Navigating to Zero - August 2025

Navigating to Zero - August 2025

dwisniewski 09/03/25
Coast Guard-AWO Quality Partnership Publishes 2024 Safety Report
The National Committee of the Coast Guard-AWO Quality Partnership met in August to review the Coast Guard - AWO Annual Safety Report, prepared by the Coast Guard Office of Investigations and Casualty Analysis. The report, which tracks key towing industry safety metrics and trends, covers data from 1994 to 2024 for crewmember fatalities, gallons of oil spilled, and the number and severity of towing vessel casualties. The report shows that the towing industry performed relatively well in 2024, improving or remaining flat for nearly all measures.
Five work-related crew fatalities were recorded in 2024: three apparent falls to water, one drowning following a collision and vessel flooding, and one of "unknown" cause where a captain was found deceased at the helm while the boat was underway. The resulting fatality rate was 4.2 per 100,000 full-time employees, well below the 13.6 national rate recorded by the Bureau of Labor and Statistics for all transportation workers in 2023.
 
In 2024, the towing industry recorded a projected oil spill rate of just 0.25 gallons per million gallons of cargo transported by tank barge, with more than 92% of the total volume traced to two incidents. The Coast Guard also investigated 20% fewer towing vessel and barge incidents than in 2023, with critical and severe cases totaling 787, lower than the average of 880 over the prior four years, demonstrating steady improvement in safety performance.
 
AWO Holds Well-Attended Summer Safety Meeting in Chicago
Nearly 200 AWO members and guests from 97 member companies attended the 2025 Summer Safety Meeting in Chicago August 13-14. The event began with  meetings of the Tankering and Barge Operations Subcommittee, Safety Leadership Advisory Committee, Sustainability Tech Working Group, Boating Safety Working Group, and the TPO and RCP Summit. The following day, members gathered for a full schedule of safety lessons learned and discussions of best practices, covering topics including:
  1. Causal Reasoning -- Learning from Events, by Chet Urban (Shell) urged members to adopt a causal learning mindset to improve safety culture and reduce defensive reasoning.
  2. Case Studies: Grounding Incident Reviews -- Mike Millar (McAllister) reviewed four grounding cases investigated by the NTSB, stressing voyage planning, hazard recognition, and teamwork.
  3. Case Study: Spill and Response -- Paul Hendricks (BayDelta Maritime) shared lessons from a Columbia River spill caused by fuel gauge delays, leading to new training and redundant monitoring systems.
  4. Case Study: Lost Time Incident -- anonymous member -- Reported by Jessica Gross (Moran) & Joel Morton (Fairwater) discussed a lost-time injury incurred during a life raft swap at a dry dock, underscoring hidden risks in routine tasks.
  5. Case Study: Remove Before Transfer Tag Program -- Mike Warner (Genesis Marine) highlighted a "Remove Before Transfer" tagging system adapted from aviation to prevent cargo loss.
  6. Case Study: Spill & Response -- Brian Falk (Kirby) detailed a cargo spill in a remote area, highlighting the need for strong logistics coordination and community engagement during responses.
  7. Healthworks and AWO Partnership to evaluate the efficacy of Remote Medicine on Vessels -- Mike Breslin (AWO), Dr. Patrick Howell and Dr. Kyle Turnbo (HealthWorks) reviewed the potential benefits of a remote medicine program on tugs and ATBs. Looking at two years of data, the presentation examined potential reductions in Lost Time Injury rates, costs, and wellness benefits, all drawn from efficient incipient care that is available to injured or ill workers immediately following an incident.
  8. The Human Element -- Chuck Jenkins of the National Safety Council reviewed the principles of human and organizational performance and behavior-based safety.
  9. Mariner Wellness with the Seamen's Church Wellness Steering Committee: Mr. Phil Schifflin (Seamen's Church Institute), Mr. Jim Guidry (Kirby), Ms. Kelly Clapp (Ingram Barge), Dr. Kyle Turnbo (HealthWorks), and Rev. Grace Pardun (SCI) covered family support, education on job conditions, and the benefits and risks of expanding electronic communication for live-aboard crews. They also highlighted programs like Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM), which equip managers to recognize and address wellness issues before they lead to incidents.
  10. Crew Asset Management -- John Prell of Vikand Solutions discussed OneHealth and similar programs that use advanced computer models to analyze pre-hire and pre-board forms, helping predict which employees may need support or intervention to prevent wellness-related incidents. Please refer questions for this session to Ronald.Spithout@vikand.com.
Following the educational sessions, AWO held a ceremony recognizing American Waterways HERO Award Winners who were nominated and received the award since the Winter Safety Meeting in February. Each recipient was honored on stage with a recount of their story and received one year of Merchant Mariner License Insurance issued by Berkley Offshore and 360 Coverage Pros, a certificate recognizing the vessel, and a prestigous commerative coin. The awardees and their families enjoyed a reception in their honor following the HERO Ceremony.
 
