Our Membership

Types of Membership

Joining AWO instantly connects you and your team with like-minded industry professionals and provides access to member benefits for everyone in your organization.

Carrier Members

Companies that own or operate tugboats, towboats or barges engaged in U.S. domestic transportation. Carrier members must maintain compliance with a safety management system to be eligible for membership.

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Affiliate Members

Organizations that have an interest in the tugboat, towboat, and barge industry, but do not own or operate vessels

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Why Join Us?

AWO advocates for your company on the issues that matter most

Building strong, bipartisan support for the Jones Act
Working with government to keep commerce moving safely and efficiently
Partnering with the Coast Guard for proactive enforcement and consistent application of Subchapter M
Achieving sensible regulatory reform without compromising safety
Fighting for uniform, consistent federal rules for commercial navigation
Securing investment in waterways infrastructure
Promoting workforce development and telling our industry’s story

Safety and security assets to make your company stronger and safer

A Safety Management System is required for carrier members and optional for affiliate members.

Responsible Carrier Program (RCP):
Serving as your Coast Guard-accepted Towing Safety Management System to meet Subchapter M requirements.
Alternative Security Program (ASP):
Providing you with expert-crafted, Coast Guard accepted policies and procedures to meet federal security requirements.
Alternative Planning Criterion (APC):
Providing you with a Coast Guard-approved, streamlined approach to compliance with emergency towing requirements.
Safety Statistics Reporting Program (SSRP):

Allowing you to confidentially benchmark your company’s safety performance.

Get exclusive access to networking opportunities, educational content and alerts on the issues that matter

Newsletters and alerts
AWO mobile app
Online education portal
Inclusion in member directories
Presentations & networking at AWO events
Working groups and task forces

AWO Events – there is no limit to how many events your organization can attend and no registration fees

National Conventions and Regional Meetings
Member Roundtables
Annual Capitol Hill “Barge-In”
Political Action Committee (PAC) events
Safety Meetings
Webinars

Join AWO

Contact membership@americanwaterways.com for questions.

What Our Members Say

“We have almost 50 mariners on the water and their safety is absolutely paramount to us. And the relationships we build at AWO meetings, the safety information that we can [implement, and] the help we get from the RCP (Responsible Carrier Program) really helps.”

Shawn Bennett, Baydelta Maritime

“We find value in… AWO’s partnerships with industry [players], especially the Coast Guard and the Corps of Engineers. We’re able to sit down with them at Roundtables and have frank, good discussions with them about policy.”

Matt French, American River Transportation Company (ARTCo)