Volume 85 No. 6
“The Voice of Port Industries”
June 2021
@VAmaritime
VA GROUPS HELP VACCINATE SEAFARERS NORFOLK | Starting in late June, vessels calling Virginia could begin taking advantage of a new service to get their crews vaccinated on-board with the J&J shot, regardless of nationality. Accessibility to COVID-19 vaccinations are critical in giving seafarers the ability to leave the vessels and come ashore and keep necessary certifications up to date. As an initial effort, the International Chamber of Shipping designed the “Roadmap for Vaccination of International Seafarers,” a document that proposed actions to help manage ship and seafarer certifications during the pandemic, including 3-month extensions for those certifications, giving time for crews to get the ability to return to shore. This model would set further efforts in motion. “Seafarers are not allowed to come ashore without VISA’s, which would prevent many crews from being vaccinated. We on land have many opportunities to be vaccinated, crews are in desperate need of help,” explained Barbara J. Shipley, International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) Inspector, Mid-Atlantic Region USA. “Many foreign seafarers worked 14, 15 – 16 months in a row with no days off, in the height of the pandemic. Seafarers were really underappreciated and not
REPORT SHOWS VA SHIPYARDS TOP IN U.S.
WASHINGTON | The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) released a new report to measure the economic importance of the shipbuilding and repairing industry at state and national levels for calendar year 2019. According to the report, the nation’s 154 private shipyards directly contributed 107,000 jobs and $9.9 billion in labor income to the national economy. When including direct, indirect, and induced impacts, those numbers increase to 393,390 jobs, $28.1 billion in labor income, and $42.4 billion in gross domestic product. Of all the states, Virginia contributes the highest overall to direct, indirect, and induced employment associated with the industry, yielding 71,710 jobs. The Economic Importance of the U.S. Private Shipbuilding and Repairing Industry report is available at the MARAD website: www.maritime.dot.gov.
INSIDE THIS EDITION h Stronger Together: Offshore Wind in VA (2)
treated as the hero’s they have proved to be. The world shut down but shipping never did.” A significant interest to vaccinate seafarers generated in part from the ships calling Virginia’s ports. Robbie West, a general manager for Norton Lilly, was receiving numerous emails from his customers interested in getting crews vaccinated. He reached out to Shipley after seeing her success with vaccinating Seafarers in other regions, explaining that with Norton Lilly having over 120 ships last month, that addressing each of their requests for vaccinating their crews individually was inefficient there had to be a way to streamline that process. Soon enough, the U.S. Coast Guard, Customs Border Protection, Virginia Port Authority, Virginia Maritime Association, Norton Lilly, Virginia Department of Health, NAMMA, and ITF were collaborating on the best solutions, and were very quick to bring in the National Guard and FEMA as well. A trial run was launched on May 22 of on-board vaccinations for two vessels at Norfolk International Terminals. The success of this trial Continue Reading on Page 3
VMA LEADERSHIP PROGRAM RESUMES WITH NEW MLCP DIRECTOR NORFOLK | The Virginia Maritime Association is thrilled to announce that the Maritime Leadership Certification Program (MLCP) will resume monthly sessions on July 15, 2021 following a hiatus lasting months. Certain components of the program including facility tours require participants to be in-person for the full experience and were not possible while meeting safety requirements in place during the pandemic. MLCP launched in 2018 to provide professionals with a comprehensive understanding of the maritime industry, a network of key industry stakeholders, and critical leadership skills. MLCP leaders participate monthly in special programs, tours, and socials, providing them with exposure to all facets of the maritime industry as well as delivering a platform to build a professional network, additional access to expert industry leaders, and opportunities to gain critical leadership skills. Continue Reading on Page 3
h Dredging Makes Biden’s FY22 Budget (3) h VMA Hosts “Welcome Back” Maritime Mixer (4) h Cold Spray Tech Facility Opens in Chesapeake, VA (4)
h Record Breaking TEU Volume in May (4)
1