FEBRUARYFEBRUARY 2017 2014 VOLUME VOLUME 76 o NO.79 NO. 2 2 Tanker Liberty Christened Jones Act Vessel Means New Jobs for SIU Members Union shipyard General Dynamics NASSCO recently christened the SIU-contracted tanker Liberty, which will sail in the Jones Act trade. The vessel is pictured at the San Diego facility. It is part of an eight- ship new build order for two separate SIU-contracted companies. Page 2. (Photos courtesy General Dynamics NASSCO) Tacoma Seafarers Back Military Families In Yearly Outreach The Christmas season marked another out- standing effort by Seafarers in the Tacoma, Washington, area who participated in the an- nual Santa’s Castle outreach. SIU members, officials, friends and family members teamed up for approximately $10,000 worth of dona- tions to U.S. enlisted military families. Most of the goodies are pictured at left, at the SIU hall in Tacoma. It was the tenth straight year the SIU has taken part in Santa’s Castle. That story and additional photos are on Page 24 (back page). Also, check out Page 6 for more highlights of SIU members’ holiday philan- thropy. Transportation Secretary Backs Mariners SIU Election Results Tax Tips for 2017 Page 2 Page 3 Pages 12-14 37554_FEBRUARY2K17LOG.indd 1 1/26/2017 6:03:02 PM President’s Report U.S. Troops Rely on U.S. Mariners Secretary of Transportation nominee Elaine Chao made a vital point about the U.S. Merchant Marine’s role in supporting our troops during her confirmation hearing in the United States Senate. While answering a question last month in the nation’s capital, Secretary Chao noted that, in times of conflict, the vast majority of materiel needed by our men and women in uniform is delivered by civilian Debora Denning breaks the ceremonial cham- mariners on American-flag ships. Recertified Bosun Carlos Loureiro (left) and SIU Port pagne bottle, christening the Liberty. (Photo cour- For those of us who work in the maritime in- Agent Jeff Turkus attend the christening. tesy General Dynamics NASSCO) dustry, of course, that’s common knowledge. But I think it was valuable and important to have those comments on the record, for the benefit of those less familiar with the crucial work performed by Union Shipyard Christens ECO Class Vessel Seafarers and other U.S. mariners. Let’s face it: We’ve all spent time in conversation explaining The domestic fleet of SIU-contracted ships got a advanced design achieves 33 percent increased fuel ef- the basics of the U.S. Merchant Marine, often boost before the New Year with the christening of a ficiency through several features. clearing up misconceptions in the process. tanker on the West Coast. As part of an eight-tanker program for two separate The pro-maritime segments of the confirmation On Dec. 17, union shipyard General Dynamics SIU-contracted customers, American Petroleum Tankers hearing reminded me of comments made last year NASSCO christened the Liberty, the third ECO Class and SEA-Vista LLC, the construction and operation of Michael Sacco by General Darren McDew, commander, United tanker under contract with SEA-Vista LLC (following the new ECO Class tankers are aligned with the Jones States Transportation Command. During a hearing the Independence and the Constitution). SEA-Vista is a Act. The Jones Act mandates that cargo moving between on the U.S. Maritime Security Program (MSP) – partnership between SEACOR Holdings Inc. and Avista U.S. ports must be carried on vessels that are flagged, one of the key components of our industry – General McDew stated, Capital Partners. built, crewed and owned American. The Jones Act is re- “The nation is still a maritime nation…. I can deliver an immediate SIU Port Agent Jeff Turkus and Recertified Bosun sponsible for more than 500,000 good-paying jobs coun- force anywhere on the planet tonight. But to deliver a decisive force Carlos Loureiro were in attendance in San Diego at the trywide and is considered a key element in the nation’s it takes a fully-fledged, competent maritime fleet. And that’s what the ceremony. SIU mariners will crew the Liberty when the defense capabilities. MSP provides us.” vessel enters service. In 2016, NASSCO shipbuilders processed more than The general went on to describe the privately operated, U.S.