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Time is Now for Revitalization I’m sure we could come up with some exceptions, but for the most part, any given industry is more likely to end up in the news during times of crisis rather than when going through routine operations. Not to pick on our brothers and sisters in the airline industry, but…

The SIU-affiliated school in southern Maryland interchangeably goes by more than one name, but the facility recently added a new designation carrying some well-earned cachet: Center of Excellence for Domestic Maritime Workforce Training and Education (CoE). Announced by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) in mid-February, the CoE label is valid for five…

The United States Department of Defense (DoD) on March 20 announced that three SIU-crewed vessels are slated to play key roles in a mission that ultimately aims to facilitate delivery of humanitarian aid shipments to Gaza following the construction of a temporary pier off the coast. The construction is expected to take around 60 days…

Seafarers and members of the SIU Government Services Division recently demonstrated teamwork and proficiency during an underway replenishment involving the tanker Badlands Trader (operated by U.S. Marine Management) and the Military Sealift Command dry cargo/ ammunition ship USNS Matthew Perry. The Perry, whose crew includes SIU CIVMARS, received approximately 335,000 gallons of aviation fuel which…

The SIU-affiliated Maritime Trades Department (MTD) is teaming up with other labor organizations to help level the playing field with China when it comes to shipbuilding. SIU President David Heindel – in his role as MTD president – attended a March 12 press conference in the Senate where the filing of a petition with the…

SIU members played key roles in another successful iteration of Operation Deep Freeze (ODF), the annual resupply mission to McMurdo Station, Antarctica. The Seafarers-crewed Ocean Gladiator (operated by Waterman) and Acadia Trader (U.S. Marine Management) earlier this year wrapped up their respective roles in ODF 2024. As reported by the U.S. Transportation Command, ODF is…

Retired Seafarer Joseph F. Mellon recently was enjoying a feature story in the Seafarers LOG when he spotted a reference that evoked an old, fond memory. The article (about another former member) mentioned a 1954 letter from then-SIU President Paul Hall addressed to the newly born son of a Seafarer. The correspondence encouraged him to…

Longtime SIU member Fr. Sinclair Oubre on Feb. 15 received a big honor in Houston. Oubre, the Stella Maris chaplain in the Diocese of Beaumont – along with Sharon Emerson, executive director of the Corpus Christi Seafarers’ Center – received the Distinguished Service Award by the North American Maritime Ministry Association (NAMMA). Celebrating the recognition…

Sen. Wicker U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi) once again is helping set the record straight regarding a maritime law that is vital to U.S. national, economic and homeland security. In a letter to the Wall Street Journal in early March, Wicker – responding to a recent op-ed that criticized the Jones Act – spelled out…