We hope to see you at our next meeting, the AWO Fall Convention in Houston, TX on October 15-16. Please also save the date for the next Safety Meeting, scheduled for February 23-24, 2026, in New Orleans.
 
For more information, please contact Caitlin Clark.
 
Safety Professional Focus: Chester Urban
Chester Urban has over 25 years of shipping and maritime experience, including more than 16 with Shell in various capacities at sea and ashore. He currently serves as Advisory, HSE & Maritime Safety, Shipping & Maritime Sector of Expertise.
 
Afloat, he earned a Master's License and sailed on a wide variety of LNG carriers and tankers in global trades, cutting his teeth offshore in the US and West Africa.
 
Ashore, he has held leadership positions in marine assurance, marine terminal projects (LNG), new business development (LNG Marine Fuels) and maritime safety, where he advocates for continuous learning and improving performance outcomes and is especially focused on eliminating falls to water through greater cross-industry cooperation.
 
Chester is a graduate of Union College in New York and SUNY Maritime College, where he earned his MSc and later returned as a lecturer prior to joining Shell.
 
What are some of the key safety initiatives that you are focused on in 2025 to ensure the safety of Shell employees, your customers, and your vendors?
 
A big item for me is preventing falls to water. It is a global effort with regional nuances. A fall to water isn't the cause - it is the effect, and the potential outcome is fatal. Eliminating these outcomes is the goal. Even as we do our best to manage risk there are still unmitigated hazards which we can improve upon beyond the regulatory minimum. We must collaborate in partnerships to discover how we can improve with better barriers. AWO's Falls Overboard Prevention Report is progress in that direction. However, many of these barriers are human barriers (administrative controls), which may not be as effective as substitution, elimination, and engineering controls. Understanding how we can improve our cultures through Human Performance and learning, while focusing on the wellbeing of mariners and shore staff, will ensure that we keep human barriers robust as we continue to eliminate risk -- while also finding new engineering controls to make our systems more robust.  
 
You bring deep experience in maritime energy transportation--as a mariner, a manager, and a respected thought leader. How has this journey shaped your understanding of what defines a truly healthy safety culture?
 
I didn't start out with the understanding of risk I have today. That has been a journey as I moved through different company cultures and systems. We are going to make mistakes -- I do all the time. But when we work within systems and cultures that allow mistakes to happen so as not to produce consequences that harm or kill people, or do devastating damage to the environment and communities, then we are managing risk appropriately with our eyes wide open. This isn't a "safety culture" -- this comes from the overall company culture -- from purchasing to the boardroom to the deck and all in between. Safety itself isn't the culture; it is the result of the culture and system you work in.
 
Can you share a safety incident or moment that significantly influenced your perspective on safety? What was your initial reaction at the time, and how might your response differ today, given the insight that comes with experience and reflection?
 
There is a lot to reflect on. Hindsight has been a good teacher, but the lessons are hard. And when I was able to see myself in the scenarios, I was often in the same place as those affected.
 
We had a near-fatality in our fleet on a sister ship to several I sailed on, at a terminal I knew. I stood in the same spot as this junior officer who was severely injured by a mooring rope.
Understanding what and why others believe something to be true will unlock better learning. He wasn't standing in the wrong spot by poor choice -- he believed he was safe, and the system said it was safe. It wasn't. This event changed how the industry looks at mooring and mooring systems.
 
Don't stop asking why until you can change something in the system.
 
You have been highly successful in your career! Can you share how you came to work in the marine industry and any advice you have for someone considering maritime transportation as a career?
 
