May 27, 2005
Volume 62, No. 11
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Legislative News
-
House T&I Committee Approves Coast Guard Authorization
-
DOJ Files Motion for Prompt Resolution of Massachusetts
Litigation
-
House Moves FY06 Funding Bill for Corps of Engineers
Agency
Actions
-
USCG Seeks Legislation to Streamline Mariner Credentialing
Statutes
-
Dispersant Pre-Approval Areas Available on Web
-
International Trade Negotiations Round-up
Association
News
In the
News
Responsible
Carrier News
Regional
Reports
-
Puget Sound Tugboat Races
-
UMR-IWW Navigation Study Update
-
Ballard Locks' Hours Threatened
-
Inland Harbor Service Group to Meet -- Special
Presentation on Licensing Planned
Legislative News
House T&I Committee Approves Coast Guard Authorization
Taylor Amendment Would Strengthen Jones Act Integrity
On Wednesday, May 18, the House of Representatives Committee on
Transportation and Infrastructure voted to approve and send to the
full House the biennial Coast Guard authorization bill. The bill,
H.R. 889, had previously been favorably considered by the Coast
Guard subcommittee and contains authorization levels for the Coast
Guard in Fiscal Year 2006 and other provisions relating to Coast
Guard operations.
During committee consideration of the measure, Representative Gene
Taylor (D-MS) successfully offered an amendment dealing with the
Coast Guard authority to review mortgage financing transactions.
The Taylor amendment added "mortgagees," the person or company holding
the mortgage on a vessel, to the existing list of entities from
whom the Coast Guard may request information as part of the consideration
of an application for documentation of a vessel. During discussion
of the amendment, committee members noted that the Federal Aviation
Administratoin has this authority for aviation transactions, but
the Coast Guard does not have it for maritime transactions. Representative
Taylor stated that the addition would enable the Coast Guard to
ascertain whether a mortgage transaction with a foreign vessel operating
company involves impermissible ownership or control of a vessel
operating in the domestic Jones Act trades. The Committee adopted
the Taylor amendment by voice vote.
The bill authorizes $8.7 billion for the Coast Guard in Fiscal
Year 2006, including $1.6 billion for the Deepwater program to replace
aging ships and aircraft. The bill was reported by the Committee
by voice vote and was sent to the full House of Representatives
for consideration.
After House passage, the bill will be sent to the Senate where
it will likely be referred to the Senate Committee on Commerce,
Science and Transportation for consideration. If you have any questions
regarding the legislation, please contact Boyd Hollingsworth at
(703) 841-9300, or via email at bhollingsworth@vesselalliance.com.
DOJ Files Motion for Prompt Resolution of Massachusetts Litigation
On Monday, May 23, the Department of Justice (DOJ) filed motions
in the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts that could lead to a
prompt resolution of the Massachusetts litigation. With regard to
the DOJ complaint against the Massachusetts legislation, the motion
was for a "judgment on the pleadings," a procedural motion that
asks the Court to decide the matter based on the initial filings
of the parties because the facts of the case are not in dispute
and lengthy proceedings like discovery or a trial are not necessary
to determine the facts before a judgment can be rendered. The DOJ
filed a similar "motion for summary judgment" with regard to Massachusetts'
counterclaim involving Coast Guard regulations for alcohol and drug
testing of crew members after an accident.
AWO supports both of the DOJ motions, which if granted would bring
a prompt resolution to the litigation. AWO, along with the other
organizations who joined AWO in intervening in the case (see May
13 AWO Letter), intends to file a similar motion with regard to
the intervenors' separate complaint regarding the Massachusetts
legislation. The DOJ motions are opposed by the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts as well as the Coalition for Buzzards Bay, which has
also intervened in the case. The U.S. District Court has not indicated
when a decision might be reached on the various motions.
House Moves FY06 Funding Bill for Corps of Engineers
On May 18, the full House Appropriations Committee approved the
Energy and Water Development appropriations bill for Fiscal Year
2006. This legislation provides annual funding for the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers.
The bill provides a total of $4.7 billion for the Corps of Engineers,
approximately $200 million above the amount requested by the Bush
Administration, but still $100 million below the total amount appropriated
in Fiscal Year 2005. This total includes $365 million for lock and
dam modernization projects funded out of the Inland Waterways Trust
Fund, the largest such appropriation since the Trust Fund was created.
