— The Council of American Master Mariners, Inc. —

CAMM Views & Positions

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Positions Main Page Resolutions

Page last updated on Fri, Apr 30, 2010

Here will be important issues of the day for Masters and your opportunity as a member of CAMM to voice your feedback and provide additional support or testimony in relation to these (or other) subjects. Your input gives CAMM the opportunity to buttress, debunk, and scrutinize items while at the same time allowing time and changing world events to induce reflection by year’s end.

A POSITION is a statement of support or opposition concerning a major issue or incident effecting mariners, which position has been voted on by the membership at a previous CAMM Annual General Meeting (AGM). The POSITION expresses the majority opinion of the membership.

A VIEW is a statement currently under consideration but which has not been voted upon by the membership. The VIEW will be offered at the next Annual Meeting for consideration. The purpose of the VIEW is to offer information or opinion germane to the merits of adopting a position regarding the issue and to alert members of facts which may not be previously known to them. This allows us all to be well informed about each major issue well before it is debated at the AGM.

As the Annual General Meeting approaches, the issues of VIEWS will be culled down to issues that have proven to be most substantive. After discussion and debate at the AGM, Official Position Statements will be generated for proposal to The Council. Once approved, these CAMM VIEWS will become Official Positions and will be archived for reference and viewing. Each year at the AGM, positions from the previous year will be reviewed, and will then either be amended, carried forward, or dropped. This will keep all our positions current and up-to-date.

CAMM is widely recognized as an organization whose members are highly regarded and extremely knowledgeable about the issues on which we take positions. This is your opportunity to assure that issues about which you are passionate get proper attention from this influential organization. Post your comment so that you get your “oar in the water” well before the next AGM, helping us to have informed discussion well before the vote. To post your comments and input, and read other's comments, visit the Views Forum and Positions Forum. It's easy.

2011 Current Views

The following are CAMM’s proposed current views on maritime matters. Views will be discussed and voted as official positions or dismissed at the 2011 AGM in the Baltimore area.

View

Physical Guidelines for Merchant Mariners
CAMM objects to new changes in the form for physicals.
Post your comment in our forums.

2010 AGM attendees voted to send back to Positions Committee; reword to include verbiage in line with the FAA. Simplify the form, and occupational health dr to sign off.

Current Positions

The following are CAMM’s current positions on maritime matters. Positions were agreed on by attendees at our AGM.
Printable version - pdf format

POSITION

Criminalization of Shipmasters

OPPOSE the arrest and detention of shipmasters and crew in the wake of a maritime incident. SUPPORT IFSMA position calling on the USCG, IMO, ICS and other international bodies to cease actions which may result in false imprisonment without trial.
Post your comment in our forums.


POSITION

Ports of Refuge

SUPPORT a requirement that Port States permit ships in distress to have access to a nearby port of refuge, as approved by the Master, rather than forcing such a ship out to sea.
Post your comment in our forums.


POSITION

One Man Bridge Watch

OPPOSE one-man bridge watch in effect in some commercial fleets. SUPPORT amendment to international regulations requiring an additional bridge watch stander for vessels of 1600 gross tons and larger.
Post your comment in our forums.


POSITION

Law of the Seas Treaty (LOST)

OPPOSE U.S. ratification of the Law of the Sea Treaty, which would give important domestic powers to an international authority based in Brussels. Specifically oppose provisions which would result in American ship masters accused of offenses at sea being tried by an international court in Europe, and conducted without the benefit and protection guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States.
Post your comment in our forums.


POSITION

Witness Treatment by US Officials

OPPOSE detention of crew of violating ships for the purpose of serving as material witness(es) for an unreasonable period of time, causing loss of liberty, wages, and proper due process. “Unreasonable period of time" is defined in this instance as exceeding the 29-day period after which a D-1 visa would expire, leaving the crew member(s) unable to move about freely in this country.
Post your comment in our forums.


POSITION

Contamination and Safety

SUPPORT efforts of all regulatory agencies to detect and hold accountable all substandard vessels of all flags and registries which contaminate US waters through discharge of oil, contaminated water, sludge, sewage, etc. Ships infested with roaches, rats and other vermin having insufficient fresh water for crew needs, and lacking basic safety and sanitation conditions should not be permitted to operate in US waters.
Post your comment in our forums.


