The Marine Chemist Association held a Board of Directors (BOD) meeting November 9, 2025. This was preceded by our fall sectional seminar. Information on the seminar, board meeting, along with general information, follows.
Our fall seminar was presented to 15 chemists, including 2 BOD members, 3 presenters and one trainee. This number remains down from our pre pandemic average of 25 attendees and is in line with a drop in numbers at fall sectional meetings in recent years. The topics were on the standard safety designation (SSD) Enter with Restrictions as was the spring sectional meeting. You can only get credit for one sectional seminar per year at the two locations offered. The BOD continues to use the sectional seminars to review the requirements in NFPA 306 associated with the Standard Safety Designations (SSD). This year the topics were as follows;
MCA BUSINESS OUTLINE
CHANGING ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS DURING TANK CLEANING, JOSHUA MARSHALL
HOW TO INSPECT A TANK FOR ENTER WITH RESTRICTIONS, RECOGNITION, EVALUATION AND CONTROL, GEOFFERY JENNY AND JEFFERY HANSON
WHAT MUST BE ON AN ENTER WITH RESTRICTION CERTIFICATE, DONALD RAFFO
CERTIFICATE CRITIQUE, LARRY RUSSELL
OPEN DISCUSSION
All presentations are available online. These presentations are for member use as you see appropriate.
As in the past Chairman Elect Joshua Marshall provided evaluation forms for the sectional seminar. The purpose of these forms is to make future presentations better for the attendees. While information on the property,
Devoted to the development and dissemination of methods for evaluating and eliminating health, explosion, and fire hazards in marine industries.
food, etc. is important, much of this is out of the BODs control. However, if a property is not suitable for a seminar please let us know and we may not schedule at the location. This year’s fall seminar was at the Atlanta Airport Renaissance Gateway Hotel. The property was easy to get to from the airport (and quick) via the sky train. The property was clean and the rooms were nice. The meeting space was easy to get to and functioned perfectly for the needs of the seminar. While air travel was challenging due to the government shutdown just about all of the attendees made it to the seminar. However, most had tales of airport delays.
Your Board of Directors — The following is your BOD.
As of November 2025
| Person | Position | Term Starts/ Ends* |
|---|---|---|
| Phil Giles | Past Chair | July 2024/July 2026 |
| Geoffery Jenny | Chair | July 2024/July 2026 |
| Josh Marshall | Chair Elect | July 2024/July 2026 |
| Greg Gadbois | Pacific | July 2024/July 2026 |
| Max Chou | Pacific | July 2023/July 2027 |
| Eric Moore | Gulf | July 2024/July 2026 |
| Chris Thompson | Gulf | July 2023/July 2027 |
| Mark Bruff | Atlantic | July 2024/July 2026 |
| John Loprino | Atlantic | July 2023/July 2027 |
| Scott Hernandez | Pacific Alt. | Term starts July 2026* |
| Whitney Cerilli | Atlantic Alt. | Term starts July 2026* |
| Jason Taylor | Gulf Alt. | Term starts July 2026* |
*Term starts and ends after the Annual Meeting. Since the annual meeting may no longer be in the summer the BOD is considering when the terms actually start and end.
BOD Positions
All sections are currently looking for an individual to fill the alternate position. This is normally a three-year commitment. You will spend one year as an alternate which will involve attending meetings (up to 3 per year) only in the event that your sectional representative cannot attend. Following that year, you will move up to being a voting sectional representative and attend the three meetings per year. If you are interested in serving, please contact your sectional representative. In the event two or more individuals are interested in serving there will be a sectional election. A second option is that if two or more individuals are interested one could serve and the other become the alternate then move up. The Atlantic section recently did just that.
During early 2026, membership will install a new Chairman elect. The nomination process has begun and voting will begin at the end of this year if more than one person wants to become chair. Traditionally the Gulf Section is in line to fill the position, however anyone can apply. At this time one person from the Gulf section has submitted the required paperwork to be considered for chairmanship. Our Past Chairman, Philip Giles is in charge of this process. If only one person applies by the end of the year the BOD will appoint the Chairman Elect as outlined in the by-laws. All requirements to become considered as chair are set out in the by-laws.
