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28 January 2003

Text: Maritime Unit Activates 13 Cargo Ships for Afghanistan Duty

(The ships join 19 others supporting Operation Enduring Freedom) (440)
The U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) has activated 13 reserve
cargo ships to support U.S. military operations in Afghanistan as part
of Operation Enduring Freedom, the agency says.
"The activations follow orders received from the U.S. Navy's Military
Sealift Command," MARAD said in a January 27 announcement. "The
recently-activated ships join 19 others already activated to support
Operation Enduring Freedom. These, combined with four others on
long-term assignment, bring the total of activated MARAD RRF [Ready
Reserve Force] ships to 36."
Following is the text of the MARAD announcement:
(begin text)
MARAD
January 27, 2003
Maritime Administration Activates Ready Reserve Force Ships
The U.S. Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration
(MARAD) today announced that it activated 13 Ready Reserve Force (RRF)
ships on Friday, January 24, to support Operation Enduring Freedom.
The activations follow orders received from the U.S. Navy's Military
Sealift Command.
The recently-activated ships join 19 others already activated to
support Operation Enduring Freedom. These, combined with four others
on long-term assignment, bring the total of activated MARAD RRF ships
to 36.
For more than 25 years, MARAD's RRF has augmented the Military Sealift
Command's 125-ship cargo fleet. The ships were used in Operations
DESERT SHIELD and DESERT STORM and more recently in Haiti, Somalia,
Croatia, Bosnia, and for humanitarian support as part of Hurricane
"Mitch" relief in Central America.
"The RRF is a great asset because it provides efficient sealift,
tailored to meet the requirements of the military. The program also
supports vital marine industries and labor unions that have been in
decline, but are critical to support our nation in times of war,"
Maritime Administrator Captain William Schubert stated. All RRF ships
are crewed by American merchant mariners who volunteer for this
potentially difficult duty.
The U.S. Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration
(MARAD) manages the RRF, which is a fleet of 72 militarily useful
ships. This fleet, located throughout the country, is maintained in a
reserve status in the event that the Department of Defense needs these
ships to support the rapid, massive movement of military supplies and
troops for a military exercise or large-scale conflict.
The Ready Reserve Force is the premier sealift readiness program of
the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD). The overall mission of MARAD
is to promote the development and maintenance of an adequate,
well-balanced merchant marine, sufficient to carry the nation's
waterborne commerce, and capable of serving as a naval and military
auxiliary in time of war or national emergency.
(end text)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)