Seafarers International Union News

There is no denying that 2023 was a challenging year for the U.S. offshore wind market. Citing macroeconomic factors including high inflation, rising interest rates, and supply chain bottlenecks, Ørsted announced on October 31 that they were ceasing the development of the Ocean Wind 1 and Ocean Wind 2 projects, which were scheduled for construction off the coast of New Jersey. Unfortunately, the troubling news has continued into the new year, with Equinor and BP announcing on…

American Roll-On Roll-Off Carrier Group Inc. (ARC) added ARC Honor as the ninth American flag roll-on roll-off (Ro-Ro) vessel to its fleet.“This tremendously capable and flexible U.S.-flag ship is crewed by American merchant mariners and now operates in ARC’s global network supporting America’s national defense and economic security through trade,” said Eric Ebeling, ARC President & CEO. The vessel is ARC’s fourth large car/truck carrier (LCTC) vessel.The former Tulane was re-flagged to American registry and re-named the ARC Honor on February 2, 2024.

Seafarers International Union President Emeritus Michael Sacco died December 28, 2023, in St. Louis, surrounded by family members. He was 86 years old and passed away from natural causes.Mike was the longest-serving president in SIU history, having led the organization from 1988 until his retirement in February 2023, a period spanning nearly 35 years.The Seafarers International Union, Atlantic, Gulf, Lakes and Inland Waters, AFL-CIO, represents professional United States merchant mariners sailing aboard U.S.-flag vessels in the deep sea…

When Atlantic offshore wind (OSW) projects move into high gear they will kick-start a series of impacts affecting almost the entire East Coast economy, from logistics to transportation to utility projects and, of course, just about every aspect of port and maritime activities.The related topics of workforce development and employment are among the fundamental issues being pushed and pulled by OSW. How workforce development and education and training proceed – and succeed – will be critical for the U.S.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg this week announced the appointment of 25 new members to the Maritime Transportation System National Advisory Committee (MTSNAC). The MTSNAC Charter will advise the Secretary, through the Maritime Administration (MARAD) Administrator, on ways to identify and address impediments hindering the effective use of short sea transportation. The MTSNAC’s counsel comes as the Biden-Harris Administration takes aim at tackling inflation and reducing the cost of goods in the country…

Liberty Green Logistics LLC, (Lake Success, NY) formed an offshore wind supply chain consortium to provide "Factory to Farm" logistical support and integrated supply chain services to the U.S. offshore wind industry. The consortium is on a non-exclusive basis and available as a one stop shop for developers, OEM’s, and EPC contractors, providing services ranging across ports & terminals, vessels, and supply chain logistics. Since the inception in May 2021 Liberty Green has enrolled 17 consortium members…

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on Tuesday approved $1 billion for U.S. Coast Guard shore side infrastructure nationwide and $350 million for a heavy Great Lakes icebreaker as part of its budget reconciliation bill, an action that the Great Lake Maritime Task Force (GLMTF) called “great news for the Great Lakes.”The GLMTF described the heavy Great Lakes icebreaker as desperately needed and expects that a portion of the infrastructure funds will go to good…

U.S. offshore wind developer Vineyard Wind has contracted Belgium-based DEME for the offshore transport and installation of the wind turbine generators for the first largescale offshore wind installation in the United States.DEME's U.S. arm DEME Offshore US LLC will  team up with American maritime services contractor FOSS Maritime Company LLC to help construct the Vineyard Wind 1 project off the coast of Massachusetts. FOSS will provide the Jones Act compliant feeder vessels,…

I have a good friend named John Guste. He and his wife grew up in the same neighborhood as my wife, they all went to college together, and now our kids are friends. As a doctor, I’m sure he has little concern with the messy, yet mundane, intricacies of offshore energy and maritime policy. You can imagine my surprise then when one night while I was reading the Congressional Record from 1977—I’m a blast at parties—to see John’s grandfather testifying before the U.S. House of Representative’s Ad Hoc Select Committee on Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) issues.Mr.

President Joe Biden on Monday signed an executive order aiming to use government spending to strengthen domestic manufacturing and create markets for new technologies, in a move widely praised by America's maritime industry.The executive order, titled Strengthening "Buy American" Provisions, Ensuring Future of America is Made in America by All of America’s Workers", calls for increasing the amount of U.S. content that must be in a product for it to be considered made in America under existing "Buy American" requirements.

