The American Waterways Operators - Annual Reports 2016 | Page 9

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RESPONSIBLE CARRIER PROGRAM
The Responsible Carrier Program, a safety
management system for tugboat, towboat and barge
operators, has been a condition of AWO membership
since 1998. In November, the U.S. Coast Guard
accepted the RCP as an existing safety management
system under Subchapter M, a milestone that will
streamline compliance for AWO members when
the rule takes full effect in 2018. Rear Admiral Paul
Thomas, Assistant Commandant for Prevention
Policy, called the Coast Guard’s acceptance of the
RCP “a significant milestone in the implementation
of Subchapter M” and “an important first step
in instilling a culture of safety across the towing
industry.”
The RCP requires AWO members to undergo
independent, third party audits of their management
systems and towing vessels, and AWO is committed
to ensuring that members have access to a large,
geographically dispersed pool of well-trained,
highly qualified auditors. In 2016, AWO entered into
agreements with ClassNK and the American Bureau
of Shipping to conduct RCP audits, alongside the
Towing Vessel Inspection Bureau, which has certified
and trained RCP auditors since 2013. All three AWO
auditing partners are approved by the Coast Guard as
Third Party Organizations under Subchapter M.
COAST GUARD-AWO
SAFETY PARTNERSHIP
The U.S. Coast Guard-AWO Safety Partnership, the
oldest public-private partnership of its kind, brings
AWO members and senior Coast Guard officials
together at the national and regional levels to track
trends in industry safety performance, anticipate
future challenges and lead initiatives to improve safety,
security and environmental stewardship.
In 2016, the Partnership worked to promote the
smooth implementation of Subchapter M, safe and
efficient operation of Articulated Tug-Barge units,
and sound cyber risk management practices. At the
regional level, Coast Guard-AWO Quality Action
Teams addressed aids to navigation on the inland
rivers, safe navigation around structures on the
Atlantic Coast and towing vessel cold weather and ice
operations in Alaska.
Since its inception in 1995, the Partnership has
launched more than 40 successful safety and
environmental initiatives to address issues ranging
from falls overboard to tank barge transfer spills to
crew travel time.
2016 ANNUAL REPORT CHARTING THE FUTURE