Page 36: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (March 1994)

ercise the highest and most rigor- tempt to bypass this most important ous standards of care. Rigidly pre- link in the safety chain will never be scribed safety "solutions" which at- more than partially effective.

YEARS OF

SERVICE 1944-1994 eluding within the license issuance and renewal process a requirement that a navigator's proficiency be checked by a qualified person within the industry; and • Initial notification procedures for reporting marine casualties should be standardized to avoid inconsis- tency and confusion. • Entry-level training for towing industry personnel should be stan- dardized via voluntary guidelines now under development within the

Towing Safety Advisory Commit- tee.

We believe these recommenda- tions have the potential to produce real improvements in navigational safety. And, within AWO, we are continuing our examination of in- dustry operations and governmen- tal requirements in an effort to iden- tify other areas in which safety may be enhanced. That process will con- tinue, as will our cooperation with all parties who share our commit- ment to sound, fact-based safety so- lutions.

Finally, much of the public de- bate in the wake of the Amtrak accident has focused on the need for more rigorous governmental regu- lation of the barge and towing in- dustry. Indeed, AWO has not hesi- tated to endorse or to call for such regulation where we believe it will yield concrete results. At the same time, however, we must bear in mind that safety is a process in which many actors must play a part.

Clearly, government, as the guard- ian of the public trust, must set the floor — the basic standard of safety — below which industry operations must not take place. Shippers, who employ carriers to move their prod- ucts, must be willing to insist on, and to pay the price for, high stan- dards of transportation safety and quality. But, it is carriers them- selves who bear the ultimate re- sponsibility for ensuring safe navi- gation on our nation's waterways.

Government regulation is not, and will never be, a substitute for a company's own responsibility to ex-

AWO ANNUAL MEETING (Continued, from page 32) please, contact Tina Norris at

AWO headquarters, (703) 841-9300.

Schedule of Events

Wednesday, April 13

The American Waterways Ship- yard Conference (AWSC) will hold its committee meetings in St. Louis. 1:30 - 2:30 p.m.

AWSC Regulatory Committee Meeting 2:30 - 4:00 p.m.

AWSC Legislative Committee Meeting

Thursday, April 14 8:00- 10:00 a.m.

AWO Common Issues Council Meeting 9:30- 11:30 a.m.

AWSC Membership Meeting 10:00 a.m. - noon

AWO Public Affairs Committee Meeting, with a special presentation on managing crisis by Brown Nelson Public Relations 11:00 a.m.- 1:00 p.m.:

AWO Coastal Sector Committee Meeting 1:00 - 3:00 p.m.

AWO Inland Dry Sector Committee

Meeting 2:00 - 3:30 p.m.

AWO Harbor Services Sector Committee

Meeting 3:00 - 5:00 p.m.

Inland Liquid Sector Committee Meeting 6:00 - 7:00 p.m.

AWO 50th Anniversary Reception 7:00 - midnight

AWO 50th Anniversary Gala Dinner-Dance

Friday, April 15 8:30 a.m. - noon

AWO Board of Directors Meeting and An- nual Meeting

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