Threats to Merchant Ships Growing; Mariners Face Pirates, Lethal Drones

USS Lassen (DDG-82) escorts the merchant vessel Tomahawk through the Strait of Hormuz on Nov. 18, 2019. US Navy Photo

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — Electronic spoofing, jammed communications and navigation systems, armed drone attacks and pirates are challenges American crews on U.S.- flagged ships in the Ready Reserve Force and Military Sealift Command already face, a panel of maritime experts said Wednesday.

Communications are especially vulnerable in MARAD’s fleet because those ships “rely on...

https://news.usni.org/2021/08/05/threats-to-merchant-ships-growing-mariners-face-pirates-lethal-drones

Crowley awarded $638 million MARAD contract

Crowley Maritime Corporation’s Solutions business unit has been awarded a multi-year, $638 million contract for Vessel Acquisition Management (VAM) by the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD).

Crowley says its strategic acquisition and vessel management service will assist MARAD in the enhancement of the Ready Reserve Force (RRF), helping reduce the overall age of the fleet and increase ship reliability. The fleet executes U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) sealifts.

To carry out the contract,...

https://www.marinelog.com/news/crowley-awarded-638-million-marad-contract/

TRANSCOM Rethinking Sealift in Future Conflict for New Study

Expeditionary fast transport ship USNS Brunswick (T-EPF 6) departs Naval Base Guam, passing the MSC expeditionary fast transport ship USNS Fall River (T-EPF 4) and marking the start of Pacific Partnership 2019. Navy photo

A military mobility study due out in June will place a greater emphasis on smaller, lower-draft vessels that will ferry supplies, troops and vehicles inside a theater, U.S. Transportation Command’s top general said on Tuesday.

The upcoming TRANSCOM Mobility Capability Study, the...

https://news.usni.org/2021/05/25/transcom-rethinking-sealift-in-future-conflict-for-new-study

Test of Ready Reserve Force Exposes Need For Newer Ships, More People

National Defense Reserve Fleet Suisun Bay, Calif. in 2014. US Navy

ARLINGTON, Va. — When U.S. Transportation Command tested the ability of the nation’s maritime Ready Reserve Force to set sail on short notice, only about 40 percent of the vessels deemed ready were able to leave port.
The no-notice exercise called a “Turbo Activation,” occurred in September and involved 28 vessels from the Military Sealift Command (MSC) and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD)....

https://news.usni.org/2020/01/16/test-of-ready-reserve-force-exposes-need-for-newer-ships-more-people

TRANSCOM Stress Test Practiced Cargo Delivery Through Mine- and Sub-Filled Waters

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NORFOLK (Sept. 21, 2019) Military Sealift Command large, medium-speed roll-on/roll-off (LMSR) vessel USNS Benavidez (T-AKR 306), departs Lambert’s Point Shipyard alongside USNS Mendonca (T-AKR 303) for Turbo Activation. Navy photo

Running dark and nearly silent, last month a convoy of Military Sealift Command ships practiced delivering people and gear to the fight as part of a large U.S. Transportation Command surge sealift capability stress test.

As part of TRANSCOM’s...

https://news.usni.org/2019/10/16/transcom-stress-test-practiced-cargo-delivery-through-mine-and-sub-filled-waters