Half of this amount, or $182.5 million, will come from the Trust
Fund, which consists of fuel taxes paid by inland vessel operators.
The bill also includes funds for three Inland Waterway Users Board
priority projects which would have received no funding under the
Administration's request.
On Tuesday, May 24, the bill was considered by the full House of
Representatives and was approved by a vote of 416 to 13. The bill
will now be sent to the Senate for further consideration. If you
would like a listing of the project funding levels contained in
the bill, please contact Angela Madden or Boyd Hollingsworth at
(703) 841-9300.
Back to Top
Agency Actions
USCG Seeks Legislation to Streamline Mariner Credentialing Statutes
The Coast Guard is seeking legislative changes that would streamline
sections of the U.S. Code dealing with issuance, suspension, and
revocation of merchant mariner credentials and could eventually
allow mariners to hold a single credential that satisfies both the
forthcoming Transportation Worker Identification Card (TWIC) requirements
and existing requirements for a license or Merchant Mariners Document
(MMD). The proposal, included in the Department of Homeland Security's
legislative request for Fiscal Year 2006, is circulating on Capitol
Hill but was not included in the Coast Guard authorization bill
marked up by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
last week. (See related story, page 1.)
On May 19, Jennifer Carpenter, AWO Senior Vice President - Government
Affairs & Policy Analysis, and Boyd Hollingsworth, Vice President
- Legislative Affairs, met with Coast Guard officials at their request
to discuss the rationale behind the legislative change proposal.
On the same day, the Coast Guard published a notice in the Federal
Register announcing a public meeting to obtain public comment on
the proposal. The meeting will take place on Friday, June 17, at
9:00 a.m. at the Arlington Hilton Hotel at 950 North Stafford Street
in Arlington, Virginia. The Coast Guard will also accept written
comments until June 29.
The Coast Guard proposal would replace four existing chapters of
Title 46 of the U.S. Code (chapters 71, 73, 75, and 77) with a new
Chapter 72 (Issuance of Merchant Mariner Credentials) and Chapter
74 (Suspension and Revocation of Merchant Mariner Credentials).
For the most part, the proposed reorganization would simply restate
and consolidate existing statutory provisions; it would not change
existing statutory provisions that govern which personnel on towing
vessels must have licenses or MMDs.
The proposal would, however, make several substantive changes,
including:
- Eliminating existing impediments to the possibility of a single
maritime credential that would satisfy both the TWIC and license
or MMD requirements. Under the Maritime Transportation Security
Act (MTSA) of 2002, nearly all mariners are likely to require
a TWIC. The Coast Guard hopes eventually to be able to encrypt
licensing or MMD information onto the TWIC, eliminating the need
for multiple credentials.
- Allowing the Coast Guard to deny issuance of a merchant mariner
credential to an applicant whose application "contains a materially
false or misleading statement or includes a misrepresentation,
concealment, or omission of facts relevant to the issuance of
the credential."
- Providing for the invalidation of a merchant mariner credential
if the citizenship or immigration status of the holder changes.
- Providing grounds for suspension and revocation of a credential
if the holder "would adversely impact good discipline and safety
at sea or would pose a threat to the safety or security" of a
vessel or adjacent structure.
- Allowing for the temporary suspension (no more than 45 days)
of a merchant mariner credential for a person who operated or
was "significantly involved in the operation of" a vessel involved
in a serious marine casualty.
AWO members may obtain a copy of the Coast Guard proposal by contacting
Jennifer Carpenter at jcarpenter@vesselalliance.com. The proposal
is also available on the Department of Transportation's Docket Management
Web site, http://dms.dot.gov, under docket 21187. AWO is currently
reviewing the proposal in more detail. AWO members who have questions
or concerns about the proposal should contact Jennifer Carpenter
at (703) 841-9300 or via email at jcarpenter@vesselalliance.com.
Dispersant Pre-Approval Areas Available on Web
The Coast Guard has published information on the areas throughout
the U.S. in which the use of dispersants is pre-approved for oil
spill response. Maps and related information are available on the
Coast Guard's Web site at www.uscg.mil/vrp/maps/dispmap.shtml. The
new maps and tables show areas where dispersant use is pre-approved
and where the use of dispersants must be approved on a case-by-case
basis. The Coast Guard has developed this Web site to aid in spill
response planning and making determinations on the adequacy of dispersant
capabilities.
