Category Archives: Merchant Marine

Experts: Awareness Key to Fighting Maritime Crime

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

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

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