Tidewater Attains First Sub M COI on the West Coast

MarineLink May 18, 2018

Back row (l-r): Chris Springer, District 13 USCG; Bill Collins, Tidewater EHS&S Director; Josh Jarman, Tidewater Quality & Compliance Manager; Marc Schwartz, Tidewater Maintenance & Engineering Manager; Craig Nelson, Tidewater Vessel Operations Manager; Bruce Reed, Tidewater VP & COO; Josh Nichols, Tidewater Captain & Assistant Port Captain. Front row (l-r): Austin Murai, MSTC USCG; Brian Fletcher, Tidewater Port Captain; Jeff Deronde, MST1 USCG (Photo: Tidewater)

Tidewater Transportation and Terminals of Vancouver, Wash., announced today that the Office of Commercial Vessel Compliance and the Coast Guard Sector Columbia River has issued a Certificate of Inspection (COI) to the towing vessel Crown Point for compliance under the U.S. Coast Guard’s (USCG) Subchapter M safety regulations governing the inspection, standards and safety management systems of towing vessels.

This COI is the first issued to a west coast (PACAREA) tugboat/towboat operator.

The Crown Point is the first of three custom-built river towboats built for Tidewater in 2015. Measuring 102’x38’x14’ with 2,240 BHP, the Crown Point was specifically designed and built for the Columbia-Snake River system, and incorporates many advanced concepts to set new standards in safety and efficiency.

Crown Point (Photo: Tidewater)

“We operate under a safety management system that puts the health and safety of the public, our environment, and our employees first,” explained Bill Collins, Director of Environmental, Health, Safety and Security (EHS&S). “All of our tugs meet or exceed the increasingly stringent industry requirements for towing vessels.”

“The issuance of this COI represents a significant accomplishment by Tidewater,” said Bruce Reed, Tidewater Vice-President and Chief Operations Officer. “It is a testament to the skills, dedication, and thoroughness of our marine employees, and Operations and EHS&S departments.”