I came late, but it must have been a calling. Short answer, I didn't want to go to law school. But what kept me here is the gratification in doing work well and seeing it in real time with the people you work with. It is an industry that has given back to me what I put into it. I can see now that this applies to even more folks, and in different ways, than it did when I first started. We have successfully broadened the skill pool, and our focus now must be on sustaining that growth. Sure, that may mean change, but if the changes we've seen in safety demonstrate what we are capable of then what a bright future lies ahead for us.
 
Coast Guard and Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement Safety Alerts
The U.S. Coast Guard and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement publish Safety Alerts on their websites on a regular basis. Alerts issued since last publication of the NTZ are listed below:
Stakeholders are urged to review these alerts in detail to enhance safety measures and prevent incidents. Please contact Michael Breslin for more information.
 
USCG Reports of Investigation and Findings of Concern -- Updates and Email Registration Instructions
The U.S. Coast Guard offers a monthly email to alert stakeholders about new Reports of Investigation and Findings of Concern, published on its Office of Investigations & Casualty Analysis website. To request alerts, email HQS-SMB-CG-INV@uscg.mil with the subject line "Please add me to the Monthly Findings of Concern Distribution List" or "Please add me to the Monthly Reports of Investigation Distribution List."
 
These Reports of Investigation (RoI) and Findings of Concern (FoC) have been released since the last safety newsletter:
  • RoI 3858257 -- 9-26-2010 -- Allision of the small passenger vessel RACHEL MARIE (O.N. 932672) with the Washington Street Public Boat Landing and subsequent injuries in Seattle, WA.
  • RoI 7996866 -- 8-25-2024 -- Loss of Life aboard the heavy lift derrick barge EPIC HEDRON (O.N. 002056) in Eugene Island Block 276 in the Gulf of America, 65 Nautical Miles Offshore of St. Mary Parish, LA.
  • RoI 7836612 -- 10-09-2023 -- Dismasting of the small passenger sailing vessel GRACE BAILEY (O.N. 085754) resulting in the loss of one life on Penobscot Bay near Rockland, ME.
  • RoI 8095320 -- 8-19-2024 -- Loss of Life aboard the commercial fishing vessel LISA JEAN (AK9001AR) while transiting Salisbury Sound near Kruzof Island, AK.
  • FoC 010-25 -- February 2025 -- Loss of Life of a shipyard supervisor who fell overboard while repositioning a working line on the port bow quarter of a freight barge in the ICW near Morgan City, LA.
  • FoC 011-25 -- September 2022 -- Fatality and injury following uninspected passenger vessel collision that caused three passengers to sustain non-life-threatening injuries and one operator to be ejected from the vessel, sustaining a fatal injury near Turtle Cove in Port Aransas, TX.
Stakeholders are urged to review these alerts in detail to enhance safety measures and prevent incidents. Please contact Michael Breslin for more information.
 
American Waterways HERO Award -- Nominate Your Crew for Heroic Acts
The American Waterways Honor & Excellence in Rescue Operations (HERO) Award honors member company employees for their bravery, skill, and selflessness during emergencies on our waterways. Qualifying acts include rescuing mariners, responding to medical emergencies, recovering overboard individuals, and other heroic actions.
 
AWO will hold its next HERO Award ceremony on February 26, 2026, during the Winter AWO Safety Meeting in New Orleans. To nominate your crew's efforts, fill out this simple form on the AWO website. Each event is recognized with a certificate of recognition for the vessel, a HERO Award Coin for each mariner, and a complimentary one-year marine license and liability insurance policy for each mariner offered by 360 Coverage Pros & Berkley Offshore.
 
Company
Vessel or Facility
Date of Event
Type of Rescue
Foss Maritime Company
Arthur Foss, Peter J Brix, and Chris Nolan
5/2/2025
FOB
Genesis Marine
Bob Deere
7/29/2025
FOB
American Commercial Barge Line
M/V Doug Wright
7/3/2025
Disabled Vessel & Crew Rescue
 