POSITION

IFSMA’s Fair Treatment of Seafarers

SUPPORT the recommendations of an ILO/IMO Working Group on the Fair Treatment of Seafarers, to develop internationally accepted guidelines for addressing actions against and criminalization of seafarers. SUPPORT the IFSMA proposal modeled on the 1991 IMO guidelines on oil pollution.
Post your comment in our forums.


POSITION

Seafarers Biometric Cards

SUPPORT US adoption of ILO Convention 185 for Seafarers Biometric Cards.
Post your comment in our forums.


POSITION

ILO Maritime Labor Convention

SUPPORT ILO Maritime Labor Convention 186 to eliminate sub-standard shipping with respect to maritime labor. Convention 186 lays down stringent rules regarding working conditions and requests proof of compliance from ships. Port State control officers have the power to fine and detain ships which do not abide by the “Seafarers’ Bill of Rights”. SUPPORT the two-thirds majority vote of member states for adoption of the “Seafarers’ Bill of Rights” and urges U.S. adoption of this doctrine.
Post your comment in our forums.


POSITION

IFSMA’s Position on Watch Stander’s Fatigue

SUPPORT IFSMA position on Watch Stander Fatigue and the idea of establishing a minimum rest period to improve safety.
Post your comment in our forums.


POSITION

IFSMA Advocates Task-based Manning

SUPPORT IFSMA position that minimum manning levels established by Flag States be “task-based”, taking into consideration ship type and trading pattern.
Post your comment in our forums.


POSITION

Seaman’s Manslaughter Act

SUPPORT changing the Seaman’s Manslaughter Act to require a higher standard of proof than simple negligence.
Post your comment in our forums.


POSITION

US Coast Guard ownership of Merchant Mariner Credential (MMC) / License

OPPOSE the Coast Guard’s position that they own the new Merchant Mariner Credential (MMC) / License and can revoke or recall such document at any time without cause as set forth in the Code of Federal Regulations.

The person who has been issued a USCG MMC / License owns that license or document. The license or mariner’s document is surrendered to the Coast Guard only after due process.
Post your comment in our forums.

2010 AGM attendees voted to send back to Positions Committee to reword. License is the property of the owner; credential is the proprty of the issuer. The MMC does not contain the word "License."


POSITION

Vessel Documentation, Inspection & Mariner Credentialing

SUPPORT the transfer of vessel documentation, vessel inspection and mariner credentialing from Department of Homeland Security to Department of Transportation. This change would align U.S. maritime policy with that of other seafaring nations.
Post your comment in our forums.


POSITION

IFSMA E-Navigation Comments

SUPPORT IFSMA Working Group recommendation that watch standers participate in the design and development of E-NAV equipment and that watch standers, rather than technicians, operate said equipment on the bridge.
Post your comment in our forums.


POSITION

International Piracy On the High Seas – Elimination of

SUPPORT the UN resolution adopted Dec 17, 2008 and urge the militaries of the world to work to defeat piracy wherever it occurs. CAMM asserts that it is the responsibility of the US Government to provide the force protection necessary to ensure the safety of life and property aboard US-Flag vessels.
Post your comment in our forums.


POSITION

Urge the President to fill maritime vacancies

SUPPORT expeditious action by the President, Secretary of Transportation and the Senate to appoint and confirm a new Maritime Administrator.
Post your comment in our forums.


Position

USCG Changes to STCW 1995
OPPPOSE proposed U.S. Coast Guard changes to STCW 1995 until after IMO STCW 2010 changes are adopted in June 2010 and the Code of Federal Regulations is revised in concurrence with those changes.


Position

OPPOSE Coast Guard’s proposed regulations which would allow a third or second mate to progress to an unlimited master’s license with only 36 months’ service as a third or second mate, removing the requirement of six-months service as chief mate on unlimited tonnage vessels.
Post your comment in our forums.


Position

USCG advancement to Chief Mate requirements
OPPOSE Coast Guard proposal to allow a third mate with only 12 months’ service as an Officer in Charge of Navigational Watch (OICNW) to progress directly to chief mate unlimited tonnage.
Post your comment in our forums.

To view full text on the USCG proposed changes, view/download the Federal Register.


Position

Gulf Coast Seafarers 2010 Conference
SUPPORT the four positions papers developed at the Seafarers 2010 Conference on March 10, 2010. These positions covered seafarers criminalization and rights issues: access to shore leave, Seafarers Manslaughter Act, Criminalization of unintended pollution incidents and the 29-Day Rule.
Post your comment in our forums.

To view full text on the documents, visit the Seafarer Issues website.