Texas A&M to Reduce Tuition For Merchant Mariner License Students
Texas A&M University at Galveston said it will reduce fees for current and future out-of-state students seeking a merchant mariner license from the Texas A&M Maritime Academy, in an effort that aims to help the maritime industry fill worsening labor gaps.Texas A&M Maritime Academy students earn their U.S. Coast Guard license while completing one of several license-option four-year bachelor’s degree programs at Texas A&M at Galveston.Effective September 1, under a new three-tiered fee structure approved by the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents, students from Louisiana
Steve Nevey Tapped to Lead Washington State Ferries
secretary for the Washington State Ferries Division, the state's Secretary of Transportation Roger Millar announced on Thursday. Nevey will succeed Patty Rubstello, who is stepping down as head of WSF after more than 33 years of service with the Washington State Department of Transportation.A career mariner, Nevey progressed directly from high school to a maritime academy in the U.K. For the past two years he has served as director of marine operations for WSF and has been instrumental in the development of programs that address ongoing staff shortages in the industry.WSF, a division of the Washington
US Coast Guard Announces New Merchant Mariner Credential
The U.S. Coast Guard announced a new merchant mariner credential (MMC) set to launch on March 1, 2024, marking the first comprehensive revision of the mariner credential in nearly a decade.The Coast Guard is the exclusive source of U.S. MMCs, which are required for U.S. mariners who serve on commercially operated vessels such as passenger boats, tug and barges, offshore supply vessels, and deep draft ocean going cargo vessels throughout the nation and internationally.The Coast Guard said it is replacing the legacy MMC passport-style booklet (“Red Book”) with a new certificate size one page
Structural Safeguards in Coast Guard Suspension and Revocation Proceedings
article examines 10 structural safeguards in Coast Guard Suspension and Revocation (S&R) Proceedings that ensure Coast Guard Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) decisional independence. These safeguards separate potential agency influences from the ALJ decision making process and are critical to mariner due process and fundamental fairness. We will start with an overview of Coast Guard S&R proceedings, followed by brief discussions of the Administrative Procedure Act, Administrative Law Judges, and U.S. Office of Personnel Management oversight. We will then examine the ten structural
Talos Energy Names Spath EVP & Head of Operations
his career at McDermott as a Process Engineer, followed by over eight years at Marathon Oil Corporation, leading offshore projects as a Facilities Engineer, Production Foreman, and Deepwater Drilling Engineer. Spath served as an independent consultant on deepwater drilling and completion projects at Mariner Energy, Stone Energy, Deep Gulf Energy, and Helix Energy Solutions Group before joining deepwater drilling operations at Talos. Spath holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Talos Energy President and CEO Timothy S. Duncan said, "
USCG Eases Firefighting Training Requirements for Towboats
The U.S. Coast Guard has moved to ease firefighting training requirements for towing vessels operating on America's inland waterways.The agency this week issued a final rule revising the training requirements for national Merchant Mariner Credential endorsements as master of towing vessels (limited) or mate (pilot) of towing vessels on inland and western rivers routes, excluding the Great Lakes.Consistent with recommendations from the National Merchant Marine Personnel Advisory Committee (NMERPAC) and the National Towing Safety Advisory Committee (NTSAC), this rule gives mariners seeking these
Fowler Appointed to Lead Crowley Shipping
operation of a diverse range of vessels, port and offshore energy infrastructure, as well as advanced energy solutions including liquefied natural gas (LNG). Its services include ship assist and harbor escort services, and offshore energy installation and project management. Besides vessel design and mariner engineering group Crowley Engineering Services, Crowley Shipping also operates and manages liquid energy tank vessels and global cargo ships.While serving in various industry and community leadership roles, Fowler also serves on the board of the American Waterways Operators.Fowler earned his Master
Singapore Announces Maritime Scholarship Awards
Officers’ Union, the Singapore Organisation of Seamen, and industry partners comprising Fleet Ship Management, NYK Shipmanagement, OSM Thome Group, and PACC Ship Managers. Swire Shipping came onboard as a scholarship sponsor for the first time. “I was inspired to become a master mariner by my lecturer at the Institute of Technical Education who was a seafarer. I hope to role model him and inspire more females to join the maritime industry, including going out to sea. I know there are also many careers ashore for experienced seafarers,” said Putri Sri Wahyuni, a TMSS 2023
Labor Shortages, Climate Change & Technology: They’re All Related
those delays, the labor markets across many, if not all, markets have changed. “Help wanted” signs hang in every storefront, office building and government agency. In no uncertain terms, the maritime industry has been dealing with labor problems, and none of this is news to our industry. The mariner shortage has been discussed at length for years, and it is becoming increasingly difficult to crew not only U.S. flag commercial vessels, but foreign registered ships as well. The labor shortage does not only affect crew labor; it has affected the labor required to fulfill our shipyard production