 
National Transportation Safety Board -- Marine Casualty Investigation Reports
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) publishes accident reports for Marine, Aviation, Highway, Hazardous Materials Release, Pipelines, and Railroads following completion of an investigation. Reports related to vessel operations that have been released since publication of the last safety newsletter are listed below.
  • NTSB MIR-25-32 -- Grounding of Barge Cordova Provider. On January 11, 2025, while transiting Prince William Sound toward Whittier, Alaska, the ITB Krystal Seas/Cordova Provider lost a push line for unknown reasons; the remaining three lines (Figure 1) failed under the extra load, causing the barge to separate from the tug and ground on Axel Lind Island. The NTSB determined that the probable cause of the grounding of the barge Cordova Provider was due to shock loading that led to the parting of the push lines connecting the Cordova Provider to the tug Krystal Sea.
  • NTSB MIR 25-31 -- Fire Aboard Yacht Flagship. On April 28, 2024, a fire started on board the uncrewed yacht Flagship while it was docked at an enclosed bay of a shipyard on the Miami River in Miami, Florida. The vessel eventually sank without causing injuries or pollution. Investigators found that the Flagship's fire was the result of thermal runaway and explosion of the 24-volt lithium-ion battery bank. At the time of the fire, the battery bank had an inoperable battery management system, and as a result the crew had adopted the practice of manually charging the lithium-ion batteries with a portable battery charger. This compromised the safe monitoring of the vessel's lithium-ion battery systems. (This incident, though not related to towing, is included as it documents the risk of circumventing electric safety systems on vessels).
  • NTSB MIR 25-28 -- Contact of Joe B. Wyatt Tow with Fort Madison Bridge Protection Cell and Fendering System. On May 9, 2024, the towing vessel Joe B. Wyatt struck a protection cell and fendering system of the Fort Madison Bridge on the Mississippi River while pushing 15 barges, causing the tow to break apart. No injuries or pollution occurred, but damages totaled $3.28 million. Investigators determined the probable cause was the pilot's overcompensation for expected crosscurrents during the bridge approach and found that the Joe B. Wyatt had deviated from established sailing lines on its Electronic Charting System. In its report, the NTSB included a Lessons Learned regarding sailing lines, noting that they are developed with channel depth, current, and obstructions in mind, and they provide mariners a safe route when combined "with the mariner's own experience and assessment of the existing circumstances."
  • NTSB MIR 25-26 -- Collision of William B Klunk Tow with Moored Barges. On April 17, 2024, the towing vessel William B Klunk was pushing 22 barges downbound on the Lower Mississippi River near Baton Rouge and collided with moored barges in a fleeting area. Thirteen barges broke away. There was one minor injury, and no pollution. Investigators found the pilot was distracted by a company cell phone call and personal calls on the lead up to the collision and noted fatigue to be an additional factor. The case highlights the utility of the work of AWO's Distracted Operations Subcommittee and the importance of following crew endurance rules and best practices to ensure pilots remain focused on safe navigation while on watch.
  • NTSB MIR 25-30 and NTSB MIR 25-29 did not involve towboat operations and therefore were not included in this summary. NTSB MIR 25-27 was included in the July edition of the NTZ.
Stakeholders are urged to review these alerts in detail to enhance safety measures and prevent incidents. Please contact Michael Breslin for more information.
 
AWO High-Value Near Misses for August
AWO's High-Value Near Miss Program seeks to prevent incidents by sharing lessons learned. In addition, AWO's Tankering and Barge Operations Subcommittee has established the Terminal Near Miss Program, which investigates near misses at terminals to form action plans to mitigate or eliminate hazards by communicating with terminal operators. Bridge events may be recorded using AWO's Bridge Event Reporting Form.
MEMBER-SUBMITTED NEAR MISS - BRIDGES 250310
Incident Summary
A tug pushing a loaded fuel-oil barge inbound toward Norfolk narrowly avoided a collision when a movable bridge closed unexpectedly. Federal regulations require this bridge to remain open to vessel traffic except for train crossings or maintenance, and bridge operators are obligated to make security calls and receive vessel acknowledgments before initiating closures.
 
Timeline of Events
  • The bridge operator issued a single call on the radio, stating the bridge would close "in  45 minutes."
  • The bridge operator was required to make security calls at 30 and 15 minutes prior to a planned closure. Further, the operator was required to receive confirmation from vessels in the vicinity for each call.
  • The tug captain did not receive any additional security calls at 30 and 15 minutes.
  • Despite the initial 45-minute notice, the bridge began closing shortly thereafter, well before the tug's scheduled transit.
  • The tug immediately reversed engines, sounded the danger signal, and repeatedly attempted to contact the bridge operator.
  • According to the captain, the bridge operator responded once, stating the bridge would close regardless and that the tug "better be able to stop because the bridge was coming down."
  • The tug stopped short of the bridge, avoiding impact.
 
