently scheduled

Cyber-MAR-ONL – Cyber Skilled Mariner, Management of Information & Systems Security (Online Seminar) **NOT covered by the MATES Program ** – Not Currently Scheduled

DDE – Great Lakes (20-Day): 2/27/22

ECDIS for Pilots (2-Day) – 3/16/22, 5/10/22, 11/16/22

ERM – Engine Resource Management (5-Day): 3/21/22, 8/1/22, 11/28/22

ADV-FF – Advanced Fire-Fighting (4-day) – 3/28/22

FF-BADV – Fire Fighting Combined Basic & Advanced (5-Day): 1/31/22, 5/9/22, 9/12/22

FF-ADV-Rev (1-day) (Must have 1 year of sea service in last 5 years) – Advanced Fire Fighting Revalidation: 2/21/22, 3/24/22, 4/25/22, 6/7/22, 9/27/22, 10/18/22, 11/16/22, 12/22/22

FF-ADV-REF (2-day) – Advanced Fire Fighting Refresher: 2/25/22, 4/29/22, 10/1/22, 11/12/22, 12/17/22

FSM – Fatigue, Sleep, & Medications (1-Day): 1/18/22, 4/26/22, 9/20/22
Online: Not currently scheduled

GL-Pilot – Great Lakes Pilotage Familiarization (2-Day): 1/21/22

GMDSS – Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (10-Day): 1/10/22

HAZ – Hazardous Materials (5 day): 5/2/22, 9/12/22, 12/12/22

IEN – Integrated Electronic Navigation (3-Day) – Not currently scheduled

LAP – License Advancement Program for Mate to Master (20-Day): 3/7/22, 7/11/22, 10/17/22

LAP-Great Lakes – License Advancement Program – Great Lakes (15-Day): 1/24/22

LAP-ORG3rd – License Advancement Program for Original 3rd Mate, Oceans, Any Gross
Ton License (15-Day): 6/6/22

LEG – Legal Aspects of Pilotage (1-Day): 3/14/22, 9/21/22, 11/14/22

LNG-TPIC (10-Day) – Not currently scheduled

LTS –Leadership and Teamworking Skills (Formerly MCL-OIC) (1-Day): 3/14/22

MEECE – Management of Electrical and Electronic Control Equipment (Assessments not included): Not currently scheduled

MED-PIC – Medical Person in Charge (10-Day): 1/17/22*, 4/4/22, 7/11/22, 10/3/22, 12/5/22

MED-PIC-REF– Medical Person in Charge Refresher: 1/10/22, 5/23/22, 8/1/22, 11/28/22

MED-PRO – Medical Care Provider: 1/17/22*, 2/7/22, 4/4/22, 7/11/22, 10/3/22

MED-DOT-DA – Dept. of Transportation Drug & Alcohol Testing (1-Day): 1/15/22, 3/25/22, 4/9/22, 6/6/22, 7/16/22, 9/36/22, 10/8/22, 10/17/22, 11/17/22, 12/23/22
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[MSC – Military Sealift Command Courses]

MSC-CBRD-1 – Military Sealift Command Chemical, Biological, Radiological Defense Orientation (Basic) (1-Day): 3/11/22, 5/24/22, 6/21/22, 8/4/22, 9/14/22, 11/5/22

MSC-DC – Military Sealift Command Damage Control (2-day): 3/12/22, 5/23/22, 6/20/22, 8/5/22, 9/16/22, 11/4/22

MSC-ENVPRO (1-Day) – 3/13/22, 6/10/22, 11/3/22

MSC-FF-HELO (2-Day) – 3/22/22, 6/8/22, 9/14/22

MSC-SMA – Military Sealift Command Small Arms Qualifications (4-Day): 1/10/22, 3/14/22, 5/16/22, 6/13/22, 7/18/22, 8/8/22, 9/19/22, 11/7/22