Under the tank vessel response plan regulations, vessel owners
who plan to use dispersants in areas preapproved for their use may
receive credit for up to 25 percent of the on-water recovery capability
(e.g., booms, skimmers, etc.) otherwise required to be ensured by
contract or other approved means.
International Trade Negotiations Round-up
The United States continues to vigorously pursue increased trade
liberalization through a series of bilateral and multilateral trade
negotiations. AWO and the Maritime Cabotage Task Force (MCTF) monitor
these negotiations for any threat to the Jones Act. To date, the
Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), the federal
agency charged with leading the U.S. delegations to international
trade negotiations, continues to work actively to keep maritime
issues off the negotiating table.
- As part of the U.S-Panama Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations,
Panama has continually pressed for liberalization in maritime
transportation services, citing greater maritime liberalization
as a key objective in the talks. USTR has repeatedly rebuffed
Panama's requests.
In recent correspondence to MCTF, Acting U.S. Trade Representative
Peter Allgeier offered a strong statement of the USTR's intent to
do no harm to the U.S. domestic maritime industry. The letter states
that USTR has "consistently declined to undertake any commitments
that would restrict the ability of Congress to change existing law
or enact future laws beneficial to the domestic maritime industry.
As we near the end of these negotiations, our position has not changed.
We are not considering entering into any new binding commitments
for domestic maritime transportation services."
- The U.S. is continuing its free trade agreement negotiations
with the Andean nations (Columbia, Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia),
Bahrain, Israel, Jordan, Morocco, Oman, the Southern African Customs
Union (Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa and Swaziland),
Thailand, United Arab Emirates, and Vietnam. The negotiating frameworks
for these agreements all contain reservations that explicitly
keep the Jones Act off the negotiating table.
- Talks in the Doha Round of the World Trade Organization (WTO)
services negotiations continue at a slow pace. The U.S. has previously
called on parties to the WTO to make meaningful offers to advance
the services negotiations, although the U.S. has declined appeals
to table an offer on maritime services.
- As part of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum,
transportation ministers from Pacific Rim countries will meet
May 31-June 3 in Washington, D.C. The APEC Transportation Working
Group has been focused on implementation of the International
Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code, as well as coordinating
disaster relief for areas hit by the tsunami in December 2004.
Back to Top
In the News
AWO Letter to Editor Points Out Jones Act Benefits
This Letter to the Editor of the Providence Journal was printed
on May 20. It is reprinted here in its entirety.
Dear Editor,
I am writing in response to the "Our Atlantic highway" editorial,
which ran in the March 11 Journal. The editorial correctly points
out that barging is the most efficient, economical and environmentally
friendly mode of cargo transportation. Because of the enormous capacity
of barges, each one keeps thousands of vehicles off the highways.
The barge industry safely and efficiently carries 60 percent of
America's export grain, 20 percent of America's coal, and most of
New England's gasoline and home-heating oil.
The Jones Act has been the law of the land since the Founding Fathers
wisely determined that it was of importance to the U.S. economy
and national security that commerce transported between domestic
ports be carried by a U.S.-flag fleet.
The editorial makes the common error of assuming that the domestic
fleet governed by the Jones Act is mostly made up of ships. In fact,
the vibrant American tugboat, towboat, and barge industry is the
largest segment of the U.S. domestic fleet. Billions of dollars
of investments in state-of-the-art articulated tug-barges for coastwise
shipping and double-hulled vessels, to ensure environmental protection,
have been made in the industry by American citizens, based on the
integrity of the Jones Act.
The Jones Act is the foundation of the towing industry's health
and vitality. Contrary to the assertion in the editorial, the Jones
Act does not serve as an impediment to on-water movement of cargo
between American ports; it makes such movement possible -- and by
vessels that meet U.S. safety, tax, labor, and environmental laws
and regulations.
ANNE BURNS
The American Waterways Operators
Arlington, Va.
Legislators Working to Reshape Endangered Species Act
This story, authored by Staff Writer Juliet Eilperin, appeared
in the Washington Post on May 20. It is reprinted here in its entirety.
Lawmakers from both parties are pushing to transform the nation's
approach to protecting imperiled species, making it tougher to add
to the federal list of endangered animals and plants, and providing
new incentives for landowners to protect crucial habitats.
