Page 29: of Marine News Magazine (January 2020)

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U.S. Coast Guard photo by Ronald Hodges

Waterway Operators (AWO), a trade association for the workboat and towing and barging sector.

Allegretti’s remarks came in a speech at a late-Septem- ber 2019 conference on Subchapter M, which provides a framework for safety management of towing vessels (rather than ferries). By all accounts, Subchapter M, which came into effect nearly two years ago, is still a work in progress – or “an un? nished journey” in Allegretti’s words – and is being ? ne-tuned.

Under Subchapter M (found within 46 CFR), previ- ously uninspected towing vessels are now subject to rig- orous vessel inspections, whether by the Coast Guard or through third-party organizations (TPO, an integral part of the process). These TPOs include American Bureau of

Shipping (ABS), which covers inland waterways and coast- al ports, but also smaller out? ts working regionally. When it comes to towing vessels, information about detentions is closely guarded, in contrast to the high-pro? le New York

Waterway episode.

Passenger vessels are subject to more stringent stan- dards than towing vessels. An ex-surveyor who is now with a TPO, Steve Lindholm, Consulting Engineer/ Na- val Architect at EDT Forensic Engineering & Consult- ing, explained, “Many of the inspection requirements of www.marinelink.com