2025 Annual Seminar Incentive Payment
About $25000 has been paid out in seminar incentives. This year the incentive payment was $1100.00. This payment comes directly from the surcharges and helps to offset the cost to attend the annual for chemists and is provided by the Marine Gas Hazards Control Program. Some general information on obtaining the incentive which is anticipated to be available in 2026 follows;
Seminar Incentive Program Requirements
- The seminar fee ($400) will be reimbursed. However, you must register and pay the seminar fee initially.
- Room fees will be reimbursed (Either partially or fully. The amount will depend on the number of chemists attending the seminar).
Stipulations are as follows.
- You must be a regular MCA member for the past 5 years in accordance with the rules, (new members must have continuous membership) and attend the entire seminar (100%) and obtain credit for attending. Note: The 90% attendance waiver will not apply to be eligible for the incentive payment. You must attend the entire seminar to qualify for the incentive, however if you only attend 90% you will still get credit for attending the seminar
- You must stay at the seminar hotel under the MCA room block. This requires you to book a room through the website. (If you book a room outside of the MCA website you will not be eligible for the incentive payment. The reimbursement does not include incidentals).
- You will be required to pay the fees up front and then submit your hotel receipt. At the conclusion of the seminar and when credit for attending is obtained, your receipt for the hotel can be submitted. Please email copies of the document to dvraff@comcast.net and a check will be sent out.
- If you sign up after July 5th and are not able to get into the MCA room block you must stay at the same hotel as the seminar to obtain a refund. Stays at other properties will not be reimbursed for the hotel portion.
- You must make your own arrangements.
- All requests for the incentive payment must be made by October 30, 2025.
Seminars
Our next sectional seminar is scheduled for March 21,2026 at the Chicago Airport Hilton Hotel. The MCA has had seminars at the property before and it is centrally located and easy to get to. The cutoff date for the room block is March 6th 2026.
You can be at the hotel in less than 10 minutes as the property is connected to the terminals. Breakfast will be from 0700 – 0800 in the Paris Ballroom on the second floor and the topic for the sectional seminar will be Shipbreaking with the following presentations on the agenda.
The following day will be the BOD meeting starting at 0730 with breakfast at 0700. This will be on the second floor in room 2034.
Information on the Annual.
The annual seminar this year will in the Atlantic section. As of date of this newsletter a time and location have not been selected. Once it is finalized a notice will go out in the forum and you will be able to register and book at room.
To register for the seminar and book a room (when available) please go to; marinechemistassociation.com. Please note that you must both register for the seminar and book a room. Also, if you are bringing a guest you must also register them.
NFPA 306
The closing date for the next revision of 306 is June 3, 2026. This means that comments must be submitted by then. All of you use 306 daily and if you have any comments please submit them. The BOD solicited comments and has placed comments on the NFPA site. The time has passed to send comments to the BOD however; you can still make revision comments as an individual.
MCQB Report
The Board met in Washington, DC. On November 3 and 4th. However, due to the government shutdown some members were not able to attend.
Larry Russell reported that the USCG is working on a document on benzene FAQ. However, it will be an internal document and will not be for publication or available to the general public. It will reportedly state that the chemist is the subject matter expert and the USCG should follow their advice. Benzene testing may not be required for cargoes with less than 0.1% benzene as determined by the product SDS. MARPOL 78 it lists products that contain benzene and it may be used as a reference.
All chemists are encouraged to submit your monthly reports in a timely manner. These reports are used to calculate the number of certificates issued.
Certificate Information
Certificate count information is as follows; The first chart shows the certificates issued to date according the EMCC purchases with estimated numbers for 2026. This is only an estimate as traditionally the number of certificates issued in the fall quarter falls off. This is slightly different than the NFPA numbers which only counts the actual certificates issued versus the number of certificates purchased.
Note; The paper certificates come in packages of 25, so to obtain the actual number of certificates purchased multiply the packages by 25.
Seminar and Meeting Dress Code and Information
The BOD reminds you that we are a professional organization and all members are expected to dress properly for meetings. Business casual dress is required at all seminars and BOD meetings. Additionally, when coming before any Board you are reminded to dress professionally and use appropriate language. This is especially true when going before the MCQB.
