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operations, opposing excessive operational taxes in Washington vent falls overboard through our Falls Overboard Prevention state, or building on our successes in countering anti-Jones Act Report; collaborate with the National Safe Boating Council resolutions in Alaska and New Hampshire, effective advocacy to educate recreational boaters on safe navigation near com- in state capitals is critical to creating the conditions for the con- mercial vessels; address moveable bridge hazards through tinued safety and ef? ciency of maritime commerce. our Bridge Event Reporting program; and other initiatives are

Translating a maritime “moment” into a strong and enduring critical to continued progress toward zero harm. future also means continuously improving our performance as If American maritime is to continue to thrive beyond any the indispensable national asset we are, especially by building given “moment,” we must also attract, retain and grow the in- on our unmatched record as America’s safest mode of freight dustry’s future workforce to meet growing demand for marine transportation. The Coast Guard-AWO Quality Partnership – transportation. There is no single solution to this challenge, at 30 years and counting, the Coast Guard’s oldest public-pri- but it certainly requires modernizing the Coast Guard’s mari- vate partnership – has been the cornerstone of this effort, with ner credentialing process, so we don’t lose mariners to frus- the partnership’s most recent Annual Safety Report showing tration with long bureaucratic delays; cultivating partnerships continuing positive trends in driving down fatalities (at 4.2 per between our industry, federal and state maritime academies 100,000 full-time employees in 2024, well below the rate for and educational and training institutions around the country; all transportation workers) and oil pollution (.25 gallons per and ? nding innovative, engaging ways to tell our industry’s million gallons of cargo transported by tank barge in 2024, compelling story to the next generation of mariners. with 92% of the total volume traceable to just two incidents). That American maritime story is more than a moment – it’s

Improvements like these don’t just happen – they are the re- a central pillar of our nation’s past, present, and future pros- sult of a strong safety culture across our industry, and for- perity and security. Working together, the American maritime ward-thinking leadership in addressing both longstanding and community must seize today’s opportunities to build the in- emerging safety risks. That is why AWO’s latest efforts to pre- dustry that our country needs for a strong tomorrow.

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