Marine Engineers Beneficial Association News

The U.S. Department of Transportation has formed a new advisory council to help drive improvements at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA), a service academy in Kings Point, N.Y.According to the DOT, establishment of the USMMA Advisory Council fulfills a key recommendation from the National Academy of Public Administration’s (NAPA) November 2021 report entitled “Organizational Assessment of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy: A Path Forward.” Specifically, NAPA’s report recommended…

A new bill recently introduced by Congressman John Garamendi (D-CA) and U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) aims to increase federal funding for public ferry services in the United States.The “Ferry Service Expansion Act” would boost funding for both the Federal Highway Administration’s formula and the Federal Transit Administration’s competitive grant programs to the levels requested by the Public Ferry Coalition, building upon New Federal Investment in Ferry Service under Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.Specifically…

By the time this article is published, voting will have concluded in the 2020 United States presidential election. Based on the possibility of legal challenges to the election, however, it may be some time before we know who will be occupying 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue on January 20, 2021. Additional uncertainty may linger with regard to control of the Senate. However, beyond the general spectacle of American politics, an important question remains: What does this election mean for the U.S.

New legislation introduced by U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Gary Peters (D-Mich.) will codify the U.S. Coast Guard’s icebreaking mission on the Great Lakes and increase the icebreaking capacity of the Great Lakes fleet.The Great Lakes Winter Commerce Act aims to increase Great lakes icebreaking capacity, which the lawmakers say will help the businesses and workers that rely on the maritime industry to transport their goods to market and grow the regional economy.“In recent years…

William P. Doyle, a former U.S. Federal Maritime Commissioner, has been hired to lead the Port of Baltimore as the new executive director of the Maryland Port Administration, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan announced.Currently CEO and Executive Director of the Dredging Contractors of America, Doyle will take the helm at the Port of Baltimore effective July 22, succeeding Jim White, who announced he would step down at the end of 2019. Doyle was appointed by Secretary of the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) Greg Slater…

Liberty Maritime responds to MEBA’s ‘Informational Picket’ against the U.S. flag operator. Coinciding with Liberty Maritime’s reflagging ceremony in the Golden Triangle; The Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association (MEBA) this week staged what they characterized as an ‘informational picket’ today against Liberty Maritime Corp., to include Liberty Global Logistics (Liberty). Not so, says Bob Wellner, President of Liberty Global Logistics LLC (LGL), who weighed in this morning on the matter. In his own prepared comments, Wellner told Marinelink, “The MEBA agreement with Liberty Maritime only covers dry cargo vessels which are enrolled in the Maritime Security Program.

New legislation proposed this week would require up to 30 percent of U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports to travel on U.S.-flagged vessels. The U.S. is expected to continue ramping up its LNG exports in the coming years and become a net exporter by 2020, yet there are currently no U.S.-flag carriers to carry the cargo. “We’re the most powerful nation in the world, but 99 percent of our trade travels on foreign-flagged ships,” said Congressman John Garamendi (D-Fairfield, Davis…

Arthur E. Imperatore, Founder and President of New York Waterways; Captain Donald Marcus, International President of the International Organization of Masters, Mates & Pilots; and Christopher Wiernicki, Chairman, President and CEO of the American Bureau of Shipping, were recipients of the maritime industry's most prestigious Admiral of the Ocean Sea awards presented at the 47th annual United Seamen's Service gala industry dinner and dance October 28, 2016. The event was held at the at the Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel, New York City. Recognition was also given to American seafarers for specific acts of bravery and heroism while at sea. (See separate news release).

The United Seamen's Service (USS) 2016 Admiral of the Ocean Sea Awards (AOTOS) will be presented to Arthur E. Imperatore, Founder and President of New York Waterways; Donald Marcus, President of the International Organization of Masters, Mates & Pilots; and Christopher Wiernicki, Chairman and CEO of American Bureau of Shipping. The maritime industry's most prestigious awards will be presented at the 47th annual gala industry dinner and dance at the Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel, New York City, on October 28, 2016. Recognition will also be given to American seafarers for specific acts of bravery and heroism while at sea. General Kenneth Wykle…

Members of the maritime community gathered last evening at the New York Athletic Club to honor three of its leaders: H. Marshall Ainley (President, Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association), Ian T. Blackley (President & CEO, Overseas Ship Management, Inc.) and Raymond J. Burke Jr. (Partner, Burke & Parsons). These individuals were given the 2016 “Outstanding Friend of Seafarers” Award by Seafarers International House, a Lutheran, non-profit agency serving merchant seafarers in Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Rhode Island, at the organization’s 16th Annual “Setting the Course” Awards Banquet. * Marshall Ainley was elected president of MEBA in January 2014 and is a 1982 graduate of the U.S. Merchant Maritime Academy in Kings Point, NY.

Seafarers International House will hold its 16th annual awards banquet from 6-10 p.m. on April 21 at the New York Athletic Club.   The banquet will honor Marshall Ainley, president of Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association (MEBA); Ian Blackley, president and CEO of Overseas Shipholding Group, Inc. (OSG); and Ray Burke, partner at Burke & Parsons.   The Setting the Course annual award banquet supports Seafarers International House’s port mission and honors those in the maritime industry who’s achievements have earned them the Outstanding Friend of Seafarers Award. Register here.

The United States Senate confirmed William P. Doyle to another term in office as a Federal Maritime Commissioner on the evening of March 23, 2015. The vote was a unanimous 89 in favor, 0 opposed, and 11 senators not voting. Upon confirmation, Commissioner Doyle said, “I would like to thank President Obama for his confidence in me, and I would also like to thank the U.S. Senate for taking up my nomination today. William Doyle was originally confirmed by the Senate on January 1, 2013 to fill the unexpired term of former Commissioner Joseph Brennan.

