Category Archives: Merchant Marine

U.S. Facing Looming Shortage of Merchant Mariners

U.S. Facing Looming Shortage of Merchant Mariners

M/V Cape Ray (T-AKR-9679). MARAD Photo

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

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

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

Opinion: U.N. Ruling is Turning Point for Overlapping South China Sea Claims

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

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

Report: Chinese Navy Warship Rammed Two Vietnamese Fishing Vessels

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

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

Coast Guard Rolls Out New Cyber Strategy

Coast Guard Rolls Out New Cyber Strategy

Coast Guard commandant Adm. Paul Zunkuft

Coast Guard commandant Adm. Paul Zukunft

The commandant of the Coast Guard says cyber “is going to be a domain as natural as breathing” that offers a host of challenges to the private and public sector, and the first step in meeting those challenges is understanding “the need to defend your cyber space.” Read More

Iran Releases Maersk Tigris

Iran Releases Maersk Tigris

An undated image of M/V Maersk Tigris

An undated image of M/V Maersk Tigris

The Iranian government released merchant ship M/V Maersk Tigris after being detained by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN) in the Strait of Hormuz on April 28, both the Iranian government and the Maersk shipping company annouced on Thursday. Read More