A brief hearing yesterday kicked off the drive to retool one of
the nation's best known and most controversial environmental laws,
which currently protects about 1,800 species believed to be on the
verge of extinction. Enacted in 1973, the Endangered Species Act
has come under fire from both the left and the right.
Republicans and Democrats say they largely agree on what aspects
of the act need work. Although they differ on how to fix them, they
have engaged in a dialogue over the most problematic features. With
a moderate Republican in charge of drafting the Senate bill, some
said prospects for rewriting the law may be better than they have
been in more than a decade.
"There is an increasing understanding on the part of people from
all sides that the current situation is not working for their particular
interest," said Sen. Michael D. Crapo (R-Idaho), who testified before
the Senate fisheries, wildlife and water subcommittee. "There are
enough people willing to work it out in a way that has not been
there in the past."
For years, property owners have complained that the government
has been too ready to declare species in trouble and place valuable
land off-limits to development. Environmentalists, on the other
hand, say the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has moved too slowly
in safeguarding struggling populations.
Informal negotiations began in December when John Leshy, who served
as the Interior Department's top lawyer for eight years under President
Bill Clinton, discussed prospects for revising the act with GOP
officials during a Western Governors' Association meeting.
"The question is, were they sincere or were they just posturing?
The jury's still out on that," said Leshy, who now teaches at the
University of California Hastings College of Law. "Here, more than
in most things, the devil's in the details."
Congress has amended the Endangered Species Act three times since
its inception, but its broad outlines remained largely intact. In
1997 Sen. John H. Chafee (R-R.I.) brokered a bipartisan compromise
to restructure the law, but Senate GOP leaders refused to hold a
floor vote. Chafee's son Lincoln now chairs the subcommittee charged
with overseeing the law and is hoping to build on his late father's
legacy.
Areas of agreement include the idea of providing federal grants
or tax incentives to landowners for maintaining key habitat for
imperiled plants and animals. And both sides favor changing the
process of designating critical habitat so that land-use restrictions
would take effect only after federal scientists devise a formal
recovery plan. That would ease the constraints on developing private
property.
M. Reed Hopper, a principal attorney for the conservative Pacific
Legal Foundation, testified yesterday that the act exacts too high
an economic cost because it "really does not contemplate protection
of human needs."
Other proposals are more controversial. House Resources Committee
Chairman Richard W. Pombo (R-Calif.), who plans to introduce a sweeping
revision of the act in about two weeks, wants to require more scientific
studies before officials can list a species as endangered or threatened,
a proposal likely to encounter stiff opposition from environmentalists.
"
The science that's being used to make decisions really isn't good,"
Pombo said in an interview, adding that on the whole, the law "hasn't
been successful in recovering species to sustainable numbers."
Pombo issued a report Tuesday that questioned the law's results,
saying that less than 1 percent of the protected species have fully
recovered, and 63 percent fall into the category of uncertain, declining
or possibly extinct.
But many environmental activists say higher expectations are unrealistic,
because it often takes three decades or more for a species to recover
after it is listed, and many listed species were placed on the lists
only in the past 15 years.
"Species that make it onto the list . . . have been declining
for a long time, in some cases for as long as a century," said Michael
J. Bean, co-director of Environmental Defense's Center for Conservation
Incentives. "It's mathematically impossible and biologically impossible
to get them back to abundance in a short amount of time."
It took 20 years before scientists could verify that a new nesting
population of Kemp's ridley sea turtles was flourishing on the Texas
coast, for example. The Aleutian Canada goose reached full recovery
and was taken off the list in 2001, more than half a century after
conservationists began focusing on the species.
Jamie Rappaport Clark, who headed the Fish and Wildlife Service
under Clinton and now serves as executive vice president for the
advocacy group Defenders of Wildlife, said the law has "achieved
remarkable success" because only 1 percent of species have gone
extinct after being listed.
"To call the Endangered Species Act a failure because it's failed
to recover species is shortsighted and ill-informed," Clark said.
"The act's the alarm, not the cause of the emergency."
It remains unclear whether the two sides will be able to reach
agreement. Pombo's Democratic counterpart, Rep. Nick J. Rahall II
(W.Va.), said he had the sense that Pombo was working with allies
in the Senate "to the exclusion of us," and even Chafee was cautious
about the prospects for success.
"Is it possible? That's the big question," Chafee said yesterday.