The Golden Gate passenger ferry system, California's largest, was shut down on Friday by striking boat captains, disrupting service for thousands of San Francisco Bay-area commuters in a wider labor dispute over wages and benefits for transit workers. The 20 ferry pilots who work for the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District walked off the job for the day to protest what union officials have criticized as bad-faith contract bargaining on the part of management. The Golden Gate service operates five ferries making 42 crossings a day - carrying roughly 8,500 passengers - between San Francisco and the Marin County communities of Sausalito and Larkspur on the north side of the bay.

U.S. marine vessel operators have invested in their fleets, adopted new technologies and switched to cleaner burning engines and fuels to stay in business. In this edition, we take a look at how industry leading marine operators have flourished, sometimes in tough circumstances. At family-run McAllister and Chouest, sons and daughters learned operations from the ground up, while CEO Todd Hornbeck revamped the first version of a company started by his dad. All value their employees and say workplace safety is a priority. Each of these companies is quick to meet customer demands.

As I write, the M/V  Cape Ray, a 648-foot roll-on/roll-off Ready Reserve Force ship is steaming under orders towards Gioia Tauro, Italy, to load hundreds of tons of Syrian Government chemical weapon agents and precursor chemicals, before neutralizing them at sea. With innovative safe-destruction technology welded to its decks, the  Cape Ray is the United States’ key contribution to the joint Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) / United Nations international effort to eliminate the Syrian stockpile of chemical weapons…

Education for the next generation, employment for life. A new source of talent emerges for maritime stakeholders everywhere. Primary and secondary maritime schools are sprouting up across the country, inspiring K-12 students to learn about the exciting, yet sometimes obscured domestic waterfront. The goals of these maritime school programs are many and multifaceted, but at the core they motivate and engage students by bringing something new and exciting to the classroom while giving teachers an effective means for capturing the attention of their classes.

On June 20, a diverse coalition of 58 national and regional organizations representing a wide array of leading business, maritime and labor organizations signed on to a letter to Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee Chairman John Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) and Ranking Member John Thune (R-SD) urging that the committee mark up and approve S. 2094, a bill that would establish a uniform, science-based national framework for the regulation of ballast water and other vessel discharges. S. 2094, introduced on March 6 by Sens.

On March 13, a diverse coalition of 59 national and regional organizations representing a wide array of business, maritime and labor interests signed on to a letter to Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee leadership, Chairman John Rockefeller (D-WV) and Ranking Member John Thune (R-SD), thanking them for cosponsoring S. 2094, a bill that would establish a uniform national framework for the regulation of ballast water and other vessel discharges, and urging swift Committee consideration and approval. S. 2094, introduced on March 6 by Sens. Mark Begich (D-AK) and Marco Rubio (R-FL), has 23 bipartisan co-sponsors, nearly one-quarter of the Senate.

President Barack Obama last week announced 11 nominations to key Administration posts. Among them was William P. Doyle, who currently serves as a Commissioner of the Federal Maritime Commission. William P. Doyle currently serves as a Commissioner on the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC). Prior to joining the FMC, from 2011 to 2013, Mr. Doyle served as the Chief-of-Staff for the Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association from 2011 to 2013. From 2008 to 2011, Mr. Doyle was the Director of Permitting, Scheduling, and Compliance at the Office of the Federal Coordinator for Alaska Natural Gas Transportation Projects from 2008 to 2011, and was the Deputy General Counsel and Director of Government and Legislative Affairs for the Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association from 2002 to 2008. Mr.

The Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association (M.E.B.A.) is sad to announce that Jesse M. Calhoon, the M.E.B.A.’s longest serving President who is widely credited with ushering the Union into the modern era, died on Tuesday October 22. He was 90 years old. Calhoon served the M.E.B.A. as a powerful and visionary leader, and a tough negotiator who employers viewed as a formidable but trustworthy adversary. His dynamic service as M.E.B.A.’s top executive and Chairman of the Board of Trustees spanned over 20 years and six U.S. Presidencies.

The Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association (MEBA) raises awareness of U.S. mariners in the cruise industry in light of recent media interest. MEBA say it is proud to represent U.S. Merchant Mariners on the only U.S.-flagged and U.S. crewed cruise ship, the Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL) Pride of America. Recent media coverage concerning the cruise line industry has highlighted the lack of qualified ship’s officers in this industry. However, the coverage has not addressed the skill…

The Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association Raises Awareness of U.S. The Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association (M.E.B.A.) will represent U.S. Merchant Mariners on the only U.S.-flagged and U.S. crewed cruise ship, the Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL) Pride of America. Recent media coverage concerning the cruise line industry has highlighted the lack of qualified ship’s officers in this industry. However, the coverage has not addressed the skill and professionalism of the crew of the Pride of America, a U.S- flagged cruise ship. This vessel and its mariners have an outstanding safety and environmental record. In fact, it is the best in the industry; exceeding all the requirements and regulations set in place by the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), the U.S.

The Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association (M.E.B.A.) calls for continued funding of the Food for Peace (PL 480) & Food for Progress programs. MEBA stands with 21 U.S. Senators and its United States maritime industry partners in protecting thousands of U.S. maritime and agricultural jobs by calling for continued funding of the Food for Peace (PL 480) and Food for Progress programs. These programs, administered by the U.S. Agency for International Development, create necessary cargo for the U.S.-Flag shipping industry through the delivery of vital overseas food assistance. Recently, M.E.B.A. learned that the Obama Administration is considering major budgetary changes to these programs…