To Fight Sexual Assault and Harassment, Vessel Owners and Operators Must Comply with Heightened Reporting Requirements
.-flagged ship during her Sea Year training — Congress enacted into law the Safer Seas Act (SSA) in December 2022.Intended as a direct effort to prevent and punish SASH, the SSA, among other provisions:Requires the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) to revoke the license, certificate of registry, or merchant mariner’s credential of an individual who has been the subject of an “official finding” of sexual assault within the previous 10 years and to revoke or suspend any such credential of any individual who has been the subject of an official finding of sexual harassment within the previous
Attracting More People of Color to the Maritime Workforce
for vehicular trade.According to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the maritime industry directly employs more than 2 million seafarers – the vast majority in high-paying jobs (in May of 2022, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the national average salary for Merchant Mariners was $104,190). A diverse range of career prospects exist in various fields, which include but are not limited to seafaring jobs. Commonly available career options include:Merchant mariners (deck and engineering officers)Harbor pilotsShipbuilding and repair personnelMaritime asset construction crewNaval
NASH Maritime Hires Clark as Governance Lead
U.K.-based shipping, navigation, and maritime risk consultancy NASH Maritime announced it has appointed James Clark as governance lead, responsible for the development of the company’s port and maritime compliance business.Clark brings to the role two decades of both maritime risk and mariner experience. He started his career at sea, before joining Bristol Port Company as Assistant Harbor Master and later becoming responsible for VTS and shipping operations. Other roles have included Vessel Traffic Management and Ports Liaison with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. Most recently, he was Group
Career Moves: US Offshore Wind Powering Up
2022 National Renewable Energy Laboratory report – “U.S. Offshore Wind Workforce Assessment” – the authors estimate that it will require, on average, between 15,000 and 58,000 employees annually, depending on domestic content scenarios, to build out a huge new wind machine.Mariners and mariner training are integral to offshore wind. The NREL Report lists 14 occupations directly performed aboard shipping vessels, tugboats and pilot boats. These range from the captain/master to head tunnelman to the boatswain/bosun to the pilot. Most jobs require a Coast Guard license or other
Time to Meet the US Mariner Shortage Head On
We have a national and economic security crisis on our hands. It is time for Washington policymakers to stop dancing around the facts and looking for small fixes. The U.S. mariner shortage is real and it poses an unescapable threat not only to our ability to establish lines of communication to the U.S. warfighter, but also to our nation’s ability to project power through international trade.Two Congressional hearings held on March 28 illustrate the challenge. First, General Van Ovost, Commander, United States Transportation Command (USTRANCOM) testified before the House Armed Services Committee
Cultivating Tomorrow’s Waterways Workforce
offshore wind industry, a win-win for American jobs and clean energy.Our industry’s role as a critical component of military readiness – both in transporting military cargo and guiding Navy ships through U.S. ports, and providing the military with a pool of well-trained, reliable American mariners to assist with sealift operations in times of crisis – will be all the more imperative in an era of great power competition.Taken together, these factors suggest a trajectory of new and increasing demand for marine transportation, and a long-term need to ensure a large and continuous pipeline
Help Wanted: Build a New Industry
; duties. There are specific programs aimed at veterans moving from military to civilian work. Graduates work across the industry, from deep-sea containerships to New York ferries.Bart Rogers was an SIU assistant vice president at Lundeberg (he retired November 30). Rogers was asked whether traditional mariner training meets the needs of OSW employers. “When it comes to the future of the maritime industry,” Rogers commented, “and the clean energy jobs that come with it our school is more than adequate to keep training the next generation of merchant mariners.”Rogers said crew transfer
Founded in 1806, SSH Continues Serving Retired Merchant Mariners
The Sailors’ Snug Harbor (SSH) is a charity based out of New York that provides assistance to retired merchant mariners. In 2022, SSH helped more than 400 mariners in 33 states and Puerto Rico. SSH helps mariners live more comfortably by assisting them with their living expenses such as rent, mortgages, and utilities. SSH also helps them find other assistance and local services. In recent years, SSH has expanded its eligibility criteria to include inland mariners as well as deep sea mariners.SSH was incorporated in 1806 as the result of a bequest made by Captain Robert Richard Randall. Captain
