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

MEBA TELEX TIMES       JUNE 12, 2009

The Official Union Newsletter

NUMBER 24

In this issue...
Oberstar readies DOT redesign bill...OVERSEAS NIKISKI delivered...Support the Liberty ships...In a stripped-down, "au naturel" edition, we get on a streak, peel back the latest full-frontal news flashes and uncover a maritime peep show. Avoid indecent exposure from defrocked competitors that can't hide their shame when the facts are laid bare! As sure as the day you were born, the Telex Times is the stark naked truth! It'll leave you wearing nothing but a smile!

OBERSTAR DISCUSSES FORTHCOMING BILL TO REDESIGN DOT
Rep. Jim Oberstar (D-MN), chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, discussed a broad range of maritime topics this week at a D.C. meeting of the Propeller Club at a hotel on Capitol Hill. A 17-term Congressman, Oberstar is a strong maritime industry supporter who, once again, called for increased investment in our nation's ports and waterways to meet projected demand and to help our country successfully navigate through the 21st century. "It's frustrating to me we've taken so long to understand and react to these needs. We're turning this around now, but we need administration support," he said. He took the opportunity to stress the importance of short sea shipping and to promote legislation that would create incentives for trucking companies and others to take advantage of this "marine highway" in order to better facilitate the system and alleviate the crushing congestion on the roads.

Regarding piracy, he weighed in that the Department of Defense should deploy security teams aboard ships transiting piracy hotspots - especially those ships carrying government cargoes. He pointed out that there would be an outcry if a Government cargo were seized and redistributed elsewhere - whether it be food aid or guns.

Talking about increasing the size of the U.S.-flag fleet, he pointed out that we can't give in to foreign interests with their constant cries that the U.S. engages in "protectionism" through the Jones Act and other cabotage regulations. He alerted the Propeller Club gathering that the Europeans are kings of protectionism and cited the European trade monopoly, the Hanseatic League, as an example. Directing a few fluent sounding lines of French to the Europeans, he translated his utterance as "I've studied your system, I know what you're doing. You can't B.S. me."

He told the group a touching story how his father worked in the mines all his life but insisted that his son go to college and do better than his old man did. Oberstar's father never got to pursue his own dream - that of being a merchant mariner. Congressman Oberstar took it to heart and, in later years, cherished his appointment to the Committee that oversees many of the issues of importance to the Fourth Arm of Defense.

The Congressman informed the group that he will soon introduce a major Highway Bill that will order a massive redesign of the Department of Transportation. The bill, he said, will prescribe a comprehensive national transportation policy. The maritime industry, he said, and U.S.-flag ships would be a key part of this integrated system. The bill would also create a chief of intermodalism who will help usher in a short sea system. "We're going to transform the future of transportation in America, and put maritime in the front ranks," he announced. Rep. Oberstar plans to get the bill introduced as early as next week and hopes to address it in his Committee soon after.

AKER DELIVERS OVERSEAS NIKISKI
Aker Philadelphia Shipyard delivered its seventh MT-46 Veteran Class Product Tanker to American Shipping Company this week - the OVERSEAS NIKISKI. The vessel, part of a 12 ship series, left the yard under the operation of OSG America and powered by expert M.E.B.A. engineers. It will be used to transport petroleum products for Tesoro. The 600-foot long product tanker is the second of four vessels planned to be utilized by Tesoro. Last week a small naming ceremony was held to officially name the ship, a name chosen after the small community of Nikiski, located in the Kenai Peninsula Borough of Alaska. Aker Philadelphia Shipyard currently has three other ships at various stages of construction being built at the yard as part of its historic build program.

ATTACK ON CARGO PREFERENCE STOPPED FOR NOW
In the 11th hour of forming the 2009 supplemental funding legislation, anti food-aid factions were able to slip a provision into the bill that would have removed the Maritime Administration's (MarAd) authority to oversee cargo preference waivers requested by governmental agencies. This specific authority was granted in last year's Department of Defense Authorization, mostly by the efforts of Senator Dan Inouye, in order to monitor and prevent violations.

Spearheaded by the M.E.B.A. legislative staff, the maritime industry was able to get this language removed before the bill progressed. It appears that we are not out of the woods yet, though, as Senator Patrick Leahy has indicated that he plans to introduce similar legislation next session. The M.E.B.A. legislative staff continues to make sure Senators understand the importance of this program and the benefits it provides both domestically and internationally.

