MARINE ENGINEERS' BENEFICIAL ASSOCIATION (AFL-CIO)
         "On Watch in Peace and War Since 1875"

MEBA TELEX TIMES       FEBRUARY 13, 2009

The Official Union Newsletter

NUMBER 7

In this issue...
M.E.B.A. ships prominent in piracy fight, humanitarian aid & salvage efforts...Solis nomination goes to Senate floor...That's amore! We hit it off and fall head over heels into another attractive issue that'll sweep you off your feet. Divorce yourself from the faithless, incompatible competition and tell them to kiss off! Make a date with the seductive "Mr. Right" of newsletters that'll win your heart. You've met your match! A perfect union of M.E.B.A. and maritime news, the one and only Telex Times is a labor of love!

M.E.B.A. SHIP TAKES BIGGER ROLE IN WAR ON PIRACY
An M.E.B.A.-crewed Military Sealift Command ship drafted by the U.S. Navy to fight high-seas piracy has been equipped as the first U.S. vessel that can temporarily hold captured suspects, officials said. The USNS LEWIS AND CLARK, usually used to haul cargo and ammunition, has been reconfigured to hold as many as 26 suspected pirates - signaling a paradigm shift in the Navy's counterpiracy missions, which previously did not allow for the capture of such suspects. A pact between the U.S. State Department and the Kenyan government signed in mid-January supplied "the missing link" that now lets U.S. military and coalition nations capture suspected pirates and then turn them over to Kenya for prosecution.

The LEWIS AND CLARK joined Combined Task Force 151 as "a staging platform," from which the Navy can launch either of the SH-60 Navy helicopters now assigned to the vessel, or serve as a temporary holding center for suspected pirates. The ship left the U.S. in September for a scheduled 11-month deployment.

In January, the Navy stood up its anti-piracy task force, setting out to patrol and monitor 1.1 million square miles of water, including the Gulf of Aden, Red Sea, Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea; shipping lanes used by roughly 23,000 commercial vessels a year.

This week, the guided missile cruiser USS VELLA GULF intercepted and apprehended nine suspected pirates in the Gulf of Aden after responding to a distress call from a nearby merchant vessel. The Indian-flagged Motor Vessel PREMDIVYA sent a distress call to all ships in the area reporting that she had been fired upon by a small skiff, and suspected pirates were attempting to board it. Upon reaching the suspect skiff, the helicopter crew from Helicopter Anti-submarine Squadron Light (HSL) 42, embarked aboard VELLA GULF, signaled for the skiff to stop immediately. When the skiff failed to stop, the helicopter fired one warning shot. A second warning shot was fired when the suspects continued to flee. Once the suspected pirates brought the skiff to a complete stop following the second warning shot, VELLA GULF, and the guided missile destroyer USS MAHAN closed immediately to intercept the skiff. Visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS) teams from both warships conducted a consensual boarding and found weapons.  The suspected pirates were apprehended and brought onboard VELLA GULF, where they were processed and were being held until their transfer to the holding facility aboard the USNS LEWIS AND CLARK. They will remain aboard LEWIS AND CLARK until information and evidence is assembled and evaluated and a decision is made regarding their further transfer. This is the second apprehension of suspected pirates for VELLA GULF in less than 24 hours. There are currently 16 suspected pirates being held by the U.S. Navy.

HIJACKED WEAPONS SHIP ISSUES THANKS TO M.E.B.A. VESSEL
The hijacked Ukrainian roll-on/roll-off ship FAINA which was recently released by pirates following a ransom pay-off, has issued thanks to an M.E.B.A.-crewed Military Sealift Command vessel that stood by FAINA during the saga and extended aid following the end of the ordeal. The FAINA, loaded up with 33 Russian tanks, rocket-propelled grenades and anti-aircraft guns, was hijacked on September 25 off the coast of Somalia. The USNS CATAWBA, crewed by M.E.B.A. engineers and MM&P mates, among others, was one of the vessels that kept watch on the pirates aboard the vessel as the four-month negotiations proceeded. The MSC ocean tug provided relief, fuel and fresh water to FAINA. The hijacked ship began with a crew of 21 but the Captain died of a heart attack during the ordeal. After the release, the new Captain and crew issued a heartfelt letter of thanks to the CATAWBA:

