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Since 1915
JRC Americas (p) 205 654 5644 www.jrcamerica.com
28 MARINE LOG April 2014
company, focusing on safety, the environment and customer service. We get ever yone i nvolved i n t he cont i nuou s improvement effort.” That continuous improvement effort stems from a number of quality management systems employed by HMS focusing on safety and environmental best practices. Deborah has spearheaded that effort since she joined HMS in 2005 as Vice President of HSQE (Health, Safety, Quality, Environmental), Human Resources and Administration. Since 2006, she has helped implement Quality Systems and attain ISO/ISM and AWO-Responsible Carrier Program (RCP) certifications at HMS companywide. Harley Marine is H, S, Q, and E-certified to the ISM Code, ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and the OHSAS 18001 standards; one of the few tug and barge operators to hold such certifications. Last year, it completed its 8th annual ISO/ISM audit from ABS. To comply with the ISM Code, operators must assess the risks to vessels, personnel, and the environment that arise from vessel operations. A major requirement of the OHSAS 18001 standard is to establish, implement and maintain procedures for the ongoing hazard identification, risk assessment, and determination of necessary controls. D e b or a h w i l l d i s c u s s H M S’ r apid
growth, environmental stewardship and ISO/ISM and RCP certifications during her keynote address at next month’s Marine Log’s Tugs & Barges 2014 Conference & Expo, Stamford, CT. HMS’ risk assessment involves examining the company’s activities and operations, identif y ing what could go w rong, and deciding how to mitigate it. “OHSAS 18001 helps get to the root cause of t he problem,” says Jim Flies, Ha rle y Ma r i ne’s HSE Ma nager, DPA . “Deborah really pushed for us to get certif ication. There’s a great emphasis on incident investigation to help prevent it from happening again.” Victoria Hall-Clinton, Harley Marine’s H S QE C o ord i n ator, p oi nt s out t h at employees also enjoy a sense of empowerment through safety incentive programs and through mentoring as a means of passing on experience and solidifying the company’s corporate culture.
Some growing pains Harley Marine Services’ rapid growth hasn’t been without growing pains. Harley Marine Gulf, Inc., the company’s newest and now the largest unit, was formed following the acquisition of MGI, Houston, TX, in February 2011. Harley Marine Gulf operates tugs
trying to Sort out environmental compliance DeSpite being in the forefront of environmental stewardship, one of the biggest hurdles for Harley Marine Services and other tug and barge operators is environmental compliance. Vessel operators must navigate a confusing patchwork quilt of local, state and federal regulations that can often be in conflict. There’s nothing more confusing than the regulations surrounding ballast water discharges. Senators Mark Begich (D-AK) and Marco Rubio (R-FL) are taking a stab at rectifying the regulatory morass. On March 6, they along with 23 bi-partisan co-sponsors introduced S. 2094, the Vessel Incidental Discharge Act. The bill aims to establish nationally uniform and environmentally sound standards for discharges incidental to the normal operation of a vessel. The American Water ways Operators (AWO), the national association of tug and barge owners and operators, reported that on March 13, a coalition of 59 national and regional organizations representing a wide array of business, maritime and labor interests, signed and sent a letter to the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation
Committee leadership, Chairman John Rockefeller (D-WV) and Ranking Member John Thune (R-SD), thanking them for cosponsoring S. 2094, and urging swift Committee consideration and approval. “ Today, t wo federal agencies, the U.S. Coast Guard and the Environmental Protection Agency, regulate ballast water and other vessel discharges under two differing statutory authorities,” the letter stated. “And, because neither federal statute preempts state action, more than two dozen states have established their own requirements for many of those same discharges—over 150 in all. This overlapping patchwork of federal and state regulations makes compliance complicated, confusing and costly for vessel owners and mariners. It is counterproductive to the goal of enhanced environmental protection, creates inefficiencies and uncertainty, and has forced resourceconstrained federal and state agencies to duplicate efforts and expend significant time and taxpayer money in a wellintentioned but unsuccessful attempt to harmonize their requirements.”