Israel Has Ships

Israel has had a problem that was revealed by the 1970s. The Promised Land was oil-poor, compared to all of its neighbors. While the nation has embraced both low tech (water heaters) and high tech (electricity generation) solar energy, a war of survival- with its tanks and airplanes- relies on scare petroleum. While the details of such critical information is a military secret, Israel must maintain significant stockpiles of fuel. The Abraham Accords and previous agreements with neighbors Egypt and Jordan have reduced the existential threat - in trade, diplomacy, and military arenas- of hostile neighbor nations. But as much goodwill can come from peacetime trade, Israel’s neighbors are in no strategic position to provide fuel for Israel’s military. Thus, the US has for decades exported fuel to Israel on a run from Texas to Ashkelon via the Mediterranean Sea, on ships flying the American flag. With access to the Black Sea restricted on account of Turkey’s neutrality in the Ukraine war, this thin lifeline could be critical to the defense of Israel. Fortuitously, the US Maritime Administration increased subsidies for American oil tankers several years ago, putting this part of the fleet in a relatively robust position. Although less efficient in size than commercial tankers, the Military Sealift Command has an excess of fleet oilers as the new John Lewis class is introduced into service, with retiring ships in serviceable condition. Crewing of merchant vessels might present the weakest link. Wartime double pay proved to be sufficient incentive during the Vietnam and Gulf War eras. Even without this bonus, American ships have been successfully supplying defense materials to Eastern Europe for the past 18 months. But in terms of shipping, Israel is not dependent on allied nations. Zim, the nation's flagship line, sails globally, and has done so since the founding of the State of Israel.

Shutdown Averted

On Saturday night onboard a supply ship in the Phillipines (daytime in the US), I anxiously watched the news to see if the government would be working as usual in the morning. If I had paid attention earlier, I might've worried myself sick. Instead, and very fortunately, a compromise Continuing Resolution passed the House, then the Senate, and signed by the President shortly before midnight. Now, instead of receiving the more typical apporpriations, Military Sewlift Command dips from a different pot of money known as the Navy Working Capital Fund. The paychecks would continue to be issied and cleared, but based on previous experience, paid overtime hours would be curtailed to conserve money. Other services used by mariners, including the US Coast Guard's National Maritime Center, would offer reduced service in issuing license renewals, and upgrades would be put on hold. Those participating in the US Navy Reserve's Strategic Sealift Officer Force would see their annual training postponed. The US Merchant Marine Academy has sent midshipmen home during past shutdowns, although operations continued- with faculty on deferred pay- during the most recent shutdown. I could happily report to my crew that it would be business as usual, at least through Thanksgiving.

The Forgotten Maritime Movie from 2015

I was surprised to learn that the old-time New England whalerman movie "In the Heart of the Sea" was released way back in 2015. I had only recently seen this movie starring Chris Hemsworth as Chief Mate, and thought it was a new picture. Despite medicore reviews from the cinema intelligentia, the plot is compelling, and culminates in a board of inquiry that pits the Chief Mate against The Powers That Be. The film actually inspired me to make a trip to New Bedford, the center of 19th century whaling activity in the United States. Digging further, I understood why this movie did not gain traction in maritime circles, as the 2020 Tom Hanks action film "Greyhound" did. Personally, I was onboard the USNS Sacagawea in provincial Korea at the time, and thus could not view the movie in theater. As an industry, the film was released just two months after the SS El Faro disaster. Existential questions abounded concerning the roles of the US Coast Guard, the American Bureau of Shipping, the maritime unions that crewed the ship, the insurance companies, and the ships' senior officers; in that they all deemed the ship fit to sail- or were under financial pressure to keep quiet. All ears were tuned into daily findings from the ongoing deep-sea salvage effort; and later to what the NTSB would reveal in a present-day, real-life inquiry. For the movie producers, it was simply bad luck that the relative escapism of the sailship era was out of touch with the active concerns of the maritime community at the time. In conclusion, I believe that "In the Heart of the Sea" deserves a second look.

On Decommissioning a Suitcase

The suitcase has developed a terminal flaw. A wheel missing or a threadbare coat. It is now time to decommission the suitcase, and prepare it for new life as a storage box. Remove the airline luggage tags and stickers. The ones with your three-letter destination and the bright orange ones shouting"Priority". Toss the paper baggage tags- they rarely last more than one journey. Save the plastic baggage tags for your next suitcase- make sure the contact information is up-to-date. Take off the custom boonoggles that identify your bag from a hundred others on the airport carousel, including the ironic "remove before flight" lanyard. There will certainly be writing pens and change in the outside pockets. Save these for later. Check for cash and cards in the inside pockets. They have a propensity to get lost in there. Don't forget Saint Christopher's memento. Make sure he keeps travelling with you in future years.