"On behalf of myself and the crew, I wish to show my sincerest appreciation for all the support CATAWBA has shown us during our four months of captivity under the Somali pirates. Our liberation would not have been possible without your constant presence. It is difficult for me to express my feelings towards you and your crew. Our lives were spared because you were here to protect us. You gave us the strength to endure the hardest of times. We will keep CATAWBA and her crew in our hearts and prayers forever. We wish you a safe journey home and good health for all your days. Thanks for everything you have done."

SENATE LABOR COMMITTEE MOVES SOLIS NOMINATION
Labor Secretary nominee Rep. Hilda Solis (D-CA) is one step closer to confirmation this week after a Senate committee pushed her nomination through to the Senate Floor. The Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, chaired by Sen. Edward Kennedy, quickly approved the nomination on Wednesday minutes after the committee had gathered.

Sen. Kennedy issued a statement saying, "Hilda Solis comes from a working family herself so she understands how the troubled economy is hurting average Americans. American workers deserve to have her voice and her leadership as their Secretary of Labor, and I'm pleased that our committee approved her."

The vote came 61 days after Solis was nominated and over a month after her initial confirmation hearing. Reportedly, some Republicans were uneasy with her support of labor unions and the Employee Free Choice Act. A hearing last week was postponed when it was learned there had been tax liens placed on her husband's business. In addition, Republicans expressed concerns with Solis' work with the pro-labor group American Rights at Work.

With most of the concerns apparently eased, only Sens. Pat Roberts (R-KS) and Tom Coburn (R-OK) dissented on her nomination. A vote by the full Senate is imminent. AFL-CIO President John Sweeney called for the Senate to put Solis to work as soon as possible. "We have already lost valuable time getting the leading advocate for working people in our government in place. Rep. Solis is eminently qualified for this post, and she will be a vigorous champion for rebuilding a strong middle class and restoring balance to our economy. We urge the full Senate to confirm Rep. Solis swiftly so she can dig into the work that working families in our nation so desperately need her to do. The AFL-CIO looks forward to working with her to build an economy that works for everyone."

COAST GUARD ACTION TO REDUCE CREDENTIAL PROCESSING TIME
The U.S. Coast Guard announced Wednesday its ongoing actions to reduce processing time for mariner credentials. The National Maritime Center, the Coast Guard's new centralized mariner credentialing processing facility in Martinsburg, W.Va., consolidated the Mariner Licensing and Documentation program that was performed in the 17 Regional Examination Centers throughout the nation approximately one year ago.

Since its centralization the NMC has increased the number of credentials issued by 135%; Decreased the average inventory age of applications by 49%; Reduced cycle time to conduct professional qualification and safety and security evaluations; and achieved compliance with ISO 9001.

However, the NMC has faced a challenge processing credentials since late fall. A significant portion of delays in processing is attributable to the complexity of completing the application, which requires follow-up communication with mariners to obtain correct or additional information. However, the NMC acknowledges that 16 percent of the delays in processing mariners' applications are the result of production bottlenecks in the medical evaluation stage of the credential evaluation process.

"Over the past six months the NMC has issued more than 36,000 credentials with 18,000 of those credentials issued in less than 30 days," said Capt. David Stalfort commanding officer of the NMC. "Unfortunately, the NMC's average processing time of 80 days is not yet where the Coast Guard wants it to be and that is why we are taking action to remedy the problem and ensure it does not occur in the future." The NMC is taking the following actions to remedy the problem:

Immediate Process Changes: NMC has recently implemented enhanced risk-based screening procedures to streamline the medical evaluation process and is prioritizing all credential renewals received to focus on current credentials that have expired or are near expiration. This process is specifically designed to increase the throughput of credentials and keep working mariners employed. Thousands of credentials have been produced and mailed to mariners as a result of these changes.

