Posted:
June 30, 2009
American Maritime Officers sent the following letter dated June 29 to Congressman Elijah Cummings (D-MD), chairman of the House Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation.
On behalf of the civilian U.S. merchant marine officers I am privileged to represent, I thank you for your leadership on the issue of U.S. merchant vessel security in waters where pirates operate with apparent impunity. Attacks upon peaceful ships of all flags put lives and property at real risk, disrupt routine commercial trade and impede the efficient delivery of U.S. aid cargoes under the U.S. flag to countries suffering famine or the consequences of natural disasters.
Our union welcomes the prospect of U.S. military security detachments aboard civilian-manned U.S.-flagged merchant ships in specific seas, as provided for in your amendment to H.R. 2647, the fiscal 2010 National Defense Authorization Act as approved June 25 by the House of Representatives. We agree with you that U.S.-flagged vessels and their officers and crews should not be left to fend for themselves.
As you know, American Maritime Officers is on record in support of embarked U.S. Navy personnel as the ideal way to protect U.S.-flagged merchant ships serving U.S. economic and diplomatic interests everywhere on the high seas. The alternatives arming U.S. merchant mariners, deploying U.S. Coast Guard personnel or employing private security forces are unacceptable for many reasons.
In that context, your amendment though limited to U.S.-flagged ships carrying government-financed cargoes through the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean off the Horn of Africa would set an important precedent for legislative response should U.S. merchant ships and American merchant mariners come under attack by pirates or terrorists in other regions.
Again, we in AMO appreciate your initiative on this increasingly important issue and your strong and consistent support of the U.S. merchant fleet and the men and women who live and work at sea under the American flag.
AMO thanks Rep. Cummings for leadership on military force protection for certain U.S.-flagged cargo ships in piracy-prone waters
American Maritime Officers sent the following letter dated June 29 to Congressman Elijah Cummings (D-MD), chairman of the House Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation.
On behalf of the civilian U.S. merchant marine officers I am privileged to represent, I thank you for your leadership on the issue of U.S. merchant vessel security in waters where pirates operate with apparent impunity. Attacks upon peaceful ships of all flags put lives and property at real risk, disrupt routine commercial trade and impede the efficient delivery of U.S. aid cargoes under the U.S. flag to countries suffering famine or the consequences of natural disasters.
Our union welcomes the prospect of U.S. military security detachments aboard civilian-manned U.S.-flagged merchant ships in specific seas, as provided for in your amendment to H.R. 2647, the fiscal 2010 National Defense Authorization Act as approved June 25 by the House of Representatives. We agree with you that U.S.-flagged vessels and their officers and crews should not be left to fend for themselves.
As you know, American Maritime Officers is on record in support of embarked U.S. Navy personnel as the ideal way to protect U.S.-flagged merchant ships serving U.S. economic and diplomatic interests everywhere on the high seas. The alternatives arming U.S. merchant mariners, deploying U.S. Coast Guard personnel or employing private security forces are unacceptable for many reasons.
In that context, your amendment though limited to U.S.-flagged ships carrying government-financed cargoes through the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean off the Horn of Africa would set an important precedent for legislative response should U.S. merchant ships and American merchant mariners come under attack by pirates or terrorists in other regions.
Again, we in AMO appreciate your initiative on this increasingly important issue and your strong and consistent support of the U.S. merchant fleet and the men and women who live and work at sea under the American flag.