I haven’t been on here in ages but my nephew works fo OSG and WOW our boy Sammy Norton, right, decides he’s gonna be the big man on campus and sends this email, no kiddin’, to the whole freakin’ fleet in the dead of night, sayin’ Konrad’s full of it. 
Now, sure, maybe Konrad’s got his head in the clouds sometimes, but the guy never called Sammy a “sell out”
And Sammy claims Konrad can’t “think outside the box”, oh man, he don’t know Konrad. Our boy johnny’s so far outside the box – he’s practically livin’ out there!
Keep digging Sammy
From: Norton, Samuel snorton@osg.com
Sent: Tuesday, December 12, 2023 7:41 PM
To: USFleetCaptains UsFleetCaptains@ships.osg.com
Cc: Tampa Staff Tampa_Staff@osg.com; Beaverton Staff Beaverton_Staff@osg.com
Subject
Subject: G-Captain Article Re My Comments on Seafarer Shortages
Ladies and Gentlemen –
A G-Captain article penned by John Konrad yesterday has received much circulation both within and outside our community. The article centers on comments that I have made at recent conference advocating for consideration of a targeted visa program to sponsor foreign nationals for citizenship in the US for individuals with the experience and skill sets to help broaden and deepen the pool of mariners required to accelerate the expansion of US flag vessels. This goal has been both a priority of objectives that I have been focused on for the past 8 years as well as a critical need voiced by many of the Congressional and Department of Defense allies with whom we communicate and who are key champions of sustaining a viable and effective US marine industry. I believe that Mr. Konrad’s article contains numerous inaccuracies and misrepresentations, not the least of which is to misconstrue my comments as an effort to “sell out” our existing crew members to obtain the benefits of lower cost foreign alternatives. Nothing could be further from the truth. The goal of what I am calling “immigration as an option” is to augment a clearly under-resourced maritime labor pool as a bridge to accelerate the introduction of more US flag vessels and more US maritime jobs. This is not an “either/or” concept, but rather a “both/and” one. To be clear, anyone sponsored for a visa who would qualify to work on a US flag vessel would, where applicable, join the appropriate union representing that skill set and rank on any of our vessels, and receive the same wage and benefit package as is and would be received by an existing US seafarer filling that billet. The number of such visas to be granted could be decided upon and agreed as between industry and union leadership based on an objective assessment of the expected medium-term shortfall of available US mariners. This idea is not to gain economic advantage by tapping foreign labor. It is instead an attempt to stimulate a conversation of addressing what all acknowledge is a critical problem in a manner where success in building a more robust US mariner pool is done without doing harm to existing participants in that pool.
Later this evening, I will be posting the comments on Linked-In in response to Mr. Konrad’s article. It is valid and expected that differences of opinion can and will exist on this topic. But I also believe that it is important that my comments not be inaccurately framed by someone who does not appear to want to recognize the benefits of thinking outside of the box in working to solve a pressing industry concern.
Anyone who would like to voice their concerns and/or to criticize the true intent of my comments is welcome to email me directly. Having an open conversation that recognizes the complexity of the issues involved and is entered into in the spirit of generating real solutions that would benefit the long-term health and effectiveness of the US maritime industry is an important process in working towards a good solution. I welcome constructive input from any who wish to offer it.
My response to be posted on Linked-In is provided below for ease of reference.
“The mariner shortage is a crisis demanding solutions. Cooperation among all stakeholders to accelerate these solutions is necessary. The suggestion that US mariners are under compensated and that simply raising wages will solve all problems fails to address the core issues head on. The issue is far more complex.
An accelerated expansion of US maritime assets and the pool of qualified seafarers is a key strategic objective in meeting, in particular, the country’s national security needs. The urgency with which to address this problem has never been more acute. The facts are that virtually all service industries today - including the armed services with the exception of the Marines - face serious recruiting challenges and ongoing manpower shortages. MARAD estimates the current shortage of US mariners at close to 2,000 persons. That figure understates the scale of the problem. Plans to expand the Tanker Security Program, develop offshore wind resources, and build out alternative fuel bunkering and supply capabilities in the years ahead will further tax severely overstretched resources. There will be a need for thousands of new mariners to fill these jobs.
The idea of sponsoring qualified foreign mariners for citizenship is but one idea amongst many intended to address the current labor shortage. The concept is to develop and implement a targeted visa program, offering a fast track to citizenship, for individuals with the specialized skill sets needed to serve on tankers in order to bridge the gap between current shortfalls and the development of long term US merchant maritime needs. Immigration as an option is not proposed as a means to use foreign labor to depress wage and benefits or to supplant the existing workforce. Recipients of any such visa would receive wages and benefits as they exist on US flag vessels.
According to a recent study carried out by MARAD on behalf of Congress, US flag operating costs exceed comparable costs on foreign flag vessels by an estimated $7.5 million per vessel per year. As I have written and spoken about in many forums, the reasons for this differential are valid. OSG has been at the forefront in promoting and supporting laws and programs that allow US maritime businesses and the US jobs they support to exist despite these differentials. OSG’s mariners possess highly valued skills and remarkable dedication. We work closely with the union leaders who represent these seafarers to ensure fair and competitive wages and benefits consistent with a goal of sustaining a viable business model.
The broad vision is for an expanded and effective US flag fleet supporting economic and national security. More ships and more jobs in the long run – that should be the focus in preserving the future of US maritime. Exploring all options to achieve this vision should be a priority.”
Sam
we missed you like a covid shot