Salvage: Time is of the Essence
By Richard B. A riddle: How many years, and how many Administrations does it take for an esteemed U.S. government agency to publish regulations that have likely already been written? The answer is 13 years and five Admirals. Thirteen surely is an unlucky number for the professional marine salvage industry in the United States, for it has, indeed, taken this many years for the United States Coast Guard to publish its proposed salvage regulations (to amend 33 CFR Part 155, Salvage & Marine Firefighting Requirements), which, after all this time, have once again been postponed for three more years. The future of these proposed regulations is as difficult to predict as the weather. The Oil Pollution Act of 1990 was the legislative response to a major shipping casualty within our borders.
Salvors Forge Their Way into the Future
Maritime Reporter solicited the opinions of two of the leading marine salvage companies to discover trends and challenges facing marine operators in the near future. The 2003 National Maritime Salvage Conference, sponsored by American Salvage Association (ASA), will take place September 9-11, 2003 at the Marriott Crystal City in Crystal City, VA. For more information visit www.americansalvage.org. George E. Senior Vice President Weeks Marine, Inc. MR: How has the industry/your company changed since 9-11? Wittich: The salvage industry has a critical role to play in assisting the various government entities manage their maritime security mission.