Dress for all seminars is business casual which is defined as;
- Neatly pressed tweed, khaki, clean denim or cotton pants/skirts
- Knit shirts, polo shirts, cardigans or long-sleeved button-downs
- Knit sweaters
- Tie (optional)
- Close-toed shoes for men
- No shorts of any kind
The insurance fund reminds every chemist that if appearing before the MCQB for any type of a review you are permitted and encouraged to bring counsel, documentation, or any information to make your case. The MCQB also encourages this practice.
Marine Chemist Physical Ability to Perform Duties
NPFA sends the following reminder to Chemists who may not be able to perform their work due to a temporary physical limitation.
The NFPA Marine Field Service wishes to remind all Marine Chemists, the Rules for the Certification and Recertification of Marine Chemists, as amended 01 September 2023, Section II. Qualifications – General, Paragraph A, requires all Marine Chemists to “be of an maintain good character, and physically able to perform the duties of a Marine Chemist”. In the event that a Marine Chemist is unable to physically perform his or her duties due to injury or illness; the Marine Chemist should be examined by a licensed physician and obtain a statement attesting to the Chemist’s physical ability to perform the duties of a Marine Chemist. The General Medical Examination Form (Form No. CMC-MD-01) may be used for this purpose.
Ethics
Past chair Philip Giles (Ethics Committee Chair) reported that there are no ethics issues before the board.
Insurance
The MCA has both D&O and Liability insurance for the Board and any associated activities held by the MCA. While the Insurance Fund is not part of the MCA many chemists participate in the fund. Any questions on contracts (for members of the fund) should be addressed to the attorney Matt Peirce. “Matthew F. Pierce” mpierce@gordontilden.com.
Certificate Surcharges
Currently, a committee has been formed to review the certificate surcharge amount which is currently $25 per certificate. The committee is made up of the past chairman; chairman elect and the current chairman along with three MGHCP members. Please remember that the surcharge subsidizes seminars, the incentive, and operation of NFPA and the MCA.
With the number of certificates on the low side the fund may be in danger of not taking in enough money to fund all of its requirements. It does have a reserve and the committee is looking at the big picture. It was said in the past that 30,000 certificates were needed to maintain the fund, however due to inflation it now may require up to 32,000 certificates to maintain the funding. The committee will make a recommendation to the program who has the ultimate say in the surcharge rate.
Charms
A survey was recently sent out to determine if charms and bracelets should still be purchased. The BOD noted that spouses no longer wore or brought their charm bracelets to the seminar. The cost to purchase these along with the time and effort to distribute these was significant. A survey was sent out to membership asking if charms should still be purchased. 73% of respondents said the purchase of charms should be discontinued. At this time the purchase of charms will be discontinued.
Website
The MCA website (marinechemistassociation.com) now has become the central location for all MCA information. If you encounter any issues first contact the support email at support@marinechemistassociation.com. If you still have an issue, email Don Raffo and I will contact the web person for a resolution.
The MCA has acquired the website www.marinechemist.org You may remember it was our old website which was lost upon the passing of Ed Willwerth and it was bought by a third party Recently the domain name became available and the MCA was able to purchase it. If you log into that website, it will direct you to our current website.
The forum is now the primary way for communication with members. Information for chemists is posted on the website. Failure to sign up for the Forum indicates consent to not receive meeting notifications. Any member can post on the Forum and this is the best way of increasing information and interactions.
To access the website, you must log in with your password. Once that is done you will be automatically logged in after that. If you have problems logging in, please contact the webmaster at: support@marinechemistassociation.com.
One of the changes is the ability for more control over your account, information, and membership. You now can change your personal information on the website and no longer need to contact Donald Raffo or the web person. It can be accomplished by going to the My Dashboard section (located in the upper right of the home page) and making the changes. It will then appear on the site.
All members may view the forum and post to the forum. It is an area where news and technical discussions may be posted. If you are registered, you will get a text message and/or email whenever there is new information. Information on seminars, newsletters, events or general information also can be found on the site. If you have not registered you must enter the site to obtain the latest news and posts. We encourage all chemists to join the forum and obtain notifications.
