Waterways Association of Pittsburgh Earns National Recognition
PITTSBURGH –The Waterways Association of Pittsburgh (WAP) has been chosen as the 2010 National Harbor Safety Committee of the Year. The award is sponsored by the Coast Guard Office of Marine Transportation Systems Management in Washington, DC, with the winner being a consensus selection of National Harbor Safety Conference organizers. The award was presented at the 2011 National Harbor Safety Conference in Houston, TX this past week.
In the award presentation, the WAP was cited for its profound commitment to cooperation with maritime stakeholders to achieve significant improvements to safety in the Ohio River Valley. Their success included proactive safety measures including mariner training and education, leadership of the marine community response to the severe spring/winter high-water and flooding, and a commitment to partnership and education with local communities and students.
The WAP serves as an industry stakeholder advisory board to the Coast Guard Captain of the Port in Pittsburgh, as well as to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Port of Pittsburgh. It is the means for waterways users and the government to communicate and work towards the common goals of safety, superior professional training, and economic development. Moreover, it provides a forum to facilitate discussion on lessons learned from marine casualties.
Mr. Dana Goward, Coast Guard Director of Marine Transportaion Systems Management presented the award to Captain Eunice Ratcliff who serves as the Chair of the WAP Navigation Committee. In his remarks he noted that 2011 is the two-hundredth anniversary of the first steamboat voyage on the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, which opened the heartland of America up to commercial navigation. That very first voyage began in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and that recognizing the Waterways Association of Pittsburgh in this bicentennial year was a fitting and happy coincidence.
“The Waterways Association of Pittsburgh takes great pride in being the oldest river organization in the United States and a leader in our industry. Partnering with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers involves us in the continuing development of the waterways in the tri-state area. The Association also cooperates with the Coast Guard to maintain the laws and navigation in the Three Rivers Area. The organization strives to maintain standards of safety as well as health and navigation issues.
WAP member companies transport more than 53 million tons of product annually through the Port of Pittsburgh. Our membership includes coal, steel, chemical and utility companies which work together to make the Port of Pittsburgh the second largest port in bulk materials transportation on the Inland River System.” ~ www.waterwaysassociationpgh.org
In the award presentation, the WAP was cited for its profound commitment to cooperation with maritime stakeholders to achieve significant improvements to safety in the Ohio River Valley. Their success included proactive safety measures including mariner training and education, leadership of the marine community response to the severe spring/winter high-water and flooding, and a commitment to partnership and education with local communities and students.
The WAP serves as an industry stakeholder advisory board to the Coast Guard Captain of the Port in Pittsburgh, as well as to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Port of Pittsburgh. It is the means for waterways users and the government to communicate and work towards the common goals of safety, superior professional training, and economic development. Moreover, it provides a forum to facilitate discussion on lessons learned from marine casualties.
Mr. Dana Goward, Coast Guard Director of Marine Transportaion Systems Management presented the award to Captain Eunice Ratcliff who serves as the Chair of the WAP Navigation Committee. In his remarks he noted that 2011 is the two-hundredth anniversary of the first steamboat voyage on the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, which opened the heartland of America up to commercial navigation. That very first voyage began in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and that recognizing the Waterways Association of Pittsburgh in this bicentennial year was a fitting and happy coincidence.
“The Waterways Association of Pittsburgh takes great pride in being the oldest river organization in the United States and a leader in our industry. Partnering with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers involves us in the continuing development of the waterways in the tri-state area. The Association also cooperates with the Coast Guard to maintain the laws and navigation in the Three Rivers Area. The organization strives to maintain standards of safety as well as health and navigation issues.
WAP member companies transport more than 53 million tons of product annually through the Port of Pittsburgh. Our membership includes coal, steel, chemical and utility companies which work together to make the Port of Pittsburgh the second largest port in bulk materials transportation on the Inland River System.” ~ www.waterwaysassociationpgh.org