Equipment Reporting FAQs

How Your Dues and Assessments are Calculated
 

AWO dues and assessments are calculated to fund the annual budget approved by the Board of Directors for the following year. The budget is funded equally between three vessel groups: 1/3 horsepower, 1/3 dry barge capacity, and 1/3 liquid barge capacity.
 
An assessment rate ($ per HP or $ per Barge capacity) is determined for each of four categories: Cargo Tugboats & Towboats, Dedicated Ship Assist Tugboats, Dry Cargo Barges, and Liquid Cargo Barges. The four rates are called the calculation factors.
 
Dues calculation:
  • Each carrier member pays $5,000 in base dues plus an assessment amount.
  • The assessment amount is added according to 3 tiers: 100% of first $40,000 or less dues assessment, 30% of next $20,000 ($40-60,000) dues assessment, and 15% of over $60,000 dues assessment. 
     

Report All Vessels Owned and Operated as of October 1, 2024
 

We sometimes receive calls during the year from members seeking to modify their current year's equipment report due to fleet expansion or contraction. To be fair and consistent with all members while keeping administrative costs down, AWO maintains a cutoff date of the first business day of October for equipment being reported for the following year. This year, that date is October 1, 2024. Changes to the fleet after that date will be recognized on next year's report.
 
Your equipment report should reflect all equipment assessable under AWO's Constitution and Bylaws in your fleet. A list of reportable and non-reportable equipment, and a list of AWO assessable equipment follows.
 

Saving Money on Your Dues
 

For larger companies, AWO offers the option of consolidating all equipment under a single company for reporting purposes.
 
 

From AWO Constitution and Bylaws: Reportable and Non-Reportable Equipment

ARTICLE II, Section 4: Reporting of Equipment for Assessment Purposes

 A. It is an obligation of AWO membership that every carrier member reports its fleet statistics annually. Every towing vessel owned, operated, managed, and chartered in by an AWO carrier member, as described in Paragraph B below, must be listed by name and horsepower and provided in an annual member equipment report due no later than the first business day of October. This annual report must also include all barges owned, operated, managed, and chartered in by the member consistent with the requirements stated below. Barge tonnage can be reported in the aggregate. No member may decrease its fleet equipment report for the upcoming year once the equipment has been reported for the calculation of annual assessments. 

 
B. All equipment owned, operated, managed, and chartered in as of the recording date, whether idle or not, must be reported, except for equipment engaged in non-transportation enterprises.

      1. Non-transportation equipment shall be defined as follows:

  • Vessels retired from revenue service, i.e., vessels removed from service during the previous 12 months and not intended to be returned to service in the following reporting period.
  • Barges used to maintain and service one’s own yard facility
  • Dredges, tugs and hopper barges primarily used for the movement of valueless cargo from coastal dredging operations. (“Primarily” is defined as more than 50 percent of the days worked during the 12 months prior to the reporting date.)
  • Inland deck barges primarily used or rented out as construction flats, spar barges, mooring barges or piers. (“Primarily” is defined as more than 50 percent of the days worked during the 12 months prior to the reporting date.)
  • Coastal deck barges used exclusively to service the offshore mineral and oil industry.
  • Derricks and barges fitted with cranes or spuds.
  • Jack-up barges.
  • Sectional barges

      2. Vessels used in the private carriage of a company’s own product or cargo, or for either the parent company or any affiliated companies, must be reported.

      3. Vessels under bareboat charter shall be reported by the owner unless evidence can be shown that the charterer has reported the vessel to AWO. (Vessels under fully found charter shall also be reported by the vessel owner. Equipment chartered in on a fully found basis from a non-AWO member is not reported for AWO assessment purposes.)

      4. Except for the vessels noted above, all other types of barges and towing vessels must be reported.
 

C. The tonnage and horsepower of all the equipment of companies under common control, as defined in Section 3 of this Article, except for equipment engaged in non-transportation enterprises, must be aggregated and reported for purposes of Article III irrespective of the number of companies within the family of companies under common control that individually elect to join the Association.
 
D. For other than carrier members, the Board of Directors will determine reporting requirements for purposes of Article III.

 

From AWO Constitution and Bylaws: AWO Assessable Equipment

ARTICLE III: Membership Dues & Assessments

 
Section 1. Membership Fees - Each member shall pay annual membership dues and such other sums as may be determined by the Board of Directors as necessary for conducting the affairs of the Association and to assure its financial stability.
 
Section 2. Basis for Assessments - Assessments shall be fixed by the Board of Directors, and shall be based as follows:
 
A. Barges:

      1. Hopper barges – tonnage shall be based on the barge’s normal deadweight cargo capacity in short tons, which is defined as:

  • Standard barge (175’ X 26’ X 12’) - 925 tons
  • Stumbo barge (195’ X 26’ X 12’) - 1,085 tons
  • Jumbo barge (195’ to 200’ X 35’ X 11’) - 1,475 tons
    Jumbo barge (195’ to 200’ X 35’ X 12’) - 1,575 tons
    Jumbo barge (195’ to 200’ X 35’ X 13’) - 1,675 tons
    Jumbo barge (195’ to 200’ X 35’ X 14’) - 1,775 tons
  • Super Jumbo barge (250’ X 52.5’ X 12’) - 3,000 tons
  • Lash barge (60’ X 30’ X 10’) - 375 tons
  • Other hopper barges - Normal deadweight capacity, in short tons, at 75 percent of the depth of side.

      2. Tank barge - Volumeric cargo capacity in barrels

      3. Deck barges - Deadweight ton capacity at loadline, or at 75 percent of the depth of side
 

B. Powered Vessels - Based on nameplate horsepower.
 
C. Self-Propelled Freight Vessels - Based on:
  • For tank vessels, total volumetric cargo capacity in barrels plus total nameplate horsepower. (Self- propelled tank vessels with a total volumetric cargo capacity exceeding 50,000 barrels are not subject to AWO assessments.)
  • For dry cargo vessels, loadline or normal deadweight capacity, in short tons, at 75 percent of the depth of side, plus total nameplate horsepower. (Self-propelled dry cargo vessels with a total deadweight capacity exceeding 2,000 short tons are not subject to AWO assessments.
     
D. Passenger & Ferry Boats - Based on onboard passenger capacity for vessels with overnight accommodations. Assessments for vessels without overnight accommodations shall be based upon normal full load capacity. In both cases, the assessment formula will be determined by the Board of Directors.
 
E. Other Members - Assessments based on number of employees or on the combination of tonnage/ volumetric cargo capacity in barrels for barges and horsepower of powered vessels they own, whichever is higher.