Behold: the brand new Yamaha 75hp 4-stroke! So excited to see what this baby’s got.

Capt. Richard Phillips, master of the Maersk Alabama who’s been held hostage since Wednesday, was rescued late this morning Eastern time.  It’s been reported that when the pirates were sleeping or otherwise unaware, he made another attempt to escape and jumped overboard, at which point the Navy was able to neutralize the pirates.  Of the …

The recent turn of events for the Maersk Alabama has had an interesting and prominent connection to Mass Maritime.  As I reported in my last post, both the captain and the Chief Mate on board that ship are Academy graduates, as well as the mate being the son of one of our professors, Capt. Joseph …

For those who may not have heard yet, or do not have full details, the American-flagged ship Maersk Alabama was hijacked early this morning off the coast of Somalia by pirates.  The ship carries a crew of approximately 20 American citizens, of which are graduates of Massachusetts Maritime Academy.  The Chief Mate aboard the ship, …

The Coast Guard has put new regulations into effect regarding TWIC credentials and Merchant Mariner licensing. As previously stated by the Coast Guard, all mariners currently holding an MMC (Merchant Mariner Credential) MUST hold a valid TWIC by April 15 2009. However, TWIC is now going to be required for any new MMC applicants in …

As most people are fully aware, piracy has become a major issue recently, particularly off the coast of Africa.  Numerous merchant vessels have been attacked and hijacked, left vulnerable to these attacks by crews that are at a disadvantage from lack of effective defenses. Mass Maritime has recognized this problem, and yesterday gave training to …

I’m writing this with less than 12 hours until we arrive at the State Pier, and prepare to disembark the T.S. Kennedy for the last time on Sea Term 2009. Captain’s Inspection is finished, and all that remains is packing personal gear, doing a final cleaning of the holds, and manning the rails. A general …

For the past couple of days we’ve been in rough weather which has kept the ship rolling and pitching almost constantly since Wednesday. This is the first legitimately rough weather we’ve had on cruise, so it’s been exciting. The most interesting and hilarious part of rough seas aboard the Kennedy is being in the mess …

This morning around 0900 we departed St. Thomas, turned north and started heading back to Massachusetts. My division is on the Alternate rotation today and tomorrow, though I’m not on the support bill today, which means that I was able to watch us leave St. Thomas. I then indulged in a morning nap, a first …

Underway for St. Thomas; Re-Cap of the Past Week As I mentioned in my last post, my e-mail hasn’t been working for about a week, which is why I haven’t posted since we left Puerto Rico. As a result, I’m going to cover the events of the past week since leaving San Juan. We spent …