Two civilian seafarers, including one American Maritime Officers member, died as the result of an engine room fire aboard the ammunition ship mv SSG Edward A. Carter, Jr., July 14 in Sunny Point, N.C., where the ship was docked.
The following letter by Walter Cronkite to veterans gathered at the 15th annual convention of the American Merchant Marine Veterans of WWII in Texas in May 2001 was published by Sea History magazine in the Summer 2001 edition. It is reprinted here with permission.
Merchant Mariners who served their country in times of war for one year or longer may at last be entitled to veterans' benefits if the Combat Merchant Mariners Veterans Benefits Act of 2001 is passed into law.
The Maritime Security Program (MSP), which offsets operating expenses for 47 U.S.-flag cargo ships, appears secure in both funding and management for 2002.
The Republic of Panama and a U.S. consulting firm with ties to the foreign cruise industry are pushing a dangerous proposal to create a loophole in U.S. shipping law that would open cruise markets currently reserved for U.S. cruise operators to foreign vessels and set a precedent for opening U.S. domestic cargo shipping to foreign liner services.
The world's largest flag-of-convenience ship registry, Panama, has been plagued by scandal in recent months, including lax monitoring of agencies that issue International Safety Management (ISM) documents in its name and a proliferation of fraudulent seafaring licenses bearing its official seal.
Seabulk International Inc., formerly Hvide Marine Inc., has announced name changes for its ocean-going tanker fleet.
The Title XI shipbuilding loan guarantee program will probably be funded at its highest level in recent years in 2002, despite a proposal from the White House Office of Management and Budget to eliminate the program.
The House Aug. 2 authorized limited oil and gas drilling in the coastal plain of Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, or ANWR.
