Maritime Monday 200

Welcome to This Week’s Edition of Maritime Monday

You can find last week’s edition here »

This Week’s Theme: Rust Never Sleeps

Mothball Fleet at Suisun Bay – Amazing photo gallery by Amy Heiden; story below

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – The buoy chain splashes into the water as the crewmembers aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Oak set the second buoy in Port-Au-Prince Thursday, Jan. 21, 2010. The buoy was set to mark safe water as ships approach the APN Main Terminal pier. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Brandyn Hill.  MORE »

Rusted antennae stanchion being secured by lashing straps

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USCG Announcement – Commandant to deliver State of the Coast Guard address

WASHINGTON — U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Thad Allen, is scheduled to speak at the National Press Club in Washington, as part of the press club’s distinguished speakers series, to outline the service’s goals and priorities for 2010 in his fourth and final State of the Coast Guard address on Feb. 12 at 12:30 p.m.

In this annual address, Allen will address the Coast Guard’s fiscal year 2011 anticipated budget impacts. He will also advocate for the need to recapitalize the service’s aging ships, aircraft and shore facilities to continue delivering superior services to the Nation and adapt to the maritime challenges of the 21st century.

Allen will discuss the Coast Guard’s recent response efforts in Haiti and highlight the ability of Coast Guard personnel to leverage interagency partnerships, quickly flow forces to vulnerable areas and take action without having to wait for external orders. A question and answer session will follow his remarks. Advance questions can be submitted to the iCommandant blog. He will then be available to meet with media in attendance for a question and answer session.

The luncheon is open to the public, reservations can be made by calling (202) 662-7501 or by e-mailing reservations@press.org.

Coming Ashore? 10 Things You Should Do When Interviewing

10 Things You Should Do When Interviewing

by Matt Furhman – Faststream

Earlier this week we brought you the Top 10 Things You Shouldn’t Do When Interviewing.  Hopefully you did a self evaluation and were able to catch yourself guilty of too many infractions.  This week we right the ship to bring you more helpful tips.

Now let’s take a look at 10 things you SHOULD do in an interview.

1. Be positive: Everyone likes a positive person around.  So be positive and your confidence in yourself will rub off on your potential employers.
2. Don’t bring up money: If asked about money, your answer should be “we can get to that, but I am more interested in the opportunity.”
3. Ask a lot of good questions: Good questions at the end of the interview shows you have done your research about the company and the job.
4. Good eye contact, firm handshake: Out of the book Never Eat Alone, staring 100% of the time into the eyes is considered peering (and a little creepy). Less than 70% means you are avoiding something. Try to stay in the middle of this range.
5. Keep your hands in control during an interview: Flailing your hands all over the place will take the attention off of you and your skills.  You don’t want the interviewer to start thinking “what the heck is this guy doing with his hands.”  The interviewer should be concentrating on your answers, not your uncontrollable movements.  Keep your hands on your knees or the table.
6. Be optimistic: Your glass being half full will increase your probability of getting the job.

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NOAA’s Bell M. Shimada – Interesting Ship of The Week

This week’s interesting ship is NOAA’s new high-tech fisheries survey vessel, Bell M. Shimada.

Bell M. Shimada’s primary mission will be to study, monitor and collect data on a wide range of sea life and ocean conditions, primarily in U.S. waters from Washington state to southern California. The ship will also observe environmental conditions, conduct habitat assessments and survey marine mammal, sea turtle and marine bird populations.

The vessel is the fourth of a new class of ships designed to meet the NOAA Fisheries Service’s specific data collection requirements and the International Council for Exploration of the Seas’ new standards for a low acoustic signature.

Launched in September 2008, the 208-ft. Bell M. Shimada was built for NOAA by VT Halter Marine Inc., in Moss Point, Miss., as part of the NOAA’s fleet replacement strategy to provide world-class platforms for U.S. scientists.

Bell M. Shimada’s state-of-the-art design allows for quieter operation and movement of the vessel through the water, giving scientists the ability to study fish and marine mammals without significantly altering their behavior. The ship’s comprehensive environmental sampling capabilities will also enable researchers to gather a broad suite of marine life data with unprecedented accuracy.