"It's not going to be easy."
Back to Top
Association News
Did You Know?
Upward Trend Developing for Petroleum Transportation on Inland Waters
In March 2005, 22.8 million tons of petroleum and chemical products
were transported on the inland waterways. This was the highest month
in the January 2000-March 2005 period. As the chart shows, this
is just a part of an upswing in the most recent three years. The
data were taken from the Web site of the Navigation Data Center,
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at www.iwr.usace.army.mil/ndc/wcsc/wcmthind.htm.
Petroleum and Chemical Products on the U.S. Internal Waterways
Twelve-Month Total Ending in March (Q2-Q1) (millions of tons)
For additional information, contact Doug Scheffler, AWO Manager
- Research & Data Analysis, at (703) 841-9300 or via email at dscheffler@vesselalliance.com.
Important Dates and Reminders
- June 16: Inland Harbor Services Meeting, 3:00-5:00 p.m,
Biloxi, MS. For more information, contact Marilyn Clark.
- June 16-17: Southern Region Meeting, Biloxi, MS. For
more information, contact Marilyn Clark.
- August 17-18: Midwest and Ohio Valley Joint Region Meeting,
St. Louis, MO. A reception will be held on August 17. For more
information, contact Lynn Muench at (314) 446-6474
Welcome New Members
Columbia Marine Service LLC
P.O. Box 557
Columbia, IL 62236
Rep.: Mr. Bruce Hancock , Manager
Cooper Marine & Timberlands Corp.
P.O. Box 1484
Mobile, AL 36633
Rep.: Mr. John R. Stokes, Vice President of Marine Operations
Vinik Marine, Inc.
85 First Street
Keyport, NJ 07735
Rep.: Mr. Michael Vinik, Captain / Owner
Back to Top
Responsible Carrier News
Coastal Safety Committee Installs New Leaders
The Coastal Safety Committee (CSC) met in Fort Lauderdale, FL,
on May 18-19. The meeting was attended by 28 committee members,
representing 23 AWO member companies. The CSC approved a new safety
tool that addresses one of its 2005 safety priorities.
Outgoing Chairman Keith Kirkeide, Express Marine, reviewed the
committee's 2004 accomplishments before introducing the new committee
leadership: Incoming Chairman Rick Kimberly, Loss Control & Safety
Manager, Sause Bros., and Incoming Vice Chairman Gail Johnson, Safety
Officer, Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company. Chairman Kimberly outlined
the committee's priorities for 2005 and shared his vision for his
tenure as chairman.
Before the committee turned to its 2005 priorities, Kathy Rehak,
AWO Manager - Safety Programs, provided an update on changes to
the Responsible Carrier Program.
Under the committee's priority on communication and improved safety
performance, the committee heard from invited speakers Dave Riches
and Jim Guidry, Kirby Corp., on their company's behavior based safety
training initiatives. Julie Hile, Hile Group, presented the first
in a series of three presentations on managing safety performance
through means other than training.
Doug Scheffler, AWO Manager - Research & Data Analysis, presented
the statistics that have been gathered through the Coast Guard-AWO
Safety Partnership and Ms. Hile presented process improvements to
the AWO Voluntary Safety Statistics project.
On behalf of David Foret, Chairman of the Tankerman Alertness
Working Group, Bob Clinton, AWO Vice President - Safety, reported
that the group had defined its mission in improving tankerman performance
through alertness issues and that the group will gather best practices
toward that goal.
Under the committee's line handling priority, Subcommittee Chairman
Donnie Hinson reported that the Line Handling Subcommittee had met
earlier and he explained the status of the series of lesson plans
intended to educate mariners on best practices in line handling.
The CSC endorsed the fourth in the series, "Type of Line/Construction,"
and concurred with the development of the final lesson plan, "Specific
Use of Lines." The committee asked that the latest lesson plan be
distributed to all CSC members.
Safe access issues were considered under the committee's priority
on fall overboard prevention and the committee agreed to stand up
a subcommittee to define the issue before determining any next steps.
The CSC is grateful to Dann Ocean Towing and Seabulk International,
Inc. for their generous sponsorship of the evening reception.
The newly approved lesson plan will posted on AWO Web site, and
will be distributed to all AWO members shortly. The Coastal Safety
Committee will meet next in a joint session with the Interregion
Safety Committee on November 3-4 in Baltimore, MD. For further information
on any of the above topics, please contact Kathy Rehak at (703)
841-9300 or via email at krehak@vesselalliance.com.
