Page 1
Page 2
Page 3
Page 4
Page 5
Page 6
Page 7
Page 8
Page 9
Page 10
Page 11
Page 12
Page 13
Page 14
Page 15
Page 16
Page 17
Page 18
Page 19
Page 20
Page 21
Page 22
Page 23
Page 24
Page 25
Page 26
Page 27
Page 28
Page 29
Page 30
Page 31
Page 32
MAY 2016 FOGHORN 5 LETTER FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR John Groundwater A Significant Milestone for PVA Members In 1996 then PVA President Rick Mosteller Fort Sumter Tours Charleston SC signed a game-changing charter that would establish an important new channel of communication between the Passenger VesselAssociation and the United States Coast Guard. Called the Partnership Action Team PAT this exciting new working group was intended to create a forum where senior leaders from PVA and the Coast Guard could meet several times a year to discuss issues and concerns and most importantly seek non-regulatory solutions. Twenty years have passed and this important group is still firmly in place. The name of the group has changed several timestoday it is called the Quality Partnership QPbut its goal remains the same. This working group has been chaired by many PVA Presidents and numerous Coast Guard Admirals and throughout this evolution has proven to be extremely beneficial to PVA members in terms of solving problems and avoiding regulation. Vessel inspection maritime security mariner licensing marine casualty reporting illegal charters rail jumping wake jumping and even vessel plan review are just a few of the issues that have been discussed over the years. One significant change from meetings of the past is that the QP is now placing added emphasis on identifying and working on issues that can be resolved by forming work or sub-groups that involve individuals with issue- specific experience and expertise. These work groups meet consider an issue and then report back to the QP with a recommendations for a workable non-regulatory solution. The following issues are examples of recent QP successes Improvements in Marine Casualty Reporting Marine Casualty Reporting and the associated problems with the program has been a key topic at numerous QP meetings. After a great deal of analysis and give-and-take the Coast Guard has published a Navigation and Inspection Circular NVIC which has revamped and improved the marine casualty reporting process. While there were quite a few other maritime or- ganizations weighing in on this issue also the PVACoast Guard QP was instrumental in promoting change. Sea Strainers Although small passenger vessels have been construct- ed with and have used non-metallic sea strainers for years without mechanical failure or fire damage new reg- ulations required the use of sea strainers made of ferrous material on small passenger vessels. This added unneces- sary cost without demonstrating any improvement in per- formance. The work of this PVACoast Guard Working Group resulted in a Coast Guard Policy letter written this year that allows the use of non-metallic sea strainers. Transient Fire Load In 2010 the Coast Guard published a change to its guidance on structural fire pro- tection for vessels that made it extremely difficult for vessel operators to manage passenger luggage and for builders to economically construct vessels to the new standard. Working together PVA and the Coast Guard conducted fire modeling tests on real vessel designs and came up with alternatives that allowed for a relaxation of previous guidelines. The final outcome of the transient fire load working group was the development of national guidance that gives operators a consistent and practical method for controlling luggage and that gives builders a reasonable guideline to use in future vessel construction. Last month the first of two annual Quality Partnership Meetings was held in Washington D.C. PVA President Margo Marks Beaver Island Boat Company Charlevoix MI PVA Vice President Jeff Whitaker Hudson River Cruises kingston NY PVA SecretaryTreasurer Gus Gaspardo Padleford Packet Boat Company St. Paul MN PVA Board Member and Chair of the Safety and Security Committee Bob Lawler Entertainment Cruises Boston MAand PVAPast PresidentAlan Bernstein BB Riverboats Inc. Newport KY along with key PVA staff joined senior Coast Guard officials to consider a full agenda of timely items of importance to PVA members and the passenger vessel industry at-large. Following are just a few of the items that were discussed during the QP meeting Inflatable Buoyant Apparatus Update Pending Coast Guard Study Reducing Slips Trips and Falls Workgroup Progress Engine Verifications Test Procedures Workgroup Activities Approval of New Workgroup on Illegal Internet Vessel Rentals and Sharing PVAFlagship Safety Management System and Reduced Inspections Pending Official Logbook Regulation Legal Drug Use and Discovery Aboard Passenger Vessels Increased Dollar Thresholds for Marine Casualty Reporting The PVA Coast Guard Quality Partnership meeting is just one of the many ways in which PVA is serving you LETTER FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR CONTINUED ON PAGE 30