Plans For World’s Largest Yacht Unveiled

We can’t help but be fans of mega yachts here at gCaptain.com and over the years have done a fair share of covering them on the blog.  Whether it’s the immense size of the private vessels or more likely the curiousity of the incomprehensible wealth that is required to be an owner of one.  This next yacht that was just recently unvieled by Belgium-based Emocean Yacht Design is set to break all the rules in terms of ammenities and size – if it get’s built that is.  CNN has the story:

Belgium-based Emocean Yacht Design recently unveiled plans for an extravagant new mega yacht, tentatively called Project 1000, that — if built — would be the world’s largest vessel of its type.

At a whopping 656 feet (nearly the length of two football fields), the ship would be 99 feet longer than the Eclipse, which became the largest private yacht on the water when Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich launched it last year. It would also cost in the range of $500 million to $900 million.

In addition to being massive, the futuristic design is replete with features that would impress even the most finicky mega yachtsman, including a 100-foot swimming pool and a health spa.

The plans call for a drive-in garage, two 98-foot day boats and a helipad with a hanger, so well-heeled skippers will be able to bring their other toys onboard.

The yacht, which would have a range of 6,500 nautical miles, comes standard with plenty of entertainment options to help pass the time on long voyages. There’s a nightclub, a casino and a dual-level cinema for film buffs who want a more authentic movie-going experience. (READ FULL ARTICLE)

In addition to all features listed above, Project 1000 has 10 VIP rooms, 22 guest suites and an owners deck.  According to Emocean, Project 1000, if purchased today, would take up to four years to build.  It’s just too bad we can’t wait that long for a new gCaptain headquarters.

gCaptain Forum Reaches 5,000 Members

Today, we are proud to announce that the gCaptain.com forum has reached 5,000 members!  With what started out in 2007 as a little known blog and forum for fellow professional mariners, gCaptain.com quickly grew to become one of the highest trafficked maritime websites and largest communities of maritime professionals on the web.  Today, gCaptain.com’s forum houses the collective knowledge of 5,000+ professionals working in the maritime industry and we could not be more happy with the way things are going.

To give you a run down of gCapatain.com’s current statistics, as of right now (February 3, 2010) gCaptain.com has:

• 5,008 forum members
• 3,288 forum threads
• 24,607 posts
• 1,769 blog posts
• 3,394 job listings

Just in the past 30 days, gCaptain.com has had:

• 160,571 unique visitors
• 483,268 pageviews
• Served 204 countries throughout the world

It’s truly ubelievable how far we have come over the past few years and we have gCaptain.com community members to thank.  THANK YOU!

As Food Distribution Improves, Haitians Want U.S. to “Take Over”

Haitians line up for food in downtown Port-au-Prince. They had to disperse after people in the front of the line broke through and grabbed all the food being distributed. Photo: Carol Guzy – The Washington Post.  Click to see full size

By Peter Slevin; Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, February 1, 2010

PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI — International relief organizations backed by American soldiers delivered hundreds of tons of rice to homeless residents of the Haitian capital Sunday, laboring to ease a food shortage that has left countless thousands struggling to find enough to eat.

But even as food-aid workers enjoyed their most successful day since the Jan. 12 earthquake, the increasingly prominent role of U.S. troops and civilians in the capital is creating high expectations that the Obama administration is struggling to contain.

The needs are extraordinary, and the common refrain is that the Americans will provide.

"I want the Americans to take over the country. The Haitian government can’t do anything for us," said Jean-Louis Geffrard, a laborer who lives under a tarp in the crowded square. "When we tell the government we’re hungry, the government says, ‘We’re hungry, too.’ "

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Job Announcement: Superintendent of the US Merchant Marine Academy

The Department of Transportation has announced a search for a Superintendent for the US Merchant Marine Academy.

