Navigating to Zero - October 2026

cmoore@americanwaterways.com 10/29/26
Coast Guard Board of Inquiry Identifies Waterway Risk Assessment Priorities 
 
Following the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse, the Coast Guard's Ports and Waterways Safety Act Board of Inquiry (BoI) examined risks to critical port infrastructure at 11 ports. The Report, published in September, identifies vulnerabilities and potential improvements with implications for tugboat and barge operators. Five areas warrant particular attention: 

  • Tug escort capacity. Port stakeholders called for more capable tugs to escort large vessels and hazardous cargoes. Expanded escorts could affect fleet investment, crewing, and dispatch; proposals should reflect local needs and resources. 

  • Bridge protection and channels. Dredging, channel widening, and stronger bridge protection could improve navigation and prevent disruptions, but waterways closures and fragmented federal funding remain as obstacles. 

  • Gaps in salvage and emergency response. Ports reported degraded or difficult-to-access response capabilities. The Board recommends joint Coast Guard and Harbor Safety Committee reviews of spill response resources, salvage availability, and response plans. 

  • Navigation information and communication. Reliable environmental and bridge-clearance data, traffic separation protocols, and improved vessel traffic services could support safer tow movements and coordination. 

  • Waterways risk assessments. The Board recommends clearer guidance and regular reviews to improve assessments that could shape local operating practices. Industry participation should ensure they account for towing and barge operations.  

AWO is reviewing the report and plans to submit comments before the February 28, 2027, deadline. Members are encouraged to share perspectives or operational experience that could inform AWO's comments with Liam Morcroft. 

Read more: Coast Guard Board of Inquiry release (particularly sections 6.3-6.4 and recommendations 4-5 and 19-20) and the September 17 AWO Letter. 

 

Emissions Capture Barge Collapse Raises Safety Concerns in California 

On October 5, a CARB Approved Emission Control Strategy (CAECS) barge operated by STAX experienced a critical failure that caused the boom to collapse onto the vessel it was servicing at California's Port of Hueneme. The collapse caused significant damage to both vessels and to the dock.  

Video of the incident taken by the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association (PMSA) can be viewed here. The incident remains under investigation, and marks at least the third serious incident involving CAECS barges since 2024.  

PMSA has requested safety exceptions to California's at-berth emissions requirements while the failure is investigated. AWO supports PMSA's position that operators should not have to choose between safety and regulatory compliance, and we encourage AWO members working with or near CAECS to review risks with their safety teams and counsel. 

For more information, contact Kyle Burleson or Michael Breslin. 

 

Washington Ecology Updates Bunkering Pre-Transfer Conference Guidance 

The Washington State Department of Ecology has updated its compliance guidance for bunkering pre-transfer conferences required by Washington State and federal law to reduce unnecessary risk. In-person conferences may take place onboard either vessel, or face-to-face conversations from separate vessels may qualify when the persons in charge (PICs) can readily speak to one another at close range.  

Radio conferences are also an option when the receiving vessel master determines that safe access cannot be rigged, or when access is rigged but both PICs determine that it is unsafe to use.  

Ecology recommends recording access safety decisions in the vessel log and has provided a new job aid covering required conference topics. Inspectors will use the updated guidance during inspections. 

For more information, contact Michael Breslin, Kyle Burleson, or WA Ecology Supervisor Sara Thompson. 

 

Coast Guard Announces 2029 STCW Basic Training Changes to Include SASH Courses 

Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Credentialing addressed changes to the STCW Code in Policy Letter 01-26. Beginning October 1, 2029, applicants for an original or renewed STCW Basic Training endorsement must demonstrate completion of an approved course covering prevention of violence and harassment, including sexual harassment, bullying, and sexual assault. Mariners who already hold the endorsement must complete the training by their first MMC renewal after September 30, 2029.  

The Coast Guard will not issue a separate endorsement for the course. Operators requiring STCW Basic Training should consider how these requirements may affect training plans and future renewals. 

Read more: Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Credentialing policies. 

 

Coast Guard Releases Fall Recreational Boating Safety Circular 

The Coast Guard's Fall 2026 Boating Safety Circular includes information on boat capacity labels, factory inspections, recalls, outreach activities, and other boating safety topics. Although aimed primarily at recreational boat manufacturers, the circular provides an additional source of information for AWO members engaged in recreational boating safety outreach. 