Additionally, all billing and seminar registration is on the website. You may also book a room at a seminar via the website.
All information on seminar attendance (for members) can be found in the My Dashboard section of our website. Note that you must click on the year tab at the bottom of the spreadsheet to view by year. If you attended a seminar and have a question on attendance, please contact D. Raffo. If you recently attended a seminar, please verify that the information is correct. It is requested that you review your attendance sooner than later after a seminar. A screenshot follows;
Finally, some chemists asked to be able to list additional locations on the website. The web person has made these changes and you can now add an additional location. The first location listed is free, additional locations will be charged at a rate of $50.00/year. Video instructions on how to do it are as follows;
- Additional Locations: Intro
- Additional Locations: Getting started
- Additional Locations: Adding a new location
- Additional Locations: Adding international location
- Additional Locations: Cancelling subscriptions
All membership renewals are now on the website and all chemists were able to renew their memberships on-line. While there were some initial problems these were quickly corrected and information on how to renew was placed on the site. All members received three emails asking them to pay their annual dues. (The emails stopped once you paid) Going forward during the membership renewal period there will be a link on the home page permitting you to renew easily.
This year three chemists decided not to renew their memberships. Two were going to retire in the future and one person just decided not to renew. This brings the total number of MCA members to 93. (94 now that Nick Hernandez has become certified and is a member).
The BOD has made a new category of payments which permits certified chemists who are not MCA members to attend seminars for the actual cost of the seminar. To pay member rates you must have five years of continuous membership. (New chemist’s with less than 5 years membership must have continuous membership.)
MCA Committee Appointments
The following individuals represent the MCA on various committees. This is for general information.
Control of Gas Hazards – NFPA 306.
John Edgar principal pending NFPA approval. The MCA is currently looking for an alternate. Please email D. Raffo if you are interested in the position.
Jim Bruff, principal, Phil Giles, alternate pending NFPA approval
John Edgar, principal, Philip Giles, alternate
Hot Work Operations – NFPA 51B. (Appointed Positions by BOD)
Greg Grondin principal
Robbie Walker, alternate
Tank Leakage and Repair Safeguards – NFPA 326 & NFPA 329. (Appointed Positions by BOD)
Brian Axelrad, principal
Vince Pempeit, alternate
NFPA 350 Guide for Safe Work in Industry Confined Spaces (Appointed Positions by BOD)
Robbie Walker, principal
Vince Pempeit, alternate
MCQB (Voted in by membership)
Brian Axelrad, principal
John Edgar, alternate
Marine Field Service Advisory Committee (Appointed Positions by BOD)
Donald Raffo
Chairman elect
SSRAC (Volunteers)
John Ward, principal
Robbie Walker, alternate
MACOSH (Appointed by BOD)
Donald Raffo’s position as overall chairman of the overall committee ended April 1 2024. The MCA BOD submitted Amy Liu to be their representative. As of yet OSHA has not announced selections to MACOSH.
Code of Conduct for Meetings
During any official MCA meeting there should be no discussion of personal matters, private disputes, or business pricing. Discussion should be limited to technical matters and the business of running the MCA.
Facebook Page
For those of you who are on Facebook, visit Friends of Marine Chemist Association. It is a closed group and only chemists, spouses and friends may view and post on the page. If you’d like to access the page, send a friend request to the group. We encourage all to post information, photos, comments or anything else related to our profession, seminars, and events. Please consider sharing some on-the-job photos with the group. It proved very popular when posting information about our annual seminar especially with spouses and friends. Currently updated information on the Vegas seminar is available here.
This QR code can be used anywhere by anyone and it will bring them to the Associations website.
Anyone wishing to view various MACOSH/OSHA publications can use the following link;
These publications can be downloaded or printed and can be used for tool box safety talks and include longshoring links.
Another valuable link is the OSHA link to Maritime Publications.
Conclusion
If you have any comments, thoughts or ideas on any aspect of the MCA please submit them to me and I will present them to the BOD for consideration. Remember, you are the MCA and without your participation it will not work. Be safe all.
Respectfully submitted,
Donald Raffo
Secretary/Treasurer
Marine Chemist Association
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