Wheelhouse Weekly, March 26, 2024

Volume 30… Number 13, March 26, 2024

STORIES COVERED

In This Issue:

• Baltimore Bridge Collapses After Being Struck by Cargo Ship
• Unions Tell Congress Not to Weaken Mariner Protections in Anti-Harassment Law
• Australia Bans Derelict Liberia-Flag Ship
• Coast Guard Pilot Program Alerts Vessels to Whale Sightings in the Salish Sea
• News From MM&P Plans: A New Way Some Active Members Can Save on Prescriptions

Mark Your Calendar:

• MM&P Holiday Closing Schedule

Job Opportunities:

• Offshore Jobs Available

And:

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

BALTIMORE BRIDGE COLLAPSES AFTER BEING STRUCK BY CARGO SHIP

MV DALI, a Singapore-flag cargo ship, struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore at about 0130 Tuesday morning, causing the bridge to collapse.

Harbor Control officials said they were able to stop cars from entering the bridge before the accident took place because they received a mayday alert from the ship when it lost power.

Rescuers reported they pulled two people from the water, including one who was severely injured.

The authorities said six members of a road repair crew who had been fixing potholes on the bridge are missing and presumed dead.

The shipowners said that everyone aboard the ship, including two pilots, were accounted for and uninjured.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore declared a state of emergency and said that his office was in close communication with U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

The White House also issued a statement saying that President Biden had been briefed on the collapse.

Video recorded by the Port of Baltimore and posted to YouTube appears to show the vessel losing and then regaining power before the crash.

The Francis Scott Key Bridge is a major artery and part of I-695.

MV DALI was carrying containers from East Asia to the U.S. East Coast via the Panama Canal.

Officials in the Port of Baltimore said that traffic in and out of the port had been suspended.

A team from the National Transportation Safety Board was expected to arrive onsite today.
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UNIONS TELL CONGRESS NOT TO WEAKEN MARINER PROTECTIONS IN ANTI-HARASSMENT LAW

The maritime unions have called on leaders of key Congressional subcommittees to reject any attempt to weaken the protections afforded to merchant mariners under the Safer Seas Act.

The act was promulgated in 2022 to address the problem of sexual assault and sexual harassment in the maritime industry.

It requires companies to inform the Coast Guard if a harassment complaint is received.

It also requires that companies maintain a video surveillance system with audio capability in parts of the ship.

Critics of the law are now attempting to weaken it through amendments to the Coast Guard Reauthorization Act of 2024.

One proposal would eliminate the requirement that the Coast Guard be notified of an incident or complaint, leaving the situation and any possible corrective action solely to the company.

MM&P President Don Marcus joined the leaders of several other unions in a March 20 letter to the heads of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and its Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee.

“It is our understanding that you and your colleagues are being asked to include provisions that would significantly weaken protections afforded to merchant mariners under the Safer Seas Act,” the unions wrote.

“Specifically, we understand that certain amendments would eliminate the current reporting and investigation requirements that arise when a mariner is subject to non-sexual harassment, thereby vesting sole responsibility to respond to such incidents within the shipping company itself.”

“In addition, we are deeply concerned about pre-emptive changes affecting the

retention of video and audio recorded aboard U.S. flag vessels intended to protect victims in the workplace.”

“On behalf of the licensed and unlicensed American merchant mariners we represent, we strongly oppose these efforts and any such amendments that would reduce the protections and recourse available to mariners.”

“As the U.S. Coast Guard moves forward with implementing the Safer Seas Act, any statutory changes to existing reforms must not be made prematurely and done so in close consultation with maritime labor.”

“Our unions remain deeply committed to improving the culture and safety within our industry.”

“Marine employers must share that commitment, which should extend to shoreside training in certified SASH prevention programs with live instructors rather than perfunctory computer-based training that is quickly reduced to checking off boxes.”

“Ultimately, every mariner must benefit from a workplace environment that is free from all forms of abuse and harassment, sexual and otherwise.”

“To do otherwise, simply because it may be more convenient for a vessel owner and operator, represents a step backward, a step our organizations strongly urge Congress not to take.”

“Thank you for your careful consideration of this important matter as we collectively move forward to improve the culture and safety within the maritime industry.”

The letter was signed by MM&P President Don Marcus, American Maritime Officers President Willie Barrere, AFL-CIO Maritime Trades Department Executive Secretary-Treasurer Mark Clements, Sailors’ Union of the Pacific President Dave Connolly, Seafarers International Union President David Heindel, Marine Firemen’s Union President Anthony Poplawski, AFL-CIO Transportation Trades Department President Greg Regan, and Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association President Adam Vokac.