RCP Accreditation Board Welcomes New Members
The AWO Responsible Carrier Program Accreditation Board met on
May 19-20, immediately following the Coastal Safety Committee meeting
(see story, page 8.), and welcomed five new members to the Board.
As most AWO members are well aware, the Accreditation Board is charged
with the day-to-day oversight of the Responsible Carrier Program
and the AWO-certified auditors. Members of the Accreditation Board
bring experience in all facets of the industry, including vessel
experience, safety, and executive management, to the administration
of the Program.
Joining the board are: Brice Bond, Shell Trading (US) Company,
as the Liquid Shipper representative; John Patterson, Ingram Barge
Company, as the Inland Dry Carrier representative; Emily Sporn,
Moran Towing Corporation, as the Coastal Sector representative;
Joseph Tyson, Canal Barge Company, Inc., as the Inland Liquid Carrier
representative; and, Michael Weisend, AEP River Transportation,
as the Dry Shipper representative. Bond, Patterson, Sporn, Tyson
and Weisend join Chairman Michael Sutton, Director, Safety and Quality
Assurance, Foss Maritime Company, the Harbor Services Sector representative,
and Bob Clinton, AWO Vice President - Safety, who serves on the
Board as a nonvoting member.
The new Board will continue to build on the successes of its predecessors,
which have included making auditor training more rigorous by modifying
the auditor training class to include homework, group exercises
and a difficult test, complete with several essay-type questions.
As a result of the upgraded training, and other factors, the auditor
pool dropped from almost 100 to around 70. This trend toward fewer,
more qualified auditors continues today, with 52 regular auditors,
supplemented by 22 joint ABS/RCP auditors who only perform joint
ISM/RCP audits.
Since 2001, the Accreditation Board has continued to seek additional
ways to improve the audit process. For example, since 2001 auditors
have been required to sign a code of ethics before they can be certified
by AWO. This code of ethics includes a commitment to never issue
a certification that is not deserved, and to always act in a way
that promotes and enhances the RCP. Along these same lines, the
Accreditation Board adopted a disciplinary policy in 2002 that allows
AWO to revoke the certification of any auditor who violates the
code of ethics. Next, in 2003 the Accreditation Board instituted
a policy that auditors could no longer audit a company's Responsible
Carrier Program that they had helped to write. This practice was
originally allowed because AWO sees its auditors as providing value
and assistance to its members. However, as the audit program matured,
it became obvious that, in some cases, the pride of ownership that
goes with writing the program can blind the author to its potential
shortcomings.
The Accreditation Board, as far back as 2002 and continuing into
2004, determined that another effective way to upgrade the auditor
pool was through increased professional requirements. The Board
recognized that many of our auditors had started their careers years
ago as surveyors and were unfamiliar with the process and concept
of audit. To address this issue, the Accreditation Board began to
require that all new auditors applying for certification first attend
a recognized auditor training class to ensure that they had at least
a knowledge of basic professional auditing. In another move late
last year, in accordance with auditing industry standards, auditor
qualifications were again upgraded to include educational requirements.
In an effort to improve the consistency of the audit, in 2004,
the Accreditation Board strengthened the auditor recertification
training again, by reviewing new requirements of the RCP in a more
detailed, in-depth manner. Going forward, all auditors will be better
able to determine whether a company meets the requirements of the
RCP to a standard that all auditors must maintain.
With the appointment of these new members, the Accreditation Board
is at full strength and ready to assume the responsibility of continuing
to ensure that the Responsible Carrier Program remains the "gold
standard" safety management system for the tugboat, towboat and
barge industry.
CEMS Training Opportunities
The Crew Endurance Management System (CEMS) is a system for managing
risk factors in maritime work environments that can lead to human
error and performance slumps. The Coast Guard and AWO have been
working together to help companies implement the principles of CEMS.
In this space, AWO will publish details of CEMS training opportunities
around the country. For further information on CEMS training opportunities,
please contact LT Samson Stevens, U.S. Coast Guard, (202) 267-0173.
