The U.S. Coast Guard recently issued the following update to Marine Safety Information Bulletin 02-21. For a PDF copy, click HERE. Both of the following links appear in the MSIB, but Seafarers are encouraged to check out the related Coast Guard FAQ HERE and the related CDC FAQ HERE. The…
Mar
24
Mar
23
From the Maritime Trades Department, AFL-CIO: A card-carrying trade unionist is the new U.S. Labor Secretary following Senate confirmation on March 22. Laborer Marty Walsh has taken the helm of the federal department that oversees workplace health and safety, labor law enforcement, and wage-and-hour protection, among other issues. [caption id="attachment_713742"…
Mar
23
After many arduous sessions of hard bargaining between the union and company over a nine-month period, on March 9, 2021 the SIU reached a tentative agreement with American Steamship Company (ASC) on a new four-year contract (2021-2025), which was subsequently ratified by the SIU membership employed by ASC. The union…
Mar
23
The hiring hall in Norfolk, Virginia, is closed until further notice (effective Tuesday morning, March 23), for precautionary reasons. Members can still reach the hall and conduct business by phone at (757) 622-1892. We’ll post an update when one is available. ###
Mar
22
The International Maritime Organization recently posted this update on the global crew-change crisis. It's available on the IMO website HERE. Crew change crisis is far from over and issues around vaccination need to be resolved. The crew change crisis caused by COVID-19 restrictions continues to cause challenges, despite some improvement…
Mar
22
SIU Assistant Vice President Bryan Powell recently was re-appointed to his position on the board of directors of the Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority. The Wayne County (Michigan) Commission unanimously approved the four-year appointment (2021-2025) on March 18. Powell has served…
Mar
22
The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) recently issued the following alert: U.S. MARITIME ADVISORY 2021-004 Threat Type: GPS Interference Geographic Area: Various This revised advisory cancels U.S. Maritime Advisory 2020-016 1. Reference: None. 2. Issue: Multiple instances of significant GPS interference have been reported worldwide in the maritime domain. This interference…
Mar
18
The U.S. Coast Guard has issued the following Marine Safety Information Bulletin. It's available on the agency's website HERE. COVID-19 Crew Change Issues The COVID-19 pandemic has significant impacts on the U.S. Marine Transportation System, the Global shipping industry and on seafarers themselves. Travel restrictions imposed by governments around the…
Mar
18
In an effort to facilitate important training for mariners while also helping promote career advancement, the SIU-affiliated Paul Hall Center for Maritime Training and Education has adjusted some of its requirements for steward-department coursework. Effective immediately, the path for entry-level students in the Paul Hall Center’s apprentice program to advance…
Mar
16
During his annual “State of the Coast Guard” address on March 11, the agency’s commandant, Adm. Karl Schultz (pictured during the speech in San Diego), praised the U.S. Merchant Marine. “I have to give a shout-out to our credentialed U.S. Merchant Mariners who form the backbone of the Marine Transportation…