Verification and Confirmation
A nearby assist vessel confirmed the tug's account, noting that no additional security calls
were made aside from the initial 45-minute warning.
 
Key Safety Issues
  • Regulatory Noncompliance: Failure to maintain required bridge opening protocols.
  • Communication Breakdown: Lack of 30- and 15-minute security calls, and no acknowledgment from transiting vessels.
  • Risk of Major Incident: With a loaded fuel-oil barge, a bridge strike or uncontrolled stop could have caused severe damage, pollution, or fire.
 
Next Steps:
Operators should report bridge events to the USCG Bridge Unit and USCG Marine Safety
Unit responsible for the bridge involved in a near miss. To ensure accountability of bridge owners and operators, AWO members are also encouraged to submit events to AWO's Bridge Event Reporting Program to provide the opportunity for AWO to engage with the cognizant USCG Safety Unit and Bridge Unit.
 
 
 
Moxie Media Expands Mental Health Support to Mariners' Families
Moxie Media has released Supporting Your Mariner's Mental Health: A Guide for Loved Ones, a free online program that helps families support mariners before, during, and after their time at sea. This new course and the Mariner Mental Health: Wellness on the Water course offer tools for both mariners and their families to manage stress, build resilience, and stay connected. The new guide emphasizes that safety and well-being on the water begin with strong support at home. Access the training at marinersupport.moxielearning.com.
 
Webinar: Getting to the Root of Incidents
EHS is offering a free webinar on September 3 that will delve into the importance of going beyond the obvious and digging deeper to identify the root causes of incidents. Preventing Workplace Incidents: The Power of Investigations will explore how to prepare and train for effective investigations, conduct interviews without blame-shifting, present corrective actions to decision-makers, and address behavioral factors like complacency, resistance to change, and pressure to take shortcuts.
 
AWO and Moxie Media Launch AWO Boater Safety Resources Online Store 
Developed through a partnership between the AWO Safe Boating Working Group and leading safety program provider Moxie Media, the AWO Boater Safety Resources Store aims to make multi-use waterway-focused safety resources easily accessible to the public. The Store hosts free downloadable materials including pamphlets, stickers, and multi-media presentations that highlight best practices for safe navigation on multi-use waterways where commercial and recreational vessels operate together. Users can also order low-cost printed copies for distribution at marinas, docks, and boating access points nationwide. 
 
Additionally, the Store hosts regionally-focused safety materials provided by Harbor Safety Committees and local boating safety groups, making it a unique one-stop-shop for safety-focused information and resources for boaters on navigable waterways throughout the United States. 
 
 
OSHA Public Hearing on Proposed Heat Rule
OSHA recently released the official compilation of questions raised during its public hearing on the proposed Heat Injury and Illness Prevention rule. The hearing transcripts are available in the rulemaking docket and links to archived recordings of the hearing can be accessed on OSHA's website. A post-hearing comment period is now open until September 30, though only individuals who sent a Notice of Intention to Appear can submit comments. To learn more, please contact Lillie Wightman.
 
SSRP Program Updates - Q2 Data Due July 31
Second quarter data was due on July 31. Please enter your company data using AWO's simple entry form, available on the AWO SSRP Data Portal.
 
Thank you to everyone who supports the SSRP with timely submissions. If you have questions or suggestions for program improvement, please email safety@americanwaterways.com.
 
International Maritime News: OCIMF
OCIMF's July newsletter discusses the importance of SIRE, details ongoing work to improve safety for enclosed space entry, and introduces a new paper titled Unified Approach to Verification, Validation and Assurance of Single Fault Tolerance in Dynamic Positioning Systems, and an updated paper, Recommendation for Converting Inland Tank-barges from Open to Closed Cargo Operations in South and Central America.
 
AWO will be participating in OCIMF Day in London on September 18 as a presenter and member of a panel covering the topic of "Barging Activities." This event will take place during International Shipping Week. For more information, please contact Michael Breslin.