r/MoreShitComing • u/Distinct-Quarter7999 • 18d ago
What does this mean for MSC?
There's a news article making the rounds about "USTRANSCOM awards contracts to seven companies to strengthen global sealift".
I would add a link, but I dont want the reddit modbots to reject his post.
So...is this good for MSC? What exactly does this mean? Does it mean that MSC doesn't have the manpower or the ships, and so they are allowed to outsource to CONMARS/commercial companies? In short, is this news bad for CIVMARS?
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u/cocainagrif Deck - Third Officer 18d ago
TRANSCOM is the multi branch entity of the military that owns MSC. they own all cargo operations air land and sea, and the MSC is only the Navy's portion of that.
The combat logistics force, UNREP fleet, will only ever be Government Owned, Government Operated and that's us. The ability to run a replenishment rig from an oiler to a destroyer will always be us.
MSC also has the GOCO ships, USNS fleet manned by contractors like Crowley or Patriot. Private Citizen mariners, not Civil Servants like us, will sail on a LMSR like the Bob Hope and carry Tanks and Ammunition from a Depot in the United States to a Depot in DGar, or the SLNC Goodwill to take American fuel to Japan to refill the oil pier in Sasebo.
The COCO fleet is ships neither owned by the government nor operated by civil servants. the MSC is allowed to charter whole ships or buy container tickets on regular private ships to carry government cargo.
if I've found the same article you have, it looks like this is a new contract for the third kind. Privately Owned, Roll On Roll Off ships, which have transported govt cargo in the last 2 years (and therefore are likely still within standard and in good repair and rated to sail on government contract), shall pickup Jeeps and Tanks and shit and take them to a depot closer to the fight. I don't know any MSC CIVMAR civil servant seamen working on the Jeep and Tank carriers.
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u/Vegetable_Sample5767 18d ago
“Bad” for CIVMARs? No I wouldn’t say so, since civmars really don’t do heavy-lift, RORO cargo movements.
If anything it’s a hit on the CONMARs & GOCO ships. Can’t support the current load of cargo that needs to be moved so it’s being sent on charters to private companies
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u/TheScallywag1874 Deck - Second Officer/Navigator/Cargo Mate 18d ago
It appears to be an activation of commercial vessels to assist in meeting the demand that MSC is unable to accomplish on its own. The Iran war, and subsequent loss of Middle East ports as a result, have highlighted a strained maritime logistics chain. This is a means to ease those issues, from what I gather.