Recently, I was looking at my latest copy of the Seafarers Log, the official publication of the Seafarers International Union. On the cover there is a picture of the crew of the tanker OSG Nikiski after they had successfully saved the lives of two people whose boat had lost power and steering over 200 miles from shore in the middle…
If you like rock n’ roll music, you may remember the Rolling Stones album “Goat’s Head Soup” or if you are into classic disaster movies, you may recall “The Towering Inferno.” Or, if maritime history is your thing, the obscure saga of the cargo ship SS Alpha. The golden thread connecting all of these seemingly unrelated things is that all…
A horrible, unnecessary way to die. Maritime pilots are essential for the movement of commercial vessels in and out of ports worldwide, and every man and woman I have worked with serving in that capacity was a solid professional mariner. Being a pilot has always been a dangerous undertaking, especially when embarking or disembarking a moving ship. In the last…
The nation’s maritime academies have served as the bedrocks of deck and engine officer training for many years. The list is comprised of the federal U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) at King’s Point, N.Y., as well as six state academies: State University of New York Maritime College at Fort Schuyler, N.Y.; Great Lakes Maritime Academy in Traverse City, Mich.; Maine…
Federal regulation and control over merchant mariner licensing has a long history. It began over 171 years ago with the enactment of the Steamboat Act of 1852, which established the Steamboat Inspection Service and required merchant marine officers on steam powered vessels carrying passengers to be licensed by them. In 1936, the Steamboat Inspection Service was renamed The Bureau of…
Renewable energy is coming into its own as an alternative to traditional sources of electricity that rely on oil and other fossil fuels. One of the fastest growing alternatives is wind power, for good reason. Without the costs and pollution associated with the oil industry, these turbines on land and water create electricity any time the wind blows. In fact,…
My wife and I were recently enjoying our coffee and her homemade apple muffins on a cold fall morning when she commented on the unusual weather we’ve had in the Pacific Northwest. Looking over at our neighbor out chain-sawing a dozen or so trees that fell across our driveway in the windstorm the night before, I agreed. Then she brought…
Every American mariner must have a current medical certificate to be eligible to sail. Without it, we cannot obtain a merchant mariner credential and employers can’t legally hire us. This rule, stipulated in accordance with U.S. Coast Guard Navigation and Vessel Inspection Circular (NVIC) 04-08, contains the procedures for doctors and nurses conducting the medical examinations. Those vary depending…
One of the great things about being a merchant mariner is that it’s possible to travel and see the world. Being able to experience other cultures, enjoy the foods and music of far-off lands, or connect with friends and family thousands of miles from home makes our profession very special. Unfortunately, I have seen mariners who never get beyond the…
As someone who grew up listening to Supertramp, the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin, it was a different experience coming up for breakfast one autumn morning to the sounds of “As I was a walking down Paradise Street, way, hey, blow the man down” reverberating through the kitchen. There was my dad, who sailed for years as an able…