The December 2009 issue of Work Boat magazine has a timely interview with Peter Squicciarini, the Coast Guard Atlantic Area Towing Vessel Program Manager.

A few quotes stood out:

..."voluntary membership in AWO's Responsible Carrier Program will be extended fleetwide to all U.S.-flagged domestic vessels. It will no longer be voluntary, but all boats must follow marine safety standards - that will be the change. The good news is that AWO members who follow the RCP are already in a good position once the final rules are out".

"The other overarching change will be creating a safety management system. The RCP is tantamount to this, as it brings boats up to a higher level of marine safety. It has standards for management and safe boat operations. The emphasis will be on an overall marine safety management system, not on an individual boat operator as in the past".

The article is available online at the following url:

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http://www.workboat.com/newsdetail.aspx?id=4294987127