It was addressed to Sam Graves, chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Rick Larsen, ranking member of the committee, and to Daniel Webster, chair of the House Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation and Salud Carbajal, ranking member.
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AUSTRALIA BANS DERELICT LIBERIA-FLAG SHIP

Maritime authorities in Australia have finally lost patience with a flag-of-convenience vessel, the KMAX LEADER, which spent four months broken down in Gladstone Harbor in Queensland.

The Australian Maritime Safety Agency charged the owner and operator of the flag-of-convenience vessel with breaking safety laws, then banned it from Australia’s ports for a year and had it towed to the Philippines.

The rusted bulker first came under AMSA’s scrutiny in October 2023, when it reported “engine room vibrations” after arriving in the Port of Gladstone to pick up a shipment of coal.

The ship’s agent pledged to resolve the issue in 8 to 10 days, but four months later, the vessel and its crew were still languishing in port.

AMSA asked the ship’s classification society for a damage survey. It also asked the Greek owners to provide an updated repair plan and information about towage arrangements.

But the owners never responded, and the agency said the ship remained “noncompliant.”

“AMSA expects all ship operators and masters to engage promptly, transparently and meaningfully,” said AMSA Executive Director of Operations Michael Drake.

“International standards exist to protect the lives of seafarers, and our precious marine and coastal environments. They are not optional.”

Especially in a port like Gladstone, which is close to the Great Barrier Reef, he said that a stranded ship poses big safety risks.

It could break its mooring lines, drag anchor, and cause catastrophic damage to the marine environment.

Two cyclones swept the coast of Queensland in the months that the KMAX LEADER languished in Gladstone Harbor.

The Liberia-flagged ship is the 10th vessel to be banned from Australian ports in the past year.
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COAST GUARD PILOT PROGRAM ALERTS VESSELS TO WHALE SIGHTINGS IN THE SALISH SEA

The Coast Guard has launched a new program to alert ships to whale sightings in the Salish Sea, in Washington state and British Columbia.

The agency’s new “Cetacean Desk” collects information from mariners and the public to help keep whales safe from ship strikes and reduce noise levels that interfere with their feeding.

The Salish Sea includes the Strait of Georgia, the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Puget Sound, and a network of connecting channels, waterways, and islands.

It is frequented by baleen whales and two groups of orcas, one which feeds on salmon, and the other on marine mammals.

To hunt salmon, the southern resident orcas use echolocation, which can be disrupted by ship noise. By slowing down, vessels reduce the noise they make.

The new program lowers the risk of ship strikes by sending out alerts to commercial vessels and ferries based on a combination of data from underwater listening devices and whale-watching apps.

USCG Lt. Cmdr. Margaret Woodbridge, who manages the whale desk, told the AP’s Manuel Valdes that the hope is that ship operators will be able to “slow down preemptively, perhaps give a little bit of a wider berth to an area with a recently reported whale.”

People who spot whales can download one of two apps that will feed into the Coast Guard’s Puget Sound Vessel Traffic Service.

Mariners can use radio frequencies and a phone tip line when they spot whales. Participation in the program is voluntary for ships.

The whale desk is currently mostly based on what people can see. It is more difficult to be aware of their presence in bad weather and at night.

There are plans to begin testing land-based thermal cameras that could potentially spot whales at night by detecting their warmth underwater, as well as listening systems to pick up whale songs.
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A NEW WAY SOME ACTIVE MEMBERS CAN SAVE ON PRESCRIPTIONS

Prescription drug prices are soaring. From January 2022 to January 2023, more than 4,200 drugs had price increases—almost half of them more than the rate of inflation.

The cost of prescription drugs is the MM&P Health & Benefit Plan’s single largest expense.

Now, the Plan has a new partnership that will allow some active members and covered dependents to save money on their prescription drug costs.

The free, confidential service is called Rx Savings Solutions (myrxss.com).

 

RxSS doesn’t replace your CVS Caremark prescription plan. It layers your current benefits to uncover every clinically sound way to spend less on prescriptions.

Get started today at myrxss.com and share RxSS with family members on your health plan so they can activate their own accounts.

(Please note: This program is only for active members, not for MM&P pensioners, who are in the new Silver Script Employer Group Waiver Plan.)
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MM&P HOLIDAY CLOSING SCHEDULE

MM&P Union Halls, MM&P Headquarters, the MM&P Plan Office, and the MM&P Federal Credit Union will be closed on March 29 for Good Friday.

