The Coast Guard Office of Commercial Vessel Compliance issued Policy Letter 19-01 Change 1 “Enforcement Guidance for Harbor Assist Towing Vessels When Operating Beyond the Boundary Line” and Policy Letter 21-03 “Guidance Concerning the Use of Doubler Plates for Repairs Involving Towing Vessels Subject to 46 CFR Subchapter M”.
Deadline approaching for 46 CFR Subchapter M 75% phase-in requirements
In accordance with 46 CFR 136.202, owners and managing operators (OMO) are responsible for ensuring that 75% of their respective fleets receive a Certificate of Inspection (COI) before July 19, 2021. Failure […]
Marine Safety Alert: Readiness and testing of emergency dewatering equipment
The Inspections and Compliance Directorate issued Marine Safety Alert 02-21 to address an increasing failure rate amongst the inspected towing vessel fleet with regards to fixed and portable emergency dewatering equipment failing to operate as designed.
Subchapter M virtual training now available online
The Towing Vessel National Center of Expertise is pleased to announce virtual Subchapter M training is now available on the TVNCOE website.
Towing Safety Advisory Committee Spring 2020 meeting summary
On March 10, 2020 the Coast Guard’s Towing Safety Advisory Committee conducted a teleconference meeting where committee members voted unanimously to accept and issue the Coast Guard a final report on Task No.17-02 – Load Line Exemptions for River Barges on Lakes Erie and Ontario.
Practice makes permanent: Does your crew know what’s in your TSMS?
Editor’s note: This blog post was updated March 10, 2020 at 8:04 a.m. to correct an error.
A representative from the Office of Commercial Vessel Compliance joined several members of the professional maritime community Feb. 25, 2020, for an American Waterways Operators webinar, “Safety Know-How: Helping Your Crewmembers Embrace and Understand Your TSMS,” to offer best practices and lessons learned on ways to ensure towing vessel crews are familiar with their company’s Towing Vessel Safety Management System. In this post, we share a summary as well as a link to the audio file for the benefit of our readers.
Towing Vessel Nat’l Center of Expertise now offering customizable Subchapter M training programs
The training hub is geared toward industry compliance officers or operators, Third Party Organization representatives, and Coast Guard marine inspectors. Training modules are based on the latest policy and Coast Guard perspective on the selected topics.
Subchapter M enforcement posture for COI phase in requirements
This policy letter provides guidance regarding the enforcement posture for towing vessels’ COI phase-in requirements within 46 CFR §136.202.
An important safety consideration – Hazards of retractable pilothouses on towboats
Retractable pilothouses offer towing vessel operators great flexibility in meeting the many operational demands of inland navigation. This post offers recommendations to ensure the safety of all crew members involved in their operation.
