Operations are still rolling on the river.
With most quarantined at home, we share with you the operations at New Orleans Port. Canal Barge takes coal barges down river. Tug David Anderson down bound as well. LPG Hellas Apollo heading up river to load liquefied petroleum gas. Operations are still rolling, and we are blessed with valued workers on the frontlines.
Capt. Lansden meets with Rep. Boustany in support of RAMP Act
Congressman Charles Boustany, Jr., MD met with maritime industry and labor representatives during the second annual Maritime Industry Congressional Sail-In on May 4, 2011 in Washington, D.C. With Rep. Boustany here are American Maritime Officers member Capt. Robert Lansden (third from left) and President of CEO of Pacific-Gulf Marine Todd Johnson (left). Also in the picture are Sarah Branch, director of government relations for the Offshore Marine Service Association (OMSA) and OMSA President and CEO Jim Adams. In a statement released after the meeting with maritime representatives during the Maritime Industry Congressional Sail-In May 4, Rep. Boustany commended his colleagues, the 91 members of the House of Representatives who have co-sponsored the Realize America’s Maritime Promise (RAMP) Act (H.R. 104). The legislation would require Congress to each year appropriate funds deposited in the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund (HMTF) for their intended purpose: maintenance dredging of U.S. ports and navigational channels. Annually,…
Capt. Lansden applies experience from Hurricane Katrina recovery to Iraq reconstruction mission
American Maritime Officers member Capt. Robert Lansden has more reconstruction experience than most. Aboard the USNS Pollux in 2005, Capt. Lansden with permission from the Navy used his ship’s resources to provide lifesaving assistance to the people and community of his native New Orleans, La., in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Serving on active duty in the Navy and attached to an Army civil affairs brigade, Capt. Lansden applied that experience to reconstruction work in Iraq. Louisiana-based WVUE Fox 8 recently reported on his accomplishments both in the military and as a merchant mariner. When Katrina hit New Orleans on Aug. 29, 2005, the Pollux was docked there for engine repairs. With several hundred thousand gallons of diesel fuel and water onboard, the Pollux was ready to help the people of New Orleans. Using the ship’s resources, the officers and crew of the Pollux provided a variety of critical services and supplies to the devastated community, including…
Capt. Lansden featured on Fox 8 News for rebuilding classrooms in Iraq
U.S Navy Captain Robert Lansden recently dropped in on a kindergarten class in Basra, Iraq. “I want to thank them for being such beautiful children,” he told a translator. The children may not realize it, but Lansden played a vital role in the rebuilding of their classrooms. Watch the Fox 8 News Report Below: For Lansden, a naval reservist, it’s been an unlikely journey that began on August 29th, 2005. The day Katrina hit his hometown of New Orleans, Lansden was captain of the U.S.N.S. Pollux, a merchant marine ship docked on the riverfront for repairs. “I knew the city,” he recalled. “I was from there. I knew the high ground from the low ground.” The Pollux happened to be marooned in New Orleans as Katrina roared ashore, undergoing repairs. Its engines were out, but it was loaded with several hundred thousand gallons of diesel fuel and fresh water. In a…
Vice President Biden meets with Capt. Lansden on Iraq reconstruction projects
Vice President Joe Biden (then-vice president elect) meets with Capt. Robert Lansden, U.S. Navy, and Diego Abdellaoui, special advisor to the U.S. Embassy, in Basra, Iraq, in January. Lansden, a member of American Maritime Officers now serving on active duty in the Navy, is directing revitalization work as Civil Military Operations chief of the Multi-National Force Southeast in southern Iraq to develop the region’s maritime transportation system. Five ports are being revived, as well as a major bridge, with funding under the stewardship of Capt. Landsen’s office. SOURCE: American Maritime Officer – February 2009 issue
Gen. Powell presents Capt. Lansden with the Silver Service Medallion for “exemplary leadership” during the Hurricane Katrina
Capt. Robert Lansden is flanked by former California Gov. Pete Wilson (left) and Gen. Colin Powell, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and former Secretary of State, after Gen. Powell presented Capt. Lansden with the Silver Service Medallion for his “exemplary leadership” as master of the USNS Pollux during the Hurricane Katrina relief effort in New Orleans in 2005. Capt. Lansden was chosen to represent all U.S. merchant mariners who responded to the crisis. The Army, The Navy and the “first responder” police and firefighters were also represented by one individual from each service at the award ceremony at the World War II Museum in New Orleans. SOURCE: Gulf Coast Marine rs Association GCMA News – Aug/Sept 2006 issue
Capt. Lansden receives U.S. Merchant Marine Medal for service during Hurricane Katrina
The mariners who worked aboard five Military Sealift Command vessels – the USNS Algol, USNS Altair, USNS Bellatrix, USNS Pollux and USNS Pililaau – during the relief and recovery efforts on the U.S. Gulf Coast following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita received the U.S. Merchant Marine Medal June 14, 2006 for their service. The medals were presented aboard the USNS Brittin in Violet, La., during a Military Sealift Command ceremony coordinated by American Overseas Marine Corp. (AMSEA). Attending the ceremony for MSC were Rear Adm. Hugo Blackwood, vice commander, and John Henry. “The service rendered by these vessels speaks volumes about the capability and commitment of the merchant mariners working aboard them and the companies, such as AMSEA, that manage these ships, and about the ability of the MSC fleet to deliver in the times of our nation’s greatest need,” said Capt. Bob Groom, Master of the Brittin, who was emcee at the…