The Honolulu Hall will be closed on Thursday, March 28 for Good Friday, and on Friday, March 29 for Harry Bridges Memorial Day.
Pacific Mainland ports are closed on Monday, April 1 for Cesar Chavez Day.
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OFFSHORE JOBS AVAILABLE

3AE on the SLNC Goodwill.

3AE on the SLNC Star
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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): 06/10/24, 09/16/24

AIS-1 – Automatic Identifications Systems Orientation (1-Day): Not currently scheduled

ARPA-OIC– Automated Radar Plotting Aids (4-Day): 04/11/24, 08/12/24, 11/04/24

AZIPOD (2-Day): Not currently scheduled

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

BRMP –Bridge Resource Management for Pilots (2-Day): Not currently scheduled

BRMP-EMR –Bridge Resource Management for Pilots with Emergency Shiphandling – (Now also included in BRMP-Refresher) (3-Day): Not currently scheduled

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

BT – Basic Safety Training (5-Day): 05/06/24

BT-Revalidation (2-day) (Must have 1 year of sea service in last 5 years): 04/22/24*, 06/10/24

BT-Refresher (3-day): 04/22/24*, 06/10/24

CHS-OIC – Cargo Handling Basic (5-Day): 04/15/24

[CMM – Chief Mate and Master Courses]

ADVSTB-CMM – Advanced Stability (5-Day): 04/29/24, 06/24/24, 10/07/24, 12/09/24

ADVWX-CMM – Advanced Meteorology (5-Day): 04/22/24, 06/17/24, 09/23/24, 12/16/24

CHS-CMM – Advanced Cargo Operations (10 Days): 10/14/24

CM-OPS 1 – Chief Mate Operations (5-Day): 07/08/24, 12/09/24

CM-OPS 2 Maersk – Chief Mate Operations II Maersk Specific (5-Day): 07/15/24, 12/16/24

ECDIS – Electronic Chart Display Information Systems (5-Day): 08/12/24, 11/11/24

LMS – Leadership and Managerial Skills (Management Level – Formerly MCL-CMM) (5-Day): 08/12/24, 11/18/24

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

(DCS-1 available on request – contact Admissions)

SHMGT-CMM- Ship Management (5-Day): 10/28/24

SHS-ADV-I-CMM – Advanced Shiphandling (week 1) (5-Day): 04/08/24*, 05/06/24*, 06/03/24*, 07/08/24, 08/05/24*, 09/09/24, 09/30/24, 11/04/24, 12/02/24

SHS-ADV-II-CMM – Advanced Shiphandling (week 2) (5-Day): 04/15/24*, 05/13/24*, 06/10/24, 07/15/24, 08/12/24*, 09/16/24, 10/07/24, 11/11/24, 12/09/24

**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

WKP-CMM – Advanced Watchkeeping (5-Day): 09/16/24

WX-HW-PAC – Heavy Weather Avoidance Routing: Pacific Ocean (2-day) – 05/11/24, 07/27/24, 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: 05/15/24

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

CNAV-OIC– Celestial Navigation (15-Day): 05/06/24

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) : Not currently scheduled

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

ERM – Engine Resource Management (5-Day): 12/09/24

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

FF-BADV – Fire Fighting Combined Basic & Advanced (5-Day): 05/06/24

FF-ADV-Rev (1-day) (Must have 1 year of sea service in last 5 years) – Advanced Fire Fighting Revalidation: 04/24/24, 06/12/24

FF-ADV-REF (2-day) – Advanced Fire Fighting Refresher: 04/25/24, 06/13/24

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

Online: Not currently scheduled

GL-Pilot – Great Lakes Pilotage Familiarization (2-Day): Not Currently Scheduled

GMDSS – Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (10-Day): Not Currently Scheduled

HAZ – Hazardous Materials (5 day): 05/06/24, 08/26/24, 12/02/24

LAP – License Advancement Program for Mate to Master (20-Day): 07/22/24, 10/07/24

LAP-Great Lakes – License Advancement Program – Great Lakes (15-Day): Not Currently Scheduled

LAP-ORG3rd – License Advancement Program for Original 3rd Mate, Oceans, Any Gross Ton License (15-Day): 06/03/24

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

LNG-BADV – Basic and Advanced IGF Code Operations (3 Day): 04/17/24*, 05/20/24, 06/17/24, 06/20/24