SUPPORT OUR LIBERTY SHIPS! O'BRIEN & BROWN PLAN SUMMER EVENTS
The only two operational Liberty Ships, one on each coast of our country, need your assistance for their continued upkeep and allowing new generations to learn about the importance of our Merchant Marine. The S.S. JEREMIAH O'BRIEN sits in San Francisco Bay. The SS JOHN BROWN is berthed in Baltimore, MD. Both ships are open year round for visits.

The JEREMIAH O'BRIEN will be the perfect place to celebrate Independence Day this summer as it is playing host to a special July 4th event. From 7 p.m. to 9:30 pm on that day, climb aboard and enjoy an All-American Dinner of hot dogs, chips and soda and watch the fireworks from the "best seat in the house" in San Francisco. Adults are $15 and children under 12, $8.

On July 18, the ship departs for its Kaiser Shipyard Cruise. It will leave at 10 a.m. on that day and return around 2 p.m. You can tour the waterfront of the old Kaiser shipyards in Richmond with historical narrative by the ship's Captain. The tour includes '40s music by Deutscher Musikverein of San Francisco and a picnic lunch. It is $100 per person.

On August 22, the ship will make its Historic San Francisco Barbary Coast Waterfront Cruise. The ship will tour the historic San Francisco waterfront while the Captain explains what it was like prior to 1900. The ship leaves at 10 a.m. and returns at 2 p.m. It will include '40s music by Natural Gas Jazz Band and a picnic lunch. It is $100 per person.

Another dockside event takes place from September 12-13, 2009. This will be the 6th Annual Brews on the Bay Brewfest. It will feature local bands and San Francisco's eight microbrewers for a beer tasting event you're not going to want to miss. This event sells out fast, so don't wait until the last minute to purchase tickets. Order tickets online at www.sfbrewerguild.org.  Call the JEREMIAH O'BRIEN's office at (415) 544-0100 for further info or visit their website at www.ssjeremiahobrien.org.

The Liberty ship JOHN BROWN is a 441-foot troop/cargo vessel that made eight missions to Europe during World War II. Its next "Living History" cruise will take place this weekend. The exciting six-hour cruise features a continental breakfast, luncheon buffet, music of the 1940s and flybys of wartime aircraft. The ship is open for tours of the engine room, onboard museums, crew quarters, bridge and other areas of interest. Tickets are $140 each with group rates available.

After this weekend, the next Living History Day Cruise aboard the JOHN BROWN will take place on Saturday, Sept 12, 2009. Get your tickets now.

Project Liberty Ship, the foundation that preserves the vessel, is a volunteer, nonprofit organization. Donations will continue to allow generations to view this historic floating museum and get a taste of how the Fourth Arm of Defense helped win World War II. Call (410) 558-0646 or visit www.liberty-ship.com to volunteer your time, make a donation or find out more!

LONG BEACH PORT ANNOUNCES SHORESIDE POWER SYSTEM FOR TANKERS
The Port of Long Beach, and BP America, has unveiled the world's first oil tanker terminal equipped with shore power to eliminate air emissions from docked vessels. For those landlubbers who don't know much about it, shore power allows ships to shut down their diesel engines at berth and plug into the landside electricity grid to improve air quality. The BP terminal on Pier T is the Port of Long Beach's second dock equipped with shore power, but the first such facility in the world for "liquid bulk" ships - vessels that transport large amounts of petroleum, etc. Shore power, also known as "cold-ironing," allows a specially equipped vessel to plug in at berth. The vessel can then draw power for its pumps, communications, ventilation, lighting and other needs from Southern California Edison, instead of its own diesel engines. Providing shore power to an off-loading oil tanker is the pollution-reducing equivalent of removing 187,000 cars from the road for a day. In a year, they said, shore power will eliminate more than 30 tons of pollution.

The BP shore power installation delivers enough electricity to power about 5,500 homes - up to 8 megawatts at 6,660 volts. The Alaska Tanker Company has equipped two of vessels that regularly visit the Port to be able to plug into the BP Terminal on Pier T, which supplies local refineries with crude oil. The joint project, which was undertaken voluntarily, was completed at a cost of $23.7 million - $17.5 million from the Port and $6.2 million from BP.

NIGERIA PIRATE ATTACKS COULD BE HIGHER OFF SOMALIA, WARN RISK EXPERTS
Pirate attacks along the coast of Nigeria are going unreported and could exceed those taking place off the coast of Somalia, warns a report by a leading risk consultancy that operates in the region. Piracy along the coast of Nigeria remains notably high with recurrent incidents taking place on the waterways surrounding Lagos, the Bonny River and the Niger Delta as a whole; however risk assessment and security experts Pilgrims Group warn that the current level of pirate attacks within the region is likely to increase.

