COAST GUARD APPROVES BARGE INDUSTRY SECURITY PLAN

COAST GUARD APPROVES BARGE INDUSTRY SECURITY PLAN    The U.S. Coast Guard has told the American Waterways Operators, a national association of towboat, tugboat and barge operators, that domestic companies implementing the AWO’s Model Vessel Security Plan are considered in compliance with voluntary guidelines provided in the Coast Guard’s Navigation and Vessel Inspection Circular 10-02.
   The AWO’s plan lists both required and suggested actions for tugboat, towboat and barge-operating personnel to take, depending on the threat level, with regard to physical security, communications and cargo. An appendix to the plan defines nearly 100 hazardous cargoes by category, identifying those that could be used as weapons of mass destruction.
   Rear Adm. Larry L. Hereth, the U.S. Coast Guard’s director of port security, said the AWO’s plan “raises the security standard for a significant portion of the maritime industry.” AWO members carry cargo along 25,000 miles of inland and coastal waterways.
   The plan, minus its hazardous cargo appendix, is available at http://www.americanwaterways.com.