LTS –Leadership and Teamworking Skills (Formerly MCL-OIC) (1-Day): 04/04/24

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

MED-PIC – Medical Person in Charge (10-Day): 05/13/24, 08/19/24, 09/30/24

MED-PIC-REF– Medical Person in Charge Refresher: 05/26/24, 07/29/24, 11/18/24

MED-PRO – Medical Care Provider: (5-Day): 05/13/24, 07/08/24, 08/19/24

MED-DOT-DA – Dept. of Transportation Drug & Alcohol Testing (1-Day): 04/06/24, 05/05/24, 05/18/24

[MSC – Military Sealift Command Courses]

MSC-ATO-II – Military Sealift Command Anti-Terrorism Officer II (5-Day): 08/19/24

MSC-ATO-III – Military Sealift Command Anti-Terrorism Officer III (1-Day): 08/23/24

MSC-CBRD-OFF – Military Sealift Command Chemical, Biological, Radiological Defense Officer (5-Day): 07/08/24

MSC-CBRD-1 – Military Sealift Command Chemical, Biological, Radiological Defense Orientation (Basic) (1-Day): 05/09/24, 06/07/24, 08/08/24, 09/12/24, 10/31/24

MSC-DC – Military Sealift Command Damage Control (2-day): 05/10/24, 06/07/24, 08/09/24, 09/13/24, 11/01/24

MSC-ENVPRO (1-Day – Evening Class): 05/10/24, 06/07/24, 08/09/24, 09/13/24, 11/01/24

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

MSC-SMA – Military Sealift Command Small Arms Qualifications (4-Day): 05/13/24, 06/10/24, 07/15/24, 08/12/24, 09/16/24, 11/04/24

MSC-Security Watch Basic (1-Day/ 8-hour): 05/11/24, 06/08/24, 08/10/24, 09/14/24, 11/02/24

MSC-Security Watch Advanced (1-Day): 05/12/24, 06/09/24, 07/14/24, 08/11/24, 09/15/24, 11/03/24

MSC-Ship’s Reaction Force (3-Day): 05/17/24, 06/14/24, 07/19/24, 08/16/24, 09/20/24, 11/08/24

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): 05/15/24*, 05/17/24*, 08/19/24*, 08/21/24*, 12/09/24, 12/11/24

PSC – Personal Survival Craft (Lifeboatman) (5-Day): 06/24/24, 09/23/24

PSC-REF – Personal Survival Craft Refresher (2-Day): 04/18/24, 06/06/24, 09/19/24

RFPNW – Ratings Forming Part of a Navigational Watch (3-day): Not Currently Scheduled

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

ROR-1N – Radar Observer Renewal Evening Classes (1-Night): 04/24/24, 06/12/24

ROU-OIC – Radar Observer Program – Unlimited: 08/05/24, 10/28/24

SAR – Search & Rescue – (Now with OIC and CMM assessments) (3-Day): 04/01/24

SHS-BAS-OIC – Basic Shiphandling: 04/29/24, 07/22/24

SHS-EMR5 – Emergency Shiphandling (5 Day): 07/22/24, 10/14/24, 12/16/24

STB-OIC – Ship Construction and Basic Stability: 04/08/24

TCNAV/CO – Terrestrial Navigation and Compasses (15-Day): Not Currently Scheduled

TPIC – Tankerman Person in Charge: Not Currently Scheduled

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

TTT – ** NOT covered by the MATES Program **: Not Currently Scheduled

VPDSD – Vessel Personnel with Designated Security Duties: Not Currently Scheduled

VSO – Vessel Security Officer (3-Day): 04/08/24, 05/31/24

WKP-OIC – Watchkeeping (Operational Level) (10-Day): Not Currently Scheduled

WX-OIC –Meteorology (Operational Level): 04/22/24, 07/29/24
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MITAGS–WEST ACADEMIC NOTES

You can enroll online at www.mitags.org or contact our Admissions Department 866.656.5568 or admissions@mitags.org
March 2024

27th Advanced Firefighting Revalidation

April 2024

1-4 Advanced Firefighting

8-12 ECDIS

22-23 Basic Training Revalidation

24th Advanced Firefighting Revalidation

May 2024

6-10 Basic Training

13-17 Medical Care Provider

13-24 Medical Person-In-Charge

20-22 Security Officer – Vessel, Company & Facility

30-31 Advanced Firefighting Refresher

June 2024

1-2 Basic Training Revalidation

1-3 Basic Training Refresher

3rd Advanced Firefighting Revalidation

3-7 Basic Training

3-21 Terrestrial & Coastal Navigation

24-25 Basic Training Revalidation

26th Advanced Firefighting 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©2023. Articles can be reprinted without prior permission if credit is given to The MM&P Wheelhouse Weekly.

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