Back to Top
Regional Reports
Pacific Region
Puget Sound Tugboat Races
The Seattle waterfront was abuzz for the much anticipated Annual
Tugboat Races on May 14. Tug companies from all over the Puget Sound
participated in three separate heats for some good, clean, wake-raising
fun! The festivities were kicked off with a vessel parade, entertaining
onlookers along the Seattle waterfront. A fireboat demonstration
followed, and then a terrific "tugboat ballet" performance showed
off the agility and maneuverability of the tractor tugs. The grand
finale, of course, were the races themselves. Local cruise boats
were loaded with passengers who wanted an up-close and personal
view of the competition. AWO members Foss Maritime Company and Crowley
Maritime Corporation won two of the three races.
Midcontinent Office
UMR-IWW Navigation Study Update
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has announced a fiscal year 2005
"pre-construction phase of field planning, investigation and coordination"
for the planned Upper Mississippi River - Illinois Waterway System
infrastructure modernization project. The full list includes 32
"general investigation" projects including:
Navigation appointment scheduling: The Corps and the University
of Missouri - St. Louis will issue a report at the end of June.
The report will include possible models to evaluate. Switchboats:
The Corps will begin a plan to implement two switchboats that can
operate at one or two of the following locks in fiscal year 2006:
Lock 25, 24, 22, 21, and/or 20. n Fleeting Plan: The Corps will
begin evaluation of present and potential fleeting areas that are
compatible with environmental restoration. Water level management:
The Corps will continue drawdowns for environmental restoration
in Pool 5 and begin planning drawdowns in Pools 9 and 18 using navigation
operation and maintenance funding.
All of these activities are part of the Chief's report and also
contained in the Water Resources Development Act 2005 (S. 728).
The Corps has also formed a "Science Panel" to guide ecosystem improvements.
The panel includes seven individuals, six of whom are from a variety
of state and federal agencies. The full newsletter and other information
on the study can be accessed at www2.mvr.usace.army.mil/umr-iwwsns/.
For more information contact Lynn Muench at (314) 466-6474 or at
awo-midcontinent@sbcglobal.net.
Ballard Locks' Hours Threatened
Citing revenue shortfalls, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has
said that, starting in October 2005, the Ballard Locks may have
its hours dramatically reduced. The locks are currently open 24
hours, and are critical to marine operations in the area. The tentative
proposal would be a 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. operating schedule, with
no service after hours. Even emergency vessels would be unable to
traverse the locks during the closure. AWO has started initial dialogue
with the Corps to ensure that its members' interests are represented.
The $2 million shortfall that threatens the locks is to blame,
at least in part, on the way commercial use of the locks are calculated.
The tonnage carried through the locks, approximately 2.3 million
tons of cargo in fiscal year 2004, ranks below the 100 busiest locks
in the country. However, about 65,000 vessels use the locks each
year, about 80% recreational, making it the nation's busiest set
of locks.
The Corps intends to place a notice in the Federal Register and
open the 60-day comment period in the near future. AWO will continue
to work this issue and report on progress made.
Inland Harbor Service Group to Meet -- Special Presentation
on Licensing Planned
The Inland Harbor Service Group will hold its second meeting in
conjunction with the Southern Region Meeting on June 16 at the Beau
Rivage Resort in Biloxi, MS. The group will discuss the activity
of group members on the Crew Endurance Management System (CEMS)
Work Group and as part of AWO's Towing Safety Steering Group.
Members will also discuss local issues that could be addressed
by the group. All AWO members are encouraged to attend a special
licensing session. The meeting will focus on how licensing changes
will impact harbor service companies. Panelists will include Coast
Guard specialists and AWO members. To make hotel reservations, please
contact the hotel directly at (888) 383-7037.
For more information, contact Marilyn Clark at (703) 841-9300.
Southern Region
Southern Region to Hold Summer Meeting
The Southern Region will hold its summer meeting Friday, June 17
at the Beau Rivage Resort in Biloxi, MS. Friday's meeting will begin
with a continental breakfast at 8:00 a.m. and will be preceded by
a reception Thursday evening, June 16 at 6:00 p.m. To register,
please use the meeting registration form included with this AWO
Letter and fax it to Marilyn Clark at (985) 674-2291.
You may also register on the AWO Web site. For more information,
please contact Marilyn Clark at (985) 727-2027.
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For further information, contact:
Anne Davis Burns
Vice President - Public Affairs
801 North Quincy Street
Suite 200
Arlington, VA 22203
PH: (703) 841-9300
FAX: (703) 841-0389
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