Read more on the Coast Guard Office of Auxiliary and Boating Safety website. 

 

OCIMF Updates Guidance for Critical Spares and Offshore Methanol Carriage 

OCIMF has published the second edition of Safety Critical Equipment and Spare Parts Guidance, outlining a risk-based approach to identifying, documenting, and maintaining essential equipment and spares. OCIMF also announced that the 2020 OCIMF publication The Carriage of Methanol in Bulk Onboard Offshore Vessels will soon be removed from the OCIMF library as it has been integrated into Guidance for Offshore Marine Operations (GOMO) in Appendix 10-E to improve alignment and reduce publication duplication. 

 

Early AWO Survey Responses Show Both Interest in AI and Demand for Guardrails 

Early responses to AWO's AI in the Tugboat, Towboat, & Barge Industry survey suggest that AI use is taking hold, while safeguards for its use are still developing. The survey was prepared to inform discussions at the AWO Fall Convention that took place October 13-14. 

Among 24 respondents, 16 reported regularly using AI for general office work. Accuracy, oversight, and confidentiality emerged as common concerns, with 15 responders citing concern about inaccurate answers, 14 concerned about employee reliance on AI without adequate review, and 12 flagging the risk of exposing confidential information. Only 3 reported that their organizations currently require human review of all AI work. The survey report is available on the Resources page of the AWO website.  

 

Floating Nuclear Power Barge Concept Draws Federal Maritime Interest 

As covered by Marine Log, Bluecore Energy recently hosted U.S. Maritime Administrator Capt. Steve Carmel at its Port of Long Beach facility to discuss development of small modular reactors designed for floating energy barges. Although the concept is still in development, it raises questions for future marine operations involving vessel design, emergency response, security, and personnel qualifications. AWO will continue following the project as a potential emerging industry issue. 

 

Coast Guard Reports of Investigation and Findings of Concern  

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.  

Findings of Concern published since last NTZ (September):

Reports of Investigation published since last NTZ (September):

  • Report of Investigation 8437453: Recreational Diving Accident Resulting in the Loss of One Life from the Uninspected Passenger Vessel AQUANUTZ (FL7516LF) in the Gulf of America Nine Miles Southwest of Venice, Florida on September 8, 2024 

  • Report of Investigation 8027830: Collision Between the Ferry Vessel BUENA VISTA (O.N. 1232961) and a Recreational Kayak Resulting in the Loss of One Life on the Willamette River near Buena Vista, Oregon on June 20, 2024 

  • Report of Investigation 4405289: Fall Overboard from the Small Passenger Vessel QUEEN OF THE WEST (O.N. 1033572) Resulting in the Loss of One Life While Moored at the City of Rainier Marina, near Rainier, Oregon on August 7, 2012 

  • Report of Investigation 8134979: Sinking of the Commercial Fishing Vessel CAPTAIN RALEIGH (O.N. 528154) Resulting in the Loss of One Life While Transiting the Grays Harbor Channel near Westport, Washington on May 9, 2025 

  • Report of Investigation 7814413: Sinking of the Commercial Fishing Vessel EVENING (O.N. 240785) Resulting in the Loss of One Life While Underway in the Pacific Ocean 34 Nautical Miles West-Southwest of Westport, Washington on October 13, 2023 

  • Report of Investigation 8317785: Allision of the Freight Barge MTC 7373 (O.N. 1220400) with the Deck Barge EMS 35 (CG1901966) Resulting in the Loss of One Life During Fleeting Operations Involving the Inspected Towing Vessel KELLE B (O.N. 1079709) on the Ohio River near Utica, Indiana on February 27, 2026 

  • Report of Investigation 3655843: Loss of One Life On Board the Uninspected Towing Vessel TURECAMO GIRLS (O.N. 500066) While Conducting Line-Handling Operations On the Hackensack River Near Secaucus, New Jersey On December 26, 2009 

  • Report of Investigation 8253270: Fall Overboard Resulting in the Loss of One Life from the Commercial Fishing Vessel MD3060AT While Attempting to Un-Foul the Propeller in the Chesapeake Bay near Hart Miller Island, Maryland on October 14, 2025 