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.

Has the age of maritime discovery and exploration actually ended? Perhaps not exactly. As the history of maritime resilience and the human element shows, as far back as the 1500s and earlier, from using new navigational aids and improved ship designs, to coastal and inland route sailing, to navigating on open seas with uncertain charts, wayward icebergs, dense fog and luckily at times, clear starry nights, mariners have faced human element and maritime resiliency challenges. "Short of food and water…

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…

The United Seamen’s Service  announced that U.S. Secretary of Transportation, The Honorable Elaine L. Chao, will receive the 2019 Admiral of the Ocean Sea Award based on her career-long commitment to the maritime industry. The other, previously announced recipients are James Given, President of the Seafarers International Union of Canada; Anil Mathur, President and CEO of Alaska Tanker Corp.; and Joseph Pyne, Chairman of the Board of the Kirby Corporation.The award will be presented at the 50th annual AOTOS gala at the Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel, New York City, on November 1, 2019.

Crowley Maritime Corp. on Saturday christened its Commitment Class combination container/roll on-roll off (ConRo) ship El Coquí, which is among the first of its kind to be powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG).The Jones Act compliant vessel is the first of two built as part of Crowley’s Commitment Class project and a key new component in the company’s supply chain transformation in the U.S. mainland-Puerto Rico trade. Sister ship Taíno is in the final phases of construction and testing at VT Halter Marine’s shipyard in Pascagoula, Miss.

Liberty Global Logistics LLC (LGL) said its newest U.S.-flag Roll-On/Roll-Off (RO/RO) vessel, the M/V Liberty Peace, has commenced service. The flag of the vessel was transferred from Norwegian flag by the captain of the M/V NOCC Baltic to Jeffrey M. Raider, the U.S. Captain of the vessel. The M/V Liberty Peace was delivered to its owners in March 2017. The pure car/truck carrier (PCTC) will proceed to the U.S. West Coast to load cargo, then continue westbound across the Pacific to destinations in the Far East and Middle East. The vessel was designed to transport commercial vehicles, rolling stock and project cargo, as well as military wheeled and containerized equipment such as M-ATVs, HUMVEEs, MRAPs, armored personnel carriers, tanks, helicopters and unit equipment.

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…

Clinton vs. Trump. Perhaps one of the most important presidential elections in U.S. history, the 2016 Election Day results with have impacts felt far and wide – and all throughout maritime industry. A proverb common to both Greek and Turkish cultures states that a wolf may change its fur, but does not change its nature (Ο λύκος την τρίχα αλλάζει, το χούι δεν τ`αλλάζει /Kurt tüyünü değiştirir, huyunu değiştirmez). In English, we might render this “a leopard cannot change its spots.” If we are to believe the proverb…

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…

The United Seamen's Service (USS) honored Anthony Chiarello, President and CEO of TOTE Inc.; Matthew J. Cox, President and CEO of Matson; and James C. McKenna, President and CEO of Pacific Maritime Association with the 2015 Admiral of the Ocean Sea (AOTOS) Award. The maritime industry's most prestigious award was presented at the 46th annual gala held at the Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel, New York City, on November 13, 2015. At this gala, the recipients shared the evening with a group of American seafarers who were recognized by the USS for specific acts of bravery at sea. All three recipients shared a history of early family ties to the maritime industry. Mr. McKenna spoke of his father-in-law introducing him to the waterfront nearly 45 years ago. Mr.

On Thursday evening, October 1, 2016, the ship EL FARO went missing. The ship was en route from Jacksonville, Florida to San Juan, Puerto Rico. On Monday, four days after the ship vanished, the Coast Guard concluded it sank near the Bahamas in about 15,000 feet of water. One unidentified body in a survival suit was spotted, and the search continued until today for the other 32 crew members. Commissioner Doyle, a 1992 Massachusetts Maritime Academy graduate, sailed as an engineer aboard the SS MAYAGUEZ on the Philadelphia – Jacksonville - San Juan trade route in 2001. Mr. “I would like to extend my deepest condolences to the employees…