AWO is proud to serve as the tugboat, towboat and barge industry’s advocate, resource, and united voice for safe, sustainable and efficient transportation on America’s waterways, oceans and coasts. Since our founding, we have worked with members and government partners to leverage our industry’s unique position as the safest and most environmentally friendly and fuel-efficient mode of freight transportation toward the goal of reducing safety risks while continuously improving the sustainability of the U.S. marine transportation system.

 

                                                                                             

 

Our safety journey has been guided by members’ visionary safety leadership, highlighted by the AWO Responsible Carrier Program (RCP), the Coast Guard-AWO Safety Partnership, and development of a federal safety inspection regime for towing vessels at 46 CFR Subchapter M.  The RCP is a safety management system for tugboat, towboat, and barge companies that is accepted by the U.S. Coast Guard as a Towing Safety Management System under Subchapter M. All AWO member companies comply with the RCP or an equivalent SMS as part of AWO’s foundational commitment to safety. The Coast Guard-AWO Safety Partnership is a first-of-its-kind public-private partnership to improve safety and environmental protection and strengthen the relationship between the Coast Guard and industry. This partnership was the foundation for nearly 20 years of close collaboration that led to Subchapter M, which raised the bar for safety across the entire tugboat, towboat and barge industry.

 

AWO is also committed to providing members with the tools and resources to ensure our industry is prepared for the safety and sustainability challenges of tomorrow. We will continue to set high expectations for ourselves by measuring our safety progress, including through our Safety Statistics Reporting Program, and prepare for the future through forward-facing initiatives, like our Environmental Stewardship Best Practices.

 

If you have any questions or would like to learn more about AWO’s Safety and Sustainability work, please contact the AWO Safety Department.