  • Report of Investigation 8277933: Fall Overboard Resulting in the Loss of One Life from the Commercial Fishing Vessel OLIVIA GRACE II (O.N. 935226) while Dredge Fishing in the Holland Straits near South Island, Maryland on December 1, 2025

 

Coast Guard and Marine Minerals Administration Safety Alerts 

The U.S. Coast Guard and the Marine Minerals Administration (MMA) publish Safety Alerts on their websites on a regular basis. Alerts issued since last publication of the Navigating to Zero safety newsletter are listed below: 

  • USCG Safety Alert 15-26: Guidance and Safety Considerations on the Hazards of Retractable Pilot Houses on Towing Vessels 

There are no new MMA Safety Alerts 

Stakeholders are urged to review these alerts in detail to enhance safety measures and prevent incidents. Please contact Michael Breslin for more information. 

 

NTSB Investigations 

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) publishes investigation reports for marine, aviation, highway, railroad, pipeline, and hazardous materials incidents. Vessel incident reports published since the last edition of Navigating to Zero are listed below. Open investigations are listed on the NTSB's Investigations main website. 

  • NTSB MIR-26-33 - Collision Between Tanker Isla de Bioko and Ginny Stone Tow 

  • NTSB MIR-26-32 - Collision Between Recreational Vessel and NOAA Uncrewed Surface Vessel 

  • NTSB MIR 26-31 - Breakaway of Barge MPC 1056 and Subsequent Contact with Marina Docks 

  • NTSB MIR 26-27 - Contact of Offshore Supply Vessel Dry Tortugas with Offshore Platform VK-817A* 

  • NTSB MIR 26-26 - Contact of Bulk Carrier Belle Mer Anchor with Subsea Cable* 

*NTSB MIR 26-26 and 26-27 Investigation Reports were unintentionally omitted from September's Navigating to Zero safety newsletter. 

Stakeholders are urged to review these alerts in detail to enhance safety measures and prevent incidents. Please contact Michael Breslin for more information. 

 

The American Waterways Honor & Excellence in Rescue Operations (HERO) Award recognizes member company employees who demonstrate bravery, quick thinking, and selfless action in moments of crisis. 

Know a crew that stepped up when it mattered most? Winners of the American Waterways HERO Award receive a valuable prize from 360 Coverage Pros Professional Mariner Liability Insurance and individual and vessel recognition at an upcoming AWO safety meeting, and may be nominated for Seamen's Church Institute and Coast Guard recognition by request.  

Congratulations to our Recently Nominated HEROs! 

  • Kirby Offshore Marine -- M/V Ronnie Murph crew: Response following an unintentional chemical release and personnel contamination. 

  • Midwest Tankermen, Inc. -- PIC, Mechanic, and Dockman working Omega barge dock: Rescue and recovery of a person in the water. 

  • Fairwater -- American Phoenix crew: Search, rescue, and recovery of persons in the water. 

 
 
 
Safety Professional Focus - Todd Ripley
 
Todd Ripley is a Subject Matter Expert for the SafeMTS Program, a U.S. Department of Transportation initiative administered by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics and sponsored by the U.S. Maritime Administration. He is a nationally recognized leader in maritime safety, technology and innovation with more than three decades of experience advancing the U.S. maritime industry. During a 33-year career with the U.S. Maritime Administration, he led initiatives in maritime safety, autonomous vessels, maritime cybersecurity, standards development, and emerging technologies. He served as chairman of the Transportation Research Board Standing Technical Committee on Marine Safety and Human Factors, the ASTM International Committee F25 on Ships and Marine Technology, and co-chair of the Maritime Innovative Science and Technology Integrated Action Team within the U.S. Committee on the Marine Transportation System. 
 
In your work with SafeMTS and in the past with MARAD, you've been exposed to large and diverse data about maritime incidents. What do you see as the greatest opportunity to improve safety for the maritime industry? 
 
Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to improve safety across the maritime industry by processing and analyzing large, diverse datasets. These technologies can identify patterns across inconsistently reported incidents, reveal causal and human factors, and highlight risks much more efficiently than humans. By strengthening the use of leading indicators, AI provides timely corrective actions that help prevent incidents. 

