Safety
The safety, health and wellbeing of our people, vessels and environment is our number one priority. We act on this priority by embracing new technologies, performing continual process reviews
and fostering a safety first culture. Training, education and certification are the foundation to consistently and sustainably achieve an outstanding record of safety and environmental stewardship.
Our newest state-of-art tugs utilize the best available technologies such as low emission tier 4 EPA compliant engines, hi-tech winch mounted connection systems, latest navigation awareness
systems, and efficient hull forms with stabilizing sponsons for added power and safety. These features provide our mariners the absolute best tools to safely and efficiently assist ships in and out
of our Ports time after time.
Our dedicated safety team comprises of experienced staff tasked with disseminating best practices and early identification of potential hazardous and negative trends.
The group has built a robust near-miss and incident reporting procedure and data capture. This data is studied and results are summarized for dissemination during Quarterly Preventative Action Committee
meetings held with the entire fleet.
All of our Mariners are USCG credentialed and maintain the appropriate endorsements required to perform their specific roles on the tugs. We focus on cross training and process education of
all rankings in order to efficiently be able to promote mariners within the fleet. By the time our Captains take command, they have a wealth of relevant experiences to draw upon.
Every vessel complies with all applicable U. S. Coast Guard (USCG) regulations in effect. In addition and since 2005, we have operated with a Safety Management System in compliance with the International
Safety Management (ISM) Code verified annually by the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) as a Recognized Organization. Additionally, we are certified in compliance with the American Waterway Operators Responsible
Carrier Program (RCP). Annually each vessel undergoes an external survey conducted by the ABS qualified as a Third-Part Organization (TPO) supervised by the U. S. Coast Guard pursuant to 46 CFR Subchapter M.
All vessels also have been issued a Safety Management Certificate (SMC) and are audited by ABS. We have exceeded the annual phase-in requirement for issuance of Certificates of Inspection (COI) by the USCG
for the past two years and we will have COI’s issued to 100 percent of our vessels by July 2022.
Our mariners are highly trained and certified. Our sophisticated vessels are highly regulated via robust programs and inspection criteria. Our processes and procedures are continually refined.
These actions are in place in order to achieve one overarching goal - to preserve the Safety, Health and Wellbeing of our People, our Vessels and our Environment.