Safety Leadership
Coast Guard-AWO Safety Partnership
Established in 1995, the Coast Guard-AWO Safety Partnership is the oldest public-private partnership between the U.S. Coast Guard and its stakeholders. The Safety Partnership’s mission is to improve vessel and personnel safety within the barge and towing industry, enhance the protection of the environment along our nation’s waterways, and strengthen the communication and working relationship between the Coast Guard and the barge and towing industry. Since its establishment, the Safety Partnership has been distinguished by its non-regulatory, data-driven, results-oriented approach.
The Safety Partnership is comprised of a National Quality Steering Committee and three Regional Quality Steering Committees – the Mid-America, Atlantic, and Pacific. Together, these committees have launched more than 40 cooperative initiatives to advance marine safety and environmental stewardship. At the national level, accomplishments include recommendations to reduce towing vessel crew fatalities, best practices to prevent tank barge and towing vessel oil spills, and, most recently, guidance to enhance cyber risk management in the barge and towing industry.