The global economic crisis, particularly the marked change in commodity prices, is likely to have a strong effect on sub-Saharan economies and will likely have an effect on criminality in the Niger Delta. Pilgrims predict that oil theft will continue in the region as militant groups need to raise funds for weapons in the face of an effective offensive against them by the Nigerian security forces. While the recent settlement paid by Shell to the families of nine men hanged in 1995 has been welcomed in many circles, local groups say the gesture was not enough and there is still considerable resentment against government forces and multi-national corporations in the region that will continue to fuel both the insurgency and criminal activity.

It is believed that the misrepresentation of the scale of Nigeria's problem (compared with that of Somalia) may be due to the actual reporting of incidents. In reality, victims of piracy attacks may be reluctant to report such incidents due to the potential delays that can result. In addition, there remains some ambiguity about what actually qualifies as 'piracy', as some incidents could be considered to fall under the category of militancy.  Michael Howlett, the divisional director of the International Maritime Bureau advises that: "Although approximately 40 attacks were reported in Nigerian waters in 2008, the actual figure was likely to be closer to between 150 and 200."

NATO TO SEND SIX-SHIP FORCE TO FIGHT PIRACY
NATO will send more naval firepower to fight piracy off the coast of Somalia, agreeing to dispatch six ships to protect sea lanes that handle a tenth of the world's trade, Bloomberg news service reported.

A "short gap" may ensue between the departure of the current five-ship fleet on June 28 and the arrival of the new task force in July, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization said after defense ministers endorsed the deployment. Patrolling a swathe of water about four times the size of France, warships from NATO, the European Union and countries including Russia and China have battled 114 pirate attacks so far this year, more than in all of 2008.

Put on the defensive by the naval buildup, the pirates have started attacking at night and may be moving from the Gulf of Aden to the southern Red Sea to prey on commercial vessels, the U.S. Navy warned this week.

Owners of merchant vessels such as oil tankers and container ships are paying as much as $40,000 per passage for security guards on vessels in the pirate-infested waters, said Arild Nodland, chief executive officer of Bergen Risk Solutions. Insurance costs have also advanced, he said.

IMB DISMISSES REPORTS THAT PIRATES TARGET SHIPS IN ADVANCE
The ICC International Maritime Bureau (IMB) dismissed a number of recent press reports claiming that pirates off the Somali coast target vessels in advance, allegedly making use of a network of international contacts. Vessels attacked so far have included a range of vessel types from fishing boats and coastal dhows to bulk carriers and a supertanker. The vessels have been of many diverse flags, crewed by different nationalities, with various cargoes on board destined for a wide range of ports.

IMB said that pirates have even attempted to attack naval units mistakenly believing them to be merchant vessels. Pirates target vessels that are easy to board and in their vicinity. If an attack is successfully repelled they move on to another vessel. IMB stated that all the evidence indicates that these are primarily opportunistic crimes. The suggestion that vessels are targeted in advance using shore based intelligence is spurious. Further allegations have been made in the press that London-based information channels have been utilized to provide intelligence to the pirate gangs. But IMB says there is no evidence to support these allegations. They further noted that there is no information in the public domain that would enable pirates to precisely locate a targeted vessel at sea and then to mount a successful attack off the Horn of Africa.

ANOTHER JAMES RIVER RUSTBUCKET SOLD
The Maritime Administration has sold a ship for recycling to International Shipbreaking Ltd. of Brownsville, Texas. The SURIBACHI, a breakbulk AE21 class ammunition ship, built in 1956 at the Bethlehem facility, Sparrows Point, MD, has been bought at a purchase price of $20,001. The vessel is tentatively scheduled for departure on July 2, 2009. SURIBACHI has a full displacement of 15,688 tons, is 511 feet in length with a 72 foot waterline beam, an approximate speed of 20 knots, a 16,000 shaft horsepower, and two boilers, geared turbines and one shaft. The ship was among the first specialized underway replenishment ships built after World War II. Decommissioned in 1994 after 38 years of service, the vessel has been moored at the James River Reserve Fleet site in Newport News, VA.

REGULAR MONTHLY MEETINGS
Monday, July 6 - Boston, Jacksonville, Seattle;
Tuesday, July 7 - Baltimore/Calhoon School (at CMES), Houston, San Francisco (Oakland);
Wednesday, July 8 - Charleston, New Orleans;
Thursday, July 9- L.A. (Wilmington), New York (New Jersey), Norfolk, Tampa;
Friday, July 10 - Honolulu.

--------FINISHED WITH ENGINES---------