MEBA and LNG: Lessons Learned from the Past and How We Can Regain LNG Jobs Starting in 1977, the MEBA became heavily involved in LNG transportation, with valuable jobs being held by our members. We were the early leaders of the industry and led the way in innovation and safety. We lost that position over time but we are now poised to pursue those jobs and the reputation, again, of being the best in the industry for LNG transportation. LNG was first transported from the U.S. in the mid 1960’s. In 1974, Dr. C.Y. Chen, former owner of Marine Transport Lines, approached U.S. ship builders and the MEBA for the construction and operation of a U.S. flagged LNG fleet. Three years later in 1977, after that seed was planted and allowed to grow, the first U.S. built and U.S. flagged LNG ship, the LNG AQUARIUS, came out of the General Dynamic’s ship yard in Quincy, Massachusetts. Between 1977 and 1982, when there was a world LNG fleet of fewer than 50 ships, the U.S. LNG fleet grew to 16 ships, all manned and operated by the MEBA deck and engine officers. For the next twenty-five years, experienced, professional MEBA deck and engine officers carried LNG on these U.S. flagged vessels. The properties of an LNG cargo constantly change during transportation and the MEBA officers of the fleet strove to improve and upgrade the associated technology and abilities to carry LNG in a safe, efficient manner. However, during this time, the world LNG fleet was growing and improving to the point where the U.S. flag fleet was not the outstanding exception but part of the norm. By year 2000, the world LNG fleet grew to approximately 130 vessels, compared to the ten U.S. flagged vessels. The MEBA LNG fleet became less than 10% of the world fleet in the changing economic LNG world. With a larger world fleet, there were simply more qualified, trained people available in the industry for employers to hire. The MEBA had a choice: either change with the times or become extinct. Unfortunately for our members, the MEBA at the time stubbornly refused to change and diversify. By the end of 2000, there were no more U.S. flagged LNG ships and no more LNG contracts for the MEBA. If the MEBA had accepted change and stayed with these same U.S. built LNG vessels under Marshall Island flag, the jobs would have been preserved with the potential of expanding out to other world LNG entities. With lessons learned from the loss of the ETC fleet, MEBA found themselves signing an agreement in 2007 to supply LNG deck and engine officers to the Belgium flag Excelerate/EXMAR LNG fleet. By this time, the world LNG fleet had soared to just over 250 vessels and the need for U.S. officers in US water to import LNG was warranted. The Excelerate/EXMAR fleet utilized 29 MEBA billets for a period of three years. Due to the current lack of LNG importations needs in the U.S., the number of billets shrank. There is now an LNG revolution in the U.S., bringing new opportunities to utilize the U.S. mariner in the international LNG world fleet. With the shale gas boom in the U.S., MEBA PROUD is actively engaging the companies that seek to export U.S. produced LNG. As of 2013, the number of LNG vessels has increased to over 400 and the need for manning is available. MEBA PROUD has already been planting the seeds of opportunity with the companies that seek to export U.S. LNG. These seeds will need time to grow and MEBA PROUD is willing to put the time and energy it needs to actively seek out LNG jobs for the U.S. Mariner. The work of today and for the next three years is to see the jobs come to fruition, just as Dr. Chen did from 1974 to 1977. Let’s not throw away the ground work that has already been done and the future work that is still needed to gain footing in the international fleet. The opportunities are there and it is up to the MEBA leadership to create professional relationships with the LNG exporting companies, and other LNG companies, explaining how the MEBA can provide these companies for their long-term transportation needs. While some critics of this work believe pursuing these contracts is a waste of time, their objections ignore that LNG is a growing field that will hire someone for these positions. Just as the MEBA competes in the world stage of containerized freight, the MEBA can successfully compete in the world transportation of LNG. Past groups have sided with the idea that we are not in the game now and apathetically waited for LNG to approach the MEBA. Sitting back and waiting for industry to approach us will certainly guarantee that the contracts will not be forthcoming. MEBA PROUD does not believe in this misguided logic! With the U.S. soon to be exporting LNG, we believe in putting in the hard work, in going door-to-door to these exporting entities and getting the MEBA name and training facility into their discussions. With experience in the industry of both LNG as cargo and fuel, the MEBA is currently in a posture to engage companies as they enter the planning stage of their ventures. Recently, MEBA participated as an expert in this field in an LNG forum for entities seeking to purchase LNG from the United States. In April 2013, MEBA PROUD participated at the LNG-17 world conference held in Houston, Texas. MEBA PROUD is pushing the idea that U.S. mariners are needed in the world LNG fleet. Vote for MEBA PROUD to preserve the groundwork already laid and allow your representatives to continue building the valuable relationships with an eye to creating jobs for the MEBA’s future.
Posted on: Fri, 16 Aug 2013 07:37:03 +0000