WASHINGTON, D.C. — When you look at the thousands and thousands of fishing boats operating out of China, you really should consider them a third arm of Beijing’s naval presence, an expert in maritime security said this week. Read More
Category Archives: Merchant Marine
Experts: Awareness Key to Fighting Maritime Crime
A U.S. Coast Guard law enforcement detachment member and a Ghanaian navy sailor inspect a fishing vessel suspected of illegal fishing during the Africa Maritime Law Enforcement Partnership (AMLEP) in 2014. US Navy Photo
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Awareness in the maritime domain and on land is key to enforcing laws regarding fisheries, the environment and crime on the seas and in coastal waters, the chief operating officer of a not-for-profit research organization told attendees at a forum Monday on the changing role of non-state actors in protecting marine resources. Read More
MARAD: Certifying More Mariners To Serve In Sealift Surge A ‘Top Priority’
National Defense Reserve Fleet Suisun Bay, Calif. in 2014. US Navy
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. – The Maritime Administration is working with the Coast Guard to certify sea service veterans as credentialed merchant mariners, in an attempt to address a personnel shortfall that MARAD Administrator Paul Jaenichen called a “top priority.” Read More
Document: Report to Congress on Trans-Pacific Partnership
The following is the May 4, 2016 Congressional Research Service report, The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP): Key Provisions and Issues for Congress. Read More
U.S. Facing Looming Shortage of Merchant Mariners
M/V Cape Ray (T-AKR-9679). MARAD Photo
By 2022, the United States will need “70,000 new people” for the nation’s maritime fleet, but the Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, N.Y., and the six state maritime academies only graduate 900 per year and are at capacity, Paul Jaenichen Sr., the head of the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD), told the House Armed Services seapower and projection forces subcommittee on Tuesday. Read More
Essay: When it Comes to Ship Survivability, Prayer Isn’t Enough
Officials survey the damage of USS Tripoli while the ship was in drydock in Bahrain following a mine attack. US Navy Photo
In the early morning of Feb. 18, 1991, the U.S. amphibious warship USS Tripoli (LPH-10) struck an Iraqi contact mine in the northern Persian Gulf, ripping a 25-foot by 23-foot hole in her starboard side below the waterline. Read More
Navy Finds Lost U.S. Merchant Ship El Faro
Undated photo of merchant ship SS El Faro. Marine Traffic Photo
A Navy team sent to the Bahamas has found the missing U.S. merchant ship SS El Faro, officials have confirmed. Read More
Opinion: U.N. Ruling is Turning Point for Overlapping South China Sea Claims
A map of China’s shifting definition of the so-called Nine-Dash Line. US State Dept. Image
The United Nations Permanent Court of Arbitration handed out a decision on Thursday that the Republic of the Philippines’ case against the People’s Republic of China regarding Law of the Seas violations can be heard. This long-awaited decision marks a turning point in the complex landscape of international legality as more maritime nations seek to establish boundaries on their oceanic and littoral territories. Read More
U.S. Navy Deploying Search Team to Find Lost Merchant Ship El Faro
Undated photo of merchant ship SS El Faro. Marine Traffic Photo
At the request of the National Transportation Safety Board, the Navy is scrambling a ship and an underwater search team to find the missing merchant ship SS El Faro, Navy officials told USNI News on Thursday. Read More
Report: Chinese Navy Warship Rammed Two Vietnamese Fishing Vessels
An undated photo of a Chinese Type Yuting II Type 072A tank landing ship (LST). PLAN Photo
A People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) amphibious warship allegedly rammed two Vietnamese fishing vessels operating near the disputed Spratly Islands in July, according to local press cited in an Office of Naval Intelligence threat to shipping report. Read More
