MARAD Signs Training Standards Agreement with Maritime Academies and Unions, Seeks to set Global Standards
During a press conference attended by LNGLawBlog, Maritime Administrator Sean T. Connaughton signed an agreement with the major maritime academies and seafaring unions to establish training standards for crews operating vessels carrying LNG. Connaughton said that there was a three-step plan to implement these standards: (1) maritime academies would revise their curricula to incorporate these guidelines; (2) MARAD would submit these guidelines to the U.S. Coast Guard in order to present the training standards to the IMO in London; and (3) MARAD would continue to pursue agreements with LNG shippers to employ American mariners.
Connaughton also suggested that MARAD was negotiating several other crewing agreements similar to the recent agreements involving Suez LNG and Excelerate Energy, but declined to name the companies involved.