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- Just Released -
newsletter # 59
New & Revised
Research Reports:
R-440-A rev.1
R-344
rev.2
R-449
rev.1 R-429-L
R-350-A
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Helping mariners
in the northeast U.S.
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The Times Picayune
Sunday, August 10, 2008
By Jen DeGregorio
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SPECIAL REPORT
Tugs operate under radar on river..
Lack of checks allows problems
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Effective immediately, our new
address is:
NATIONAL MARINERS ASSOCIATION
124 North Van Avenue
Houma, LA 70363
Available Jobs
Two
full time positions for tugboat captains with
Z-drive experience
@ Foss maritime,
Long Beach Ca,
These jobs are union positions. The jobs are
hanging dispatches, at the Inland Boatmen's
Union Hall in San
Pedro Ca.,
310-521-1986
These are great
full time jobs
with a schedule, for harbor ship assist and
barge work.
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Dear Members of the National Mariners Association,
The National Mariners Association office in Houma,
Terrebonne Parish, LA, has suffered from electrical outages from
Labor Day until today. Terrebonne Parish was one of the state's
hardest hit parishes in recent Hurricane Gustav. Many of your
e-mails, faxes, and phone calls may have been lost
electronically. We are just getting back on our feet.
I have been invited to testify before the House Coast Guard
and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee on Tuesday September
16, 2008 on the matter of the July 23rd Mississippi River Oil
Spill and the Apprentice Mate/Steersman Program. Consequently,
my wife Gwen and I will be out of town until Monday September
23rd at the Hearing and attending a two day meeting of the
Towing Safety Advisory Committee at MITAGS in Linthicum,
Maryland.
Our
invitation is a great honor and privilege extended to our
Association and its mariners. Our testimony is limited to a
brief statement no longer than 5 minutes. Captain David Miller,
our webmaster, will post this statement on our website as Report
#R-350-A.
Our brief statement references our much more detailed
written testimony in Report
#R-429-N, Report
to the 110th Congress: Maritime Towing
Accidents Involving Apprentice Mates/Steersmen. We
believe that this report that appears on our website and was
mailed over a month ago to members of several Congressional
committees covers the subject comprehensively. and is worthy of
your attention However, we welcome your comments.
On August 2, 2007 I had the privilege of testifying before
the same subcommittee chaired by Congressman Elijah Cummings.
At that time we left the original Report #R-350
R-350. Rev. 3, July 23, 2007.
Mariners Seek Help From Congress on Safety,
Health, and Work-Related Problemst -- a report that covered
a much broader scope. I urge you to re-visit that document.
Richard A. Block
Master #1186377 (issue #9)
Secretary, National Mariners Association
P. O. Box 3589
Houma, LA 70361-3589
PHONE: (985) 851-2134
FAX: (985) 879-3911
website:
www.nationalmariners.org
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This
is the source for the latest news, information, newsletters and
research reports concerning the Coast Guard and many Industry
issues, and how they affect your career. View our library of
newsletters and research reports. We're always glad to hear from you, so email
us
with your ideas, or give us a call.
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Towboat sinks at
Port of Brownsville
August 28, 2008 - 8:55PM
By Emma Perez-Trevino, The Brownsville Herald
Approximately 2,000 gallons of diesel was spilled at the Port of
Brownsville Saturday when a Signet towboat sank.
The sunken towboat was raised using an AmFELS crane and almost all
the diesel fuel was contained and recovered, U.S. Coast
Guard marine casualty investigator Troy Rentz said.
"They contained it. They immediately put a boom around it," Deputy
Port Director Donna Eymard said. "There was no
contamination."
Initially, no injuries were reported, but subsequently there were
reports of three crewmen who had possibly sustained minor
injuries.
The towboat succumbed to the strength of water-surge propelled from
six passing towboats moving a rig at the Keppel AmFELS
shipyard.
Rentz said Thursday that he has not concluded his
investigation into the incident, which occurred at 8:30 a.m.
Saturday.
Three men were on the towboat, but they were able to climb
aboard a boat.
"They all got off safely," Rentz said.
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N
The Brownlist!
- companies
to avoid -
THE
MASTER of TOWING VESSELS ASSOCIATION
represents USCG
licensed masters and mates with the towing endorsement on
their license. Obtaining this endorsement has become
increasingly difficult in recent years. The pool of new
recruits into the industry has become almost
non-existent. Also many of the existing masters will
retire from towing in the next few years. In doing so they
will take with them a valuable history of towing knowledge
that cannot be learned in the classroom or through the USCG
T.O.A.R program.
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Captain Gary Hensley
Master Towing Vessels Upon Inland Waters, Western Rivers, Great
Lakes and Near Coastal Waters
Over 30 Years Experience,
USCG Certified Designated Examiner, Trip Pilot, Expert Witness &
Maritime Consultant
Ph;(251)510-5098
E-Mail
towboater2000@yahoo.com |
Capt. David Whitehurst
Licensed Inland & Western Rivers,
Over Forty Years Experience,
Expert Witness,
Maritime Consultant
& USCG Certified
Designated Examiner
Ph;(985)518-3874
E-Mail
capt.whitehurst@yahoo.com |
| License or MMD not insured? |
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Protect your livelihood & profession from unforeseen events
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VADM CARD’S MARINE SAFETY
ANALYSIS:
AN INDEPENDENT ASSESSMENT AND
SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT
Late in the summer of 2007, Admiral Thad Allen,
Commandant,
U.S. Coast
Guard, asked Vice Admiral James Card, U.S. Coast Guard
(Retired) – a Marine Safety expert with 40-plus years of
service, well-known and highly-respected throughout industry
- to candidly and independently assess and report on the
Coast Guard's performance of the Maritime Safety Program.
[1]
To assess all issues facing the Marine Safety Program,
especially the concerns of the marine industry and from
inside the Coast Guard, Vice Admiral Card conducted
interviews with more than 170 people from the industry and
the Coast Guard.
As noted in Vice
Admiral Card’s report, those interviewed were promised that
the information they provided was anonymous and not for
attribution. All the people interviewed were eager to
discuss Coast Guard Marine Safety issues and many candid comments and suggestions were gathered.
Vice Admiral Card presented his findings to Coast Guard
leadership on October 30, 2007 at the Coast Guard’s Annual
Flag Officers Conference in New Orleans and subsequently delivered his
final report to Admiral Allen on 20 November, 2007.
In addition, preliminary findings from Vice Admiral’s
Card report were reviewed and addressed in the Coast Guard’s
plan to enhance Marine Safety, which was published in
September of 2007.
Admiral Allen is now posting Vice Admiral Card’s report on
the internet to ensure an informed and transparent process
as the Coast Guard continues to consider and respond to
concerns regarding its execution of the Maritime Safety
Mission.
To view Vice Admiral Card’s report or
the Coast Guard’s plan to enhance Marine Safety, please go
to:
www.uscg.mil/hq/cg5
/cg54/marinesafety.asp
[1]
The term Marine Safety Program used in the
report means all programs related to inspections,
investigations, and merchant mariner documentation
(the old Commercial Vessel Safety Program.) While
the report does not address the environmental
response program, Vice Admiral Card stated many
expressed similar concerns regarding loss of
experience, resources, knowledge, and focus.
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Spokesman for Limited Tonnage Mariners:
Captain Bill Beacom
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