Business View Magazine - July 2023

182 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 10, ISSUE 7 transport compared to rail or trucking. For decades, our industry has worked closely with the U.S. Coast Guard through the Coast Guard-AWO Safety Partnership – the oldest public-private partnership between the Coast Guard and its stakeholders – to improve vessel and crew safety, enhance protection of the marine environment along the waterways, and strengthen communication between the Coast Guard and the tugboat, towboat and barge industry. That collaboration resulted in the development of the “Subchapter M” federal towing vessel safety regulations that raise the safety bar across our industry. As of July 2022, those regulations apply to the entire towing vessel fleet, and all towing vessels must have a Coast Guard- issued Certificate of Inspection to operate. Along with operating at the highest levels of safety to prevent harm to people, property and the marine environment, our industry is also the most environmentally sustainable mode of freight transportation in the United States. We have natural advantages compared to other modes – a single dry cargo barge can move as much cargo as 16 railcars or 70 trucks, which means that one towboat pushing a standard 15-barge tow on the water keeps over a thousand trucks off the highway. And our carbon footprint is substantially lower than that of other modes, with rail emitting 43% more carbon dioxide than barges, and trucks over 800% more. Guided by the leadership of AWO’s CEO- level Sustainability Task Force, we are determined to build on these advantages to continuously improve our environmental performance and help lead the global conversation on sustainability. Companies across our industry are investing in technological innovation aimed at further managing fuel consumption and