2026 USCG-AWO Safety Partnership Annual Report

Each year, the National Committee of the Coast Guard-AWO Quality Partnership reviews a report prepared by the Coast Guard Office of Investigations and Casualty Analysis tracking key towing industry safety metrics. This year's report surveys data from 1994 to 2025. In 2025, one towing vessel crewmember was killed in an operational incident — the lowest number ever recorded in the 31-year history of the Quality Partnership. The volume of oil spilled from tank barges in 2025 was less than 1,400 gallons, the second-lowest recorded to date, and the oil spill rate is projected to be 0.02 gallons — or just over 2.5 ounces — per million gallons transported. The report also provides information about towing vessel incidents, categorized by severity and initiating event, and crewmember injuries, categorized by severity and accident type.