What Happened when We Expected More of Ourselves

In 1975, the US Naval Institute reported on the status of the US Merchant Marine, then in its federally-subsidized heyday. Its officers, sons of the middle or stable working class, were disillusioned with the rambunctious, hedonistic crewmembers sent forth by the union hiring halls. Being manager, foreman, diplomat, and warden, these officers' skills could be put to productive use in business ashore, rather than a professional career at sea. In 1983, CJ Forsyth reported the same sociological conditions in a Louisiana State University thesis on the occupationally-induced marginality of Amerocan seafarers. Just a decade later, the carefree "sea daddy" was gone. Mandatory drug testing did him in. Initially, unions were wary of this mandate, believing it was another device in management's toolbox. Yet, with the higher standards implemented, safety, efficiency, and morale improved. In the past couple of years, a one-time in-service maritime training requirement on human resources came into full effect. This was a collection of coursework, which for seagoing engineers included a total of three weeks in human resource management, leadership and teamwork, and the management of electronic systems. Fpr the most part, unions and employers covered the cost of this training. Yet a one-time continuing education requirement drove a good number of senior-level American seafarers to take their retirement. Maybe it was for the better that these rigid and unchangeable individuals pursue satisfaction in another activity. Self-reflection and human insight has, for half a century, been seen as a critical part of safety-sensitive work. By raising the bar, counterproductive habits and people are whittled away.

The Fantasy and the Facts

In a suburb of Washington, DC, Tracy Rebello opened the "Piratez Tavern" after a career in corporate communications. Like many brick-and-mortar entrepreneurs, she sold the family home to start this restaurant, and keep it running for 8 years. As revealed in a memorable July 2012 episode of Bar Rescue, the establishment was a million dollars in debt; but the owner was found to be thoroughly living the dream as captain of a pirate ship eatery. Displeased with the sleek renovations aimed towards the white-collar lunch crowd, the family sang sea shanties while burning Jon Taffer's new furnishings (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSPkbJohdyo). I never went myself, though. While I knew that the "pirate tavern" existed during my undergraduate days, it had a dive reputation, as seen in contemporaneous discussions on City Data forums. I celebrated my 21st birthday at Phillip's Seafood Restaurant in Downtown DC, before the Wharf area was redeveloped into its condo-friendly form. "Piratez Tavern" closed down shortly before my 22nd birthday. This episode hit home with me, not just for the nautical theme, but over our occupational identity as swashbuckling mariners. This attitude is more prevalent in the lower-compensated and less-regulated sectors of the industry, such as research ships and small government vessels; and non-existent in oil-and-gas. Between the oil price drop of 2015 and the Great Resignation, we hit an inversion point where college-educated marine engineers could get higher-paid work ashore in maintenance and R&D environments (power plants, Tesla, and others), despite the challenging lifestyle and working conditions. Fortunately, instead of blanky shouting "nobody wants to work anymore", new contracts between maritime employers and their unions have restored the supply-and-demand equilibrium of mariners to jobs. This experience is one more reminder to keep nostalgic sentiments at bay when thinking about business, personal or corporate.

Virginia Beach Rejuvenated

In Virginia Beach’s Oceanfront, the streets are alive with people at all times of day, which is how it should be during peak tourist season. I was pleasantly surprised by this summer’s rebirth, and I surmise that a reckoning moment had come in the city’s Tourism Bureau after a lackluster performance in the first post-pandemic summer of 2022. Much credit has been given to the return of the Summer Work Visa, in which young adults, mainly from Eastern Europe, share an apartment and work for the summer. I have heard them working- with Slavic language- in places ranging from a Japanese buffet to hotel lifeguarding work. I have realized that transportation is a barrier for getting locals to take these jobs. The neighborhoods closest to the Oceanfront are upscale, with the fact that those youth have other summer opportunities. The Virginia Beach Oceanfront is served by one through-bus line, which ends 90 minutes away in the inner city of Norfolk. (A daytime express service is geared to tourists). While there are many moderate-income families living near the downtown terminus, I would predict that the teenagers are already likely to have year-round after-school employment. Overall, it appears to be easier to commute across the ocean from Europe than from adjacent Norfolk. Credit should also be given to the tourists themselves, who have given Virginia Beach a new look. The city may have been overlooked during last year’s “revenge travel” trend, but being within a day’s drive of a quarter of the US population makes for a friendly destination in economically inflationary times.