AMO Deep-Sea, Inland Job Bases Grow

AMO Deep-Sea, Inland Job Bases Grow

Osprey wins charter for ship to replace 'Green Wave'; Crescent takes delivery of tug

      The American Maritime Officers job base continued to grow in October as two more vessels were brought into the union's fleet.
      Military Sealift Command awarded an operating charter totaling 51 months to AMO-contracted company Osprey Ship Management for an ice-strengthened vessel that will service U.S. bases in Antarctica and Greenland.
      Osprey will re-flag a foreign ice-class vessel, which will be renamed the American Tern, and will begin manning the ship in November. The Tern will replace the Green Wave, which has been chartered by MSC since 1984 and operated by Central Gulf Line, which has no contract with AMO.
      In the inland waters fleet, Crescent Towing and Salvage Company took delivery of a new Z-drive tractor tug, the Savannah, as part of an ongoing fleet refurbishment and expansion. The Savannah will be manned by AMO and operated in Crescent's Savannah, Ga., fleet.
      "AMO holds an impeccable track record of bringing new vessels to the fleet and new job opportunities to the membership," said AMO National President Michael McKay. "Our success in the government bidding process, such as the new charter for Osprey and the recent LMSR award, has maintained and improved upon our existing contracts while expanding the union's job base."
      Osprey plans to begin manning the American Tern in early November. The company expects to have the ship fully crewed one week before its departure from the shipyard in Jacksonville, Fla., Nov. 18.
      The MSC charter that the Tern will fill spans three 17-month periods. The Tern will operate under the charter between the U.S. East Coast and Arctic, Antarctic and European ports, and will resupply the U.S. base at McMurdo Sound, Antarctica, with one to two voyages per year. The ship will also sail to Greenland once per year. Between missions, the Tern will transport ammunition, general cargo and fleet hospitals, among other things.
      Built in 1990, the American Tern was acquired by Osprey as the Kariba and re-flagged into U.S. registry. The 17,300 dwt ship is a general cargo ship with an ice-strengthened hull, and will carry vehicles and break bulk cargo, as well as containerized cargo.
      "We're thrilled to be able to provide some new opportunities for officers that have been in our fleet for a while and also to have some new jobs," said Osprey Ship Management President Janet Saedi.
      Another vessel operated by Osprey, the large semi-submersible heavy-lift ship recently went off charter and was re-flagged to the Marshall Islands registry. AMO members who worked for Osprey aboard the Cormorant, known affectionately as "Big Red," will have job opportunities aboard the Tern.
      The Savannah, a 92-foot 4,000 hp, vessel was built for Crescent by Bollinger Shipyards in New Orleans, La. Crescent expected the Savannah to have joined the company's fleet in Savannah this month.
      Crescent recently completed renovations on another tug, Florida, adding new engines, a new wheelhouse, a squared stern and new electronics. The company anticipates the upgrades will keep the tug in operation for another 30 to 35 years.
      As its fleet renovations continue, Crescent Towing and Salvage plans to upgrade one additional tug operated under contract with AMO sometime in the next 16 months.

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