Annual Seminar – The MCA’s Forty-eighth annual seminar is scheduled for St. Pete Beach, Florida, July 10-12, 2006, at the Grande Plaza Hotel, St. Pete Beach. (727/360-1811 or 800/448-0901) The newly renovated hotel is on the area’s magnificent white sand beach that stretches for miles along the beautiful Gulf Coast.
In addition to a great social program for our families and guests, we are hard at work on a broad technical program. The proposed training agenda targets presentations on static electricity hazards, the growing im-portance of FSPOs, the recent BP Texas City explosion, the chemistry of false posi-tives and electrochemical sensors, an update of OSHA and MGHCP activities, recent (and continuing) sewage-related fatality reports, security aspects of CMC inspections: recognizing terrorist-related signs and de-vices, new and planned OSHA maritime ac-tivities, microbial induced corrosion, changes in respirator fit-factors and EWR certificates, and possibly more.
As usual, there will be an MCA EXCOM meeting on July 9, 2006, the Sunday prior to the seminar.
MCA’s MCQB Candidate Selection – Since MCA’s member (Chris Scott, Chair-man) is rotating off MCQB this fall, NFPA asked MCA to submit the names of potential replacement candidates for appointment. Consistent with policy established when NFPA allowed MCA an alternate, MCA is submitting the name of current alternate Ken Mercer to replace Chris, and held an election for recommended alternate. Robbie Walker of Marine Chemist Services, Inc., Newport News, VA, was elected recom-mended alternate in the recent runoff ballot, and will follow his dad’s footsteps, Bob Walker, Jr., to service on MCQB, if con-firmed by NFPA. Congratulations!
2006 Sectional Seminars – The Atlantic Section seminar was held Feb 11 at the Maritime Institute of Technology and Graduate Studies (MITAGS) Conference Center at Linthicum, MD, near Baltimore-Washington International Airport. Thi year’s seminar covered several technical ar-eas including discussions on who can work of a marine chemist’s certificate, a review of some recent CHT accidents, a report from NFPA’s Larry Russell on MCQB’s CMC certificate audit, and Quality Assurance – ISO issues.
We were also very happy to have Joe Daddura, OSHA’s maritime standards chief technical resource, give an excellent pres-entation concerning issues OSHA is work-ing on, their approximate expected schedule, and stand in to answer questions from the attending chemists. With Joe was Bill Par-sons, who works with Joe in the OSHA maritime office in DC.
Importantly, MCA was strongly encour-aged by Marine Field Service Committee to stress the use of the electronic certificate-generating program, Chemcert, at this year’s seminar programs. Chemcert, the electronic certificate writing program, is up and running. The program is being used successfully by thirteen chemists, the num-ber is growing, and MFSAC wants more chemists to use it. During 2006 all attending chemists had the opportunity to see the pro-gram in action. Larry Russell, assisted by Guy Colonna at the MITAGS meeting, provided copies of the tutorial disc upon re-quest. All chemists are encouraged give this new program a try, and expect to see Chem-Cert as a part of all future MCA Sectional Seminars.
This year’s Atlantic seminar was held the day following a presentation by MITAGS’ technical staff member, Chief Charles Snyder on LNG Technology, the first they’ve done for marine chemists since July, 1985. The course was arranged by Jeff Carr, CMC 664, as part of his pursuit of NFPA’s special Flammable Cryogenic Liq-uid Carriers endorsement. The MCA Ex-Com was invited by Jeff to fill most of the empty seats in the course to audit, review and assess the applicability of the course.
The general impression of the ExCom mem-bers was that the course was excellent and provided the technical focus and details of FCL carriers in a manner superior to that which might be expected by a random visit to a functioning vessel.
The remaining two 2006 MCA Sectional Seminars were held over a single weekend: Gulf Section – Saturday, March 11 at the Houston Hobby Airport Hilton, and Pacific Section – Sunday, March 12 at the LAX Airport Hilton, Los Angeles New Chemists, Locations, & Passings The Marine Chemist Association would like to welcome four new marine chemists who were certified during the 2005 to present time frame. We look forward to meeting them at upcoming seminars and please give them a hardy welcome to the profession.
James J. Bell CMC 699 Jeffrey A. Zile CMC 700 Robert P. Landry CMC 701 Jack B. Rebstock CMC 702
Robert Landry and Jim Bell are working with John Bell, CMC 585 (no relation as far as anyone is telling) and Jim Bishop, CMC 639 at Marine Inspection Services in Channelview, TX. Jeff Zile continues with Larry Vella, CMC 471 at Galveston Labo-ratories in Galveston, TX, while Jack Reb-stock has joined Lamar Labauve, CMC 576 Evans Rustad, CMC 641 and Jason Babin, CMC 684 at Delta Labs, Baton Rouge, LA.