SafeMTS, or Safe Maritime Transportation System -- a collaborative initiative between the maritime industry, the Maritime Administration (MARAD), and the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) with a vision to advance maritime industry safety -- is applying AI technology in this way, improving data analysis and delivering actionable insights for stakeholders. 

In a recent pilot project, SafeMTS demonstrated how AI and large language models (LLMs) can harmonize disparate safety datasets. The initiative used AI to process unstructured incident narratives, streamlining data classification while maintaining strong confidentiality protections mandated by law.

As SafeMTS matures and its data volume grows, the program promises opportunities to develop AI-enabled analytical capabilities that can deliver interactive safety insights, predictive safety forecasting, real-time feedback, integration of partners' data and vetted external datasets, and tailored reports for specific industry segments.

SafeMTS is excited to explore these and other possibilities for AI to support learning while maintaining human-in-the-loop insight and oversight throughout the process. 

Collecting data is one challenge; turning it into information mariners can use is another. How do you approach making large or complex datasets meaningful and accessible for industry?       

SafeMTS gives industry a tool that has the ability to finely parse data and dig into its intricacies to identify safety issues, corrective actions, and barriers that may reduce risk. The growing SafeMTS data lake, filled with comprehensive industry precursor-event and near-miss data, is structured using the harmonized SafeMTS data key and its versatile attributes, allowing a single entry into the system to draw on data from the entire industry, anonymously. This ensures that SafeMTS dashboards (currently in development) and system analytics are well founded and applicable to a vast array of operational profiles.

A second area that has developed since SafeMTS began work is AI technology, which has proved valuable through its ability to provide hidden or buried insights that are not readily identifiable. This ability can help industry identify trends and target specific safety challenges with effective corrective actions and safety barriers to reduce risk. 

What would you tell someone who is considering a maritime career, and how can our industry do a better job of showing people the opportunity, purpose, and long-term potential it offers? 

I would tell anyone interested in a maritime career to go all in and pursue it. There is, and always will be, a high demand for people interested in maritime careers, with unlimited career path opportunities. The maritime industry offers a wide range of career paths as well as vast opportunities for professional growth and advancement, while also being small enough to foster a cohesive environment characterized by strong collaboration and mutual support.

That said, the maritime industry is not suited to everyone. It needs people who have the necessary aptitude and skill sets, or the willingness to develop them, and a genuine interest in maritime careers. As an industry, we must proactively identify, engage with, and attract these individuals; support their education, training, and professional development; and create clear pathways into maritime careers. 

 

AWO Safety and Sustainability Working Group Opportunities

  • AWO BIQ and BPQ Advisory Group (ABBA): Stay up to date with AWO's working partnership with OCIMF by joining the ABBA information sharing group.
  • Falls Overboard Prevention Working Group: Shape AWO's next fall overboard prevention publication and contribute to OCIMF's international guidance for preventing falls to water.
  • Human Factors Working Group: Form practical guidance for AWO and OCIMF's development of KPIs and training materials that will define criteria for evaluating human factors efficacy in quality and safety management systems.
  • Safe Vessel Access Coalition (SVAC): Define what "good" is for safe vessel access at liquid terminals by joining one of three active working groups withing the SVAC.
  • Tankering and Barge Operations Subcommittee: Collaborate to improve conditions for vessel PICs through shared experience, learning from incidents, and practical guidance development.
  • Safety Leadership Advisory Panel: Guide AWO's safety priorities and initiatives to support continuous improvement across the industry.
  • Sustainability Tech Working Group: Exchange information about emerging technologies, alternative fuels, funding, efficiency, environmental performance, and new revenue opportunities.

These opportunities are available to all interested AWO members. To learn more, please visit the AWO Member Portal and select the Get Involved tab, or email membership@americanwaterways.com.

 

Signal Mutual Adds Practical Tools for Atmospheric Hazards and Safety Meetings

Signal Mutual's September Safety Resources Roundup includes new materials addressing atmospheric hazards in confined and enclosed spaces, gas monitor selection, workplace walk-throughs, and safer work practices. It includes resources for enclosed-space pre-entry and monitoring, calibration and bump testing, and emergency response, with discussion questions that can be used in crew safety meetings. Signal also included safety posters and case studies.

Read more on Signal Mutual's website.