A Mariner’s Notebook – Page 9 – Professional Mariner

26 Aug

IMO noise rules aren’t enough to protect mariners’ hearing

Professional Mariner StaffA Mariner's Notebook, Publication > Professional Mariner

I had just finished a four-day temporary job as a deck hand on a combination towing vessel/landing craft, working for a large West Coast company out of Long Beach, Calif. It was my first job after graduating from the California Maritime Academy, and I was relieved when the port captain said that there would be a place for me on…

29 Jul

Plan ahead for next year’s STCW gap-closing deadline

Professional Mariner StaffA Mariner's Notebook, Licensing & Training, Publication > Professional Mariner

It was the autumn of 1999, and I had been filling in for one of the permanent mates for a 45-day work tour on an oceanographic ship. We had some fog and one gale blew by, but our z-drive vessel spent most of the smooth trip deploying a remotely operated vehicle while in dynamic positioning mode 100 miles off the…

09 Jul

Salyers: How mariners can improve the quality of their sleep

Professional Mariner StaffA Mariner's Notebook, Industry News

As a mariner, what do you need to do your job? Depending on whether you’re a master, tankerman, engineer, deck hand, ship pilot, shore tankerman, cook or one of the numerous other maritime positions, there are many responses to this question. A very small percentage, if any, would list sleep. The first part of this article will focus on why…

01 Jun

Be sure to keep up with changes to national endorsements

Professional Mariner StaffA Mariner's Notebook, Publication > Professional Mariner

Tom, a deck hand/cook I sailed with on a tug years ago, called me awhile back out of the blue. I had lost track of him and was surprised when he told me who it was. “Good to hear from you, Tom. Are you still sailing on that old 1940s tug?” He replied, “No, I’ve been working ashore, but have…

29 Apr

At sea, stress management is now a critical part of the job

Professional Mariner StaffA Mariner's Notebook, Publication > Professional Mariner

I was working on a crude oil tanker, running between Valdez, Alaska, and the West Coast. On the same day and at the same port that I joined the ship, the second mate, Peter, did as well. A graduate of an East Coast maritime academy, he exhibited the quiet confidence that comes with having years at sea, cutting a scholarly…

07 Apr

Zuidema: Security, cost are factors in seafarer access debate

Professional Mariner StaffA Mariner's Notebook, Industry News

The U.S. Coast Guard is now reviewing comments on its proposals for changes to regulations on seafarers’ access through all terminals regulated by the Maritime Transportation Security Act (MTSA). The language of free and timely transit through facilities is in the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2010, but it has yet to be put into practice. Made public on Dec.…

26 Mar

Crewmates with bad attitude require thoughtful response

Professional Mariner StaffA Mariner's Notebook, Publication > Professional Mariner

There’s no avoiding it. Living, working and eating meals with the same crewmembers day in and day out for weeks or months at a time is part of life aboard ship. Anyone who’s been to sea for any length of time knows that working well with others is not always easy, but it’s important for safety and the efficient running…

20 Mar

Valdés: New U.S. rules on Cuba to impact maritime sector

Professional Mariner StaffA Mariner's Notebook, Industry News

On Dec. 17, 2014, President Obama announced that the United States would be setting a new course in U.S. relations with Cuba by easing some of the trade and travel restrictions, which have been in place for over 50 years. Obama stated that the policy of isolating Cuba has failed to accomplish the long-term objective of promoting the emergence of a…

20 Mar

Murphy: Jones Act in peril if we don’t replace retiring mariners

Professional Mariner StaffA Mariner's Notebook, Industry News

In the three years I have been at Pacific Maritime Institute in Seattle, I have pushed through more than 1,000 people in the different programs that I am involved with. And I just love to keep track of little “surveys” of all kinds of things with the students. One little survey I never tire of is what I like to…

28 Jan

Chalos: EPA issues policy letter on ECA sulfur content

Professional Mariner StaffA Mariner's Notebook, Industry News

As of Jan. 1, 2015, ships trading in designated control areas are required to use fuel oil with a sulfur content of no more than 0.1%, and no more than 3.5% outside of emission control areas. The industry has been preparing for these stricter rules and requirements under MARPOL Annex VI, Regulation 14, which was adopted in October 2008 and…