— The Council of American Master Mariners, Inc. —
CAMM Views & Positions
Views & Positions Home Page
Page last updated on Mon, May 02, 2011
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.
The following are CAMM’s proposed current views on maritime matters. Views will be discussed and voted as official positions or dismissed at the 2012 AGM in the Seattle area.
No views have been submitted yet at this time
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
UN Convention of the Law of the Seas Treaty
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.
2011 attendees voted to send this back to committee to reword. Move the sentence that begins with "Specifically oppose..." to directly after the first comma.
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 (MLC) 2006 to eliminate sub-standard shipping with respect to maritime labor. MLC 2006 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 Coast Guard position that the agency owns the new Merchant Mariner Credential (MMC)/License issued to a seaman and can revoke or recall at any time without cause as set forth in the Code of Federal Regulations. CAMM contends that the credential is the property of the user, and that it is to be surrendered to the Coast Guard only after due process. CAMM supports changing the CFRs to that affect.
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
Under-Qualified Promotions
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
Recognition of Foreign licenses, STCW certificates, and endorsements on US Vessels
OPPOSE any expansion of the language of CFR 46 USC 8103 (b)(3) to cover any vessel other than the limited vessels sited therein. Furthermore, that any foreign seafarer, holding a foreign license, certificate, or document, that is to be employed on a U.S. flagged vessel be required to meet the same standards of certification and security check as a U.S. seafarer who would be employed in that position.
Read the CAMM Statement submitted to the docket.
Position
Lifeboat Safety
SUPPORT IFSMA’s position on developing industry standards for design study, stability, and fall-preventer devices for on-load release hooks for lifeboats. CAMM further supports standardization of lifeboat controls and operations, including procedures for launching and retrieving the lifeboats.
Position
Physical Guidelines for Merchant Mariners
OPPOSE new changes in the form required for physical exams for merchant mariners. The form should be simplified, made to conform to requirements used by the Federal Aviation Administration to qualify aircraft pilots, and acceptable if signed off by a qualified medical provider.