Historically, inland waterways in the United States and the vessels that work them were known for their hazards.

The first step toward change occurred almost 20 years ago with the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2004, which added towing vessels as an inspected class.

Next, and after years of discussions with industry organizations to identify parameters for safety improvement, the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) introduced Subchapter M (Sub M) in July 2016 that established regulations for vessels to receive a USCG Certificate of Inspection (COI) to help make the towing industry safer.

More than 5,000 vessels were affected, focusing on all U.S.-flag towing vessels that push, pull or haul.

The final deadline to comply with Sub M passed this summer on July 19, 2022. Happily, all ABS-classed inland vessels received COIs well before the due date.

One such client, NGL Marine, an SQE Certified Company, recently visited ABS headquarters. NGL’s fleet is based in La Porte, Texas, and operates barges and towboats on all inland waterways from Brownsville, Texas, to the Upper Mississippi River. ABS handles all Sub M Surveys and External Office and Vessel Audits for NGL Marine.

“We completed 100 percent of our COIs by 2021, a year before the deadline,” said Craig LaGrone, Vice President, NGL Marine. “ABS supported us throughout the process and took care of our fleet. Sub M is giving the towing industry a system of checks and balances – a much needed framework to safeguard our crews and fleets.

ABS was a key participant in the USCG’s Sub M program, providing the Rules by which other TPOs used for the inspections. ABS opened a Towing Service Center in Paducah, Kentucky, at the intersection of major riverways, the Ohio, Tennessee and Mississippi, solely focused on Sub M inspections.

Now that the Sub M deadline has passed, the physical office in Paducah is closed but ABS continues to attend vessels mid-continent. This is a valuable service especially for Gulf Coast operators that operate assets upriver but cannot always dispatch a team to support their vessels in the river region.

As for what’s next, many inland operators are undergoing their first vessel dry dock examinations with much success. Operators will also be renewing their Towing Safety Management System (TSMS) audit certificates within the next year.