-flag Mrs. Debora Denning, wife of SEACOR Vice Presi- 60,000 tons of steel and delivered six vessels. international fleet as “vital to moving military goods and hardware” dent Tom Denning, christened the ship with the tradi- “NASSCO is the only major shipyard on the West and added, “without mariners, we don’t have a capability.” tional break of a champagne bottle on the side of the hull. Coast of the United States conducting design, new con- These are some of the messages we will be amplifying March 1 at Designed for improved fuel efficiency, the 610-foot- struction and repair of commercial and U.S. Navy ships,” the annual Maritime Congressional Sail-In. As many Seafarers know, long, 50,000 deadweight ton, LNG-conversion-ready the yard reported. “In the past decade, NASSCO deliv- during this yearly outreach event, representatives from all segments ECO Class tanker symbolizes the emerging direction of ered 30 oceangoing ships to government and commercial of our industry team up for a full day of meetings with senators, con- the shipping industry in the U.S. toward cleaner modes of customers—including the world’s first LNG-powered gressional representatives and their staffs. Whether we’re meeting transporting product, according to NASSCO. The ship’s containerships.” with a freshman or an old friend who’s been on Capitol Hill for years, we promote the laws and programs that keep the U.S. Merchant Ma- rine afloat. Most importantly, we promote YOU – the rank-and-file SIU-Crewed Bowditch Makes International News mariner. Parts of those discussions are history lessons, very much in line with Secretary Chao’s comments last month. She specifically cited In Scientific Drone Incident in South China Sea the Persian Gulf War and then Operation Iraqi Freedom as examples of times when our mariners ably and reliably delivered the goods for An SIU-crewed vessel was in the news in mid-De- facts with the Chinese through the appropriate diplo- our troops. And of course, there are many other examples dating all cember during a brief but tense incident that sparked matic and military channels, and have called on Chi- the way back to our nation’s founding. From the Revolutionary War international headlines along with a social-media com- nese authorities to comply with their obligations under to World War II to Korea and Vietnam to the present day, we’ve al- ment by then President-Elect Donald Trump. international law and to refrain from further efforts to ways been there, ready, willing and able to sail into harm’s way. With On Dec. 15, the USNS Bowditch was performing part impede lawful U.S. activities.” a nod to our World War II mariners, “Damn the submarine! We’re the of a planned scientific mission in the South China Sea. The drone was returned to the U.S. on Dec. 20, after men of the merchant marine!” (You youngsters can look up the lyric The vessel, a Pathfinder-class oceanographic ship oper- American officials condemned the seizure as unlawful if you’re not familiar with it.) ated by USMMI on a Military Sealift Command (MSC) (and also after President-Elect Trump said in a Twitter The way we’ll stay ready to back our armed forces is by main- contract, was surveying 50 nautical miles off the Subic comment the Chinese could keep it). taining the MSP and the Jones Act and cargo preference laws. We Bay when a Chinese warship intercepted one of the The Pentagon emphasized that the United States also need to take the shackles off of the U.S. Export-Import Bank. Bowditch’s deployed “ocean glider” scientific drones. “remains committed to upholding the accepted prin- And heaven knows, it’s past time to sensibly ease the regulatory After establishing bridge-to-bridge contact with the ciples and norms of international law and freedom of burdens on our women and men who go down to the sea in ships. Chinese vessel, the crew of the Bowditch instructed the navigation and overflight and will continue to fly, sail, As I’ve mentioned, no one is asking for a return to the days when a Chinese to return the drone, to which the only response and operate in the South China Sea wherever interna- z-card was good for life and the only physical exam involved being was: “We are returning to normal operations.” The war- tional law allows, in the same way that we operate ev- able to fog a mirror. But all the red tape nowadays – however well- ship then left the area. erywhere else around the world.” intended – is hurting our industry. There isn’t an overnight cure but The drone in question is a small, torpedo-shaped The SIU crew members aboard the USNS Bowditch we will continue to seek a better balance that is less burdensome on craft that glides beneath the waves to collect various during the incident were advised by the U.S. Navy not Seafarers. data. Such drones are often used for weather research to comment on the event, in the interest of national se- Meanwhile, we look forward to continuing our service as Ameri- but have a variety of roles. According to multiple news curity. ca’s fourth arm of defense. That role has never been more important, reports and comments from the United States govern- The SIU crew included Bosun Thomas Weber, and I want all of our military members and their families to know, ment, it was clearly labelled, and the Bowditch was a ABs Tracy Austin, Mark Bolitho and Melvin Ken- you can count on us! mere 500 yards from the drone when it was seized.