One of the most important changes expected by the U.S. tugboat, towboat and barge industry for 2009 is the publication by the U.S. Coast Guard of proposed regulations establishing the first-ever towing vessel inspection regime tailored specifically to the towing industry. The new regulations will institute a modern, innovative approach to towing vessel inspection that will be based on a safety management system. The new program will preserve the Coast Guard’s limited resources by using a risk-based approach to inspection and Coast Guard-approved third-party auditors. This is a historic step for the industry that will take safety, security and environmental stewardship in the towing industry to the next level.
A new Congress and a new administration will bring a new challenge for the AWO to educate and inform the new leaders about the value of the tugboat, towboat and barge industry to the nation’s economy, environment, national security and quality of life. The towing industry is encouraged that President-elect Obama has expressed his support for the integrity of the Jones Act and a modern waterways infrastructure.
The towing industry offers the most economical, safe and most environmentally friendly form of cargo transportation, helping to ease congestion on the nation’s highways and railways. The industry’s vessels are U.S.-owned, U.S.-built and U.S.-crewed, contributing to our national security. America needs to invest in modernization of its waterways infrastructure to capitalize on these benefits. It is critical that Congress and the administration define and embrace a strategic vision of the nation’s intermodal transportation system and invest in its improvement in order to secure America’s global economic competitiveness.