MSC-Security Watch Basic (1-Day/ 8-hour) – 3/12/22, 5/14/22, 6/11/22, 8/6/22, 9/17/22, 11/4/22

MSC-Security Watch Advanced (1-Day) – 1/14/22, 3/18/22, 5/15/22, 6/12/22, 7/17/22, 8/7/22, 9/18/22, 11/6/22

MSC-Ship’s Reaction Force (3-Day) – 1/15/22, 3/19/22, 5/20/22, 6/17/22, 7/22/22, 8/12/22, 9/23/22, 11/11/22

NDMS-ENAV – Navigational Decision Making Series – Best Practice in eNav (3-Day) – Not currently scheduled

NSAP-MMP – Navigational Skills Assessment Program-MM&P (2-Day) – 2/1/22*, 3/28/22*, 5/3/22, 5/5/22, 6/27/22, 6/29/22, 7/18/22

PSC – Personal Survival Craft (5-Day) – Contact Admissions

PSC-REF – Personal Survival Craft Refresher (2-Day) – 4/24/22, 10/3/22

RFPNW – Ratings Forming Part of a Navigational Watch (3-day) – Not currently scheduled

ROR-1 – Radar Observer Renewal (1-Day): 1/31/22

ROR-1N – Radar Observer Renewal Evening Classes (1-Night): 4/26/22, 4/29/22, 9/20/22, 9/28/22

ROU-OIC – Radar Observer Program – Unlimited: 3/7/22, 6/20/22, 8/29/22

SAR – Search & Rescue – (Now with OIC and CMM assessments) (3-Day): 3/3/22

SHS-BAS-OIC – Basic Shiphandling: 2/28/22, 4/25/22, 9/12/22, 12/5/22

SHS-EMR5 – Emergency Shiphandling (5 Day) – 2/7/22, 4/4/22, 6/20/22, 8/22/22, 11/28/22

STB-OIC – Ship Construction and Basic Stability: 2/14/22
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TCNAV/CO – Terrestrial Navigation and Compasses (15-Day): 1/24/22

TPIC – Tankerman Person in Charge: 3/7/22, 5/9/22, 7/11/22

TRAC-TUG-2 (2-Day): 3/14/22, 5/26/22, 11/16/22

TTT – ** This course is NOT covered by the MATES Program ** — 1/24/22

VPDSD – Vessel Personnel with Designated Security Duties (1-Day): 3/3/22, 6/23/22

VSO – Vessel Security Officer (3-Day): 2/28/22, 6/22/22, 9/7/22
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WKP-OIC – Watchkeeping (Operational Level) (10-Day): 2/7/22

WX-OIC –Meteorology (Operational Level): 2/21/22
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MITAGS WEST ACADEMIC NOTES

2021-22 Fall/Winter
Please also see our schedule and enroll online at www.mitags.org
For registration contact our admissions department: 866.656.5568 or
admissions@mitags.org

January 2022
10-28 Terrestrial & Coastal Navigation
12th Advanced Firefighting Revalidation
13-14 Basic Training Revalidation
13-14 & 17 Basic Training Refresher
17-21 Basic Training
18-19 Advanced Firefighting Refresher
31-4 Basic Meteorology

February 2022

7-11 Medical Care Provider
10th Advanced Firefighting Revalidation
11-12 Basic Training Revalidation
14-18 Basic Cargo Handling & Stowage
14-18 Engine Resource Management
21-25 MEECE
21-25 Basic Shiphandling

March 2022

2nd Flashing Light
3rd Leadership & Teamworking Skills
7-11 Radar Observer Unlimited
9-11 Rating Forming Part of a Navigation Watch
14-18 Ship Construction and Basic Stability
15-19 Basic Training
21-25 Able Seaman
21-1 Watchkeeping (Operational Level)
24th Advanced Firefighting Revalidation
25-26 Basic Training Revalidation
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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©2021. 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 or to MM&P headquarters, e-mail communications@bridgedeck.org. Back issues of The Weekly are posted on www.bridgedeck.org