Surging Resources Aggressively: The Coast Guard is surging personnel to assist with medical screenings and evaluations including: Coast Guard active duty medical staff from around the country; Public Health Service personnel and medically trained Coast Guard Auxiliary members. NMC has also increased the medical staffing contract in its medical evaluations branch to provide additional capacity.

Building Long Term Capabilities: The Coast Guard is taking measures to expand the size of the medical evaluation branch to ensure long-term capacity to meet the medical evaluation demand and ensure efficient processing. The Coast Guard is also looking to enhance the credentialing database to enable electronic workflow to improve both the efficiency and the quality of the screening and evaluation process.

Maritime Industry Outreach: The Coast Guard is aggressively communicating its action plans to industry leaders, marine employers, individual mariners and the public via the NMC call center, the NMC website and the Coast Guard list server. Moreover, NMC is providing its 17 Regional Examination Centers with clearer medical guidelines so they may better serve the mariners in completing their applications and avoiding generally preventable delays. The NMC encourages mariners to submit their new or renewal applications early to ensure adequate processing time. Mariners with existing medical conditions should add extra time to process and review their requests to allow for the possibility of additional documentation requirements.

GREAT LAKES SHIPPING DOWN IN 2008
A 40% drop in cargo movement in December wiped out earlier gains and produced a 3% decrease in U.S.-Flag shipping on the Great Lakes in 2008. The 101 million net tons of dry-bulk cargo transported by U.S.-Flag lakers in 2008 also represented a 4.5% decrease from the trade's 5-year average.

The iron ore trade finished in a virtual tie with a year ago - 47.2 million net tons. Yet as late as November, shipments of iron ore in U.S. hulls were up by 2.2 million net tons. The iron ore trade crumbled in December.

At 25 million net tons, coal shipments represent a small decrease from 2007. However, the 18 million net tons of low sulfur coal loaded at Superior Midwest Energy Terminal in Superior, Wisconsin set a new benchmark for the U.S.-Flag Lakes fleet.

Limestone loadings finished the year at 23.6 million net tons, a decrease of 9 percent compared to 2007. However, compared to the fleet's 5-year average for stone, cargos were off more than 14%. The trade was sluggish all year, primarily because of the decline in heavy construction and the housing market. Then, in December, with steel mills banking furnaces, the fluxstone market collapsed too. Of the other dry-bulk commodities carried by the fleet, only salt held even with 2007. Cement, sand, and grain were all down compared to 2007.

M.E.B.A. SHIP HELPS FREE GROUNDED NAVY CRUISER
The M.E.B.A.-crewed salvage ship USNS SALVOR helped wrestle a grounded Navy Guided Missile Cruiser off a rock and sand shoal near Honolulu where it had been stuck for three days. Earlier attempts to free the USS PORT ROYAL failed but when fuel, personnel and two bow anchors and chains weighing 40 tons were offloaded the ship was sufficiently lightened for SALVOR and several tugs to free the ship from its shallow prison. SALVOR was expected to go back later and recover the anchors that were left at the scene.

The Navy was later further humbled by the revelation that the PORT ROYAL discharged 5,000-gallons of wastewater to prevent it from backing up on the ship. However, Hawaii's Health Dept. says it never received notification for which the Navy blamed a communication breakdown. Since the incident, the PORT ROYAL Captain has been replaced pending an investigation.

REGULAR MONTHLY MEETINGS
Monday, March 2 - Boston, Jacksonville, Seattle;
Tuesday, March 3 - Baltimore, Houston, San Francisco;
Wednesday, March 4 - Calhoon School; Charleston, New Orleans, Portland;
Thursday, March 5 - L.A., New York, Norfolk, Tampa;
Friday, March 6 - Honolulu.

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