Wednesday, 04 February 2009 12:25

Issue: The Coast Guard is required by law to develop inspection standards for towing vessels.

Status: The Coast Guard sponsored Towing Safety Advisory committee submitted their recommendations to the Coast Guard for implementation of the new towing vessel inspection regulations. The Coast Guard’s promise to Congress is to publish proposed regulations by spring 2009. However, the Coast Guard has not allowed in its budget any resources to accomplish the towing vessel inspection program for the next few years. Lacking any designated resources to accomplish this new mission it is likely that any action will be delayed until sometime after 2010.

The TSAC recommended towing vessel inspection regime is based on a requirement that every towing vessel company and every towing vessel be part of a company Safety Management System (SMS). The proposed regulations include assurances that a safety management system in compliance with the ISM Code will meet the SMS requirements. The future Coast Guard boarding priority matrix will also give credit to classed vessels for compliance with the design, construction, machinery and equipment standards of the regulations and should give these vessels a low priority for compliance exams. Under the proposal a company would be able to conduct vessel surveys (selfinspections) using either qualified company employees or third parties. External third parties will be required to perform audits of the company SMS program.

In the past four years, OMSA members and staff have been very actively involved in the development of these proposals. From the beginning, OMSA urged the Coast Guard to adopt an inspection program that:

1. Recognized that the tug and barge industry represents a number of different types of operations;
   
2. Accepted ISM as an approved safety management system;
   
3. Allowed operators “credit” for meeting SOLAS, Loadline or Class requirements;
   
4. Create a process for companies that are not SOLAS, Loadline or Classed to comply with the new rules.

OMSA is following this closely and will advise when the regulations are published.