Job Title: Superintendent, US Merchant Marine Academy, Kings Point, NY

Department: Department Of Transportation

Agency: Maritime Administration

Job Announcement Number: MARAD-10-02-NG

SALARY RANGE: 119,554.00 – 179,700.00 USD /year

OPEN PERIOD: Friday, January 22, 2010 to Monday, April 19, 2010

SERIES & GRADE: ES-0340-0/0

POSITION INFORMATION: Full-Time Permanent

PROMOTION POTENTIAL: 0

DUTY LOCATIONS: 1 vacancy – South Eastern New York, NY

WHO MAY BE CONSIDERED: Applications will be accepted from all groups of qualified individuals.

JOB SUMMARY:
The Superintendent of the US Merchant Marine Academy is responsible for the development of scholastic standards which encourage the intellectual, professional growth and physical well-being of midshipmen, and effective and economical operation of the Academy’s facilities. The incumbent has a profound impact on the Academy’s ability to educate and train individuals to be highly qualified licensed merchant marine officers inspired to sail on vessels of the United States.

Come on board with us and take a journey that will challenge your mind and develop your career. The quality of our lives, the shape of our communities and the productivity of our Nation’s economy depend on our transportation systems. We recognize and value the importance of our workforce and the diversity of backgrounds and ideas that each employee brings. The U.S. Department of Transportation: Careers in Motion.

- DOT (Click to read the full job posting)

Here is a hint of the type of person they are looking for:

1. Experience that reflects the ability to provide executive leadership for planning, implementing and evaluating a comprehensive academic program at the Nation’s maritime academy. This individual must also have the leadership ability to inspire others to fulfill the mission of the organization. The ideal candidate must be respected and well-known in the maritime field and must possess proven technical and managerial credentials. The individual will have a record of proven results and of ensuring organizational goals are met and mission objectives achieved, while simultaneously maintaining high standards, honesty and ethics, process integrity, commitment to diversity, and a culture of open communication and transparency. Merchant marine qualifications desired.

2. In-depth executive management experience and a history of proven success in the merchant marine industry or academic organization. This includes knowledge of maritime transportation including commercial and military logistics and maritime industry leadership. Also included is skill in assessing national and international maritime transportation trends and related critical issues; the ability to work collaboratively across organizational lines, produce results on-time and within budget; and experience managing resources in an academic environment with a track record of outstanding project and program delivery, customer satisfaction, stakeholder outreach, and management of internal business processes.

3. Demonstrated experience in developing and executing communications plans within the organization, with key external stakeholders, and with senior Department officials. This includes the ability to think strategically, set a strategic direction for a large organization, develop tactics to achieve the strategy, and experience measuring, monitoring, and managing to performance. The candidate will possess expertise in planning and management to enable translating DOT enterprise goals and objectives into measurable business areas within USMMA and Maritime Administration operations.

For a change it would be nice to see a USMMA Graduate take the helm for a while.

Found via The Maritime Executive

Coming Ashore? 10 Things You Shouldn’t Do When Interviewing

10 Things You Shouldn’t Do When Interviewing

By Matt Fuhrman – Faststream

For most, coming ashore may be easy but nailing that perfect job is tough.  Here are ten things you should shy away from when interviewing for that new position.

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Calling all DP Operator’s! IDPOA announces the first annual DP Awards

In Search of Excellence

The International Dynamic Positioning Operators Association (IDPOA) is pleased to announce the launch of the inaugural International Dynamic Positioning (DP) Excellence Awards and invites mariners from across the world to nominate their shining stars of the Dynamic Positioning sector.

The history of DP is one of groundbreaking innovation and pioneering development and with the successful development of IDPOA comes the recognition of professionals working in this sector of shipping.  These awards recognize and celebrate excellence across the industry in categories which reflect the scope of this hugely specialized area:

•    DP Operator of the Year
•    Onboard Trainer/Mentor of the Year
•    Leader of the Year
•    Training Centre of the Year
•    Lecturer of the Year
•    Manufacturer of the Year
•    Innovation of the Year
•    DP Vessel of the Year
•    Investor in People Award
•    Outstanding Services to DP Award

As well as celebrating the success of individuals, the awards will honour and acknowledge developments in training, equipment and operations, which have opened up previously untapped maritime possibilities, and developments that have made the pursuit of the seemingly impossible, not just feasible but safe, clean and cost-effective.

IDPOA Executive Director Steven Jones said:

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