New rules urged for U.S. marine salvage and firefighting

New rules urged for U.S. marine salvage and firefighting    The American Salvage Association said the ongoing threat of terrorists destroying ships in harbors and navigation channels to disrupt the U.S. economy reaffirms the need for new marine salvage and firefighting regulations.
   The association has stepped up its effort to get the U.S. Coast Guard to act on the long-awaited regulations.
   Marine salvors are often the first on the scene of vessel casualties to minimize their damage to the environment and expedite recovery. Bisso Marine Co., for example, recently removed a vessel wreck that blocked the entrance to the port of New Orleans. Unlike New Orleans, most U.S. ports do not have the benefit of local salvage capability. Salvors want a national policy from the Coast Guard for how they are called into service.
   “Our country needs a national salvage policy now,” said Dick Fairbanks, president of the American Salvage Association, in a statement. “It is simply unacceptable for our nation to wait more than 13 years for these critically important regulations to be enacted.”