Jennifer Carpenter
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10 May 2026
American Waterways, Global Volatility: Making the Right Policy Choices
Today’s headlines bring constant news of international shipping hubs across the global supply chain experiencing major volatility and disruption – from Iran sending shockwaves through global energy markets by forcefully obstructing vessel traffic in the Strait of Hormuz; to the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen signaling intent to restart attacks on shipping in the Red Sea; to China detaining Panama-flagged vessels in an escalation of ongoing disputes over the Panama Canal…
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17 Nov 2025
Looking Beyond Maritime’s “Moment”
It’s been said that American maritime is “having a moment” in Washington, DC.From President Trump’s Executive Order on Restoring America’s Maritime Dominance, to introduction of the bipartisan, bicameral SHIPS for America Act in Congress, the U.S. maritime industry has been a subject of focused attention at the highest levels of government, and rightfully so. At their core, these initiatives are driven by recognition that a strong maritime industry is not only vital to the American economy…
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27 Jun 2024
America Must Renew its Commitment to Maritime
The United States must renew its commitment to a strong, reliable American maritime capability to confront emerging threats. China’s aggressive shipping expansion poses significant challenges to the United States and our allies. Global tensions have highlighted the vulnerability of maritime supply chains, and our domestic waterways remain a potential pathway for increasingly belligerent adversaries…
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06 Nov 2023
Navigating Sustainability: Charting a Way Forward
You can feel it in the air, and increasingly on the water: a steady increase in momentum toward a global economy that prioritizes sustainability. Government stakeholders at all levels, and shipping customers across industries, are setting ambitious goals and high expectations for environmental performance, and that includes the transportation of U.S. and global commerce on the waterways.For the tugboat…
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18 Sep 2023
OpEd: EPA Must Stop Unsafe and Costly California Maritime Mandate
California’s maritime sector is essential to America’s role in the global economy and to the supply chain. Yet, a mandate from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) has cast a shadow over the safety and efficiency of this sector, which will have far-reaching effects on the nation.While CARB’s intentions to bolster air quality are commendable, and California’s maritime industry has a proven track record of working to lower emissions…
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18 May 2023
Cultivating Tomorrow’s Waterways Workforce
The American Waterways Operators (AWO) is taking action to help address an industry need and a national imperative to recruit, retain and develop the next generation of maritime employees.As much as the tugboat, towboat and barge industry contributes to our nation’s prosperity and security today, we are an industry with an incredibly bright future that has even more to offer in the years to come. Our…
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02 Nov 2021
Maritime for the Win(d)
With the recent announcement by Secretary Deb Haaland that the Department of Interior will potentially hold up to seven new offshore lease sales by 2025, the Biden administration has taken a significant step toward its goal of bringing online 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2030. This development is the latest indicator that close collaboration now between America’s offshore wind and maritime stakeholders holds the promise of lasting benefits for our nation’s energy future.
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16 Nov 2020
Implementing VIDA: The Next Step Forward
The tugboat, towboat and barge industry has a profound impact on America’s economy, security and quality of life, safely moving over 760 million tons of vital commodities every year and annually generating over $33 billion in U.S. GDP. Those numbers are a tribute to the hardworking men and women who ply our nation’s waterways, as well as a testament to the national scope of a critical industry whose operations…
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12 Jun 2020
COVID-19 & the US Workboat Market: Business Continuity, Not Business as Usual
In today’s environment, the overarching challenge for the American tugboat, towboat and barge industry is to continue transporting the vital commodities that help keep our nation’s economy moving during a highly uncertain time, while taking all necessary measures to ensure the health and safety of our workforce as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve – in other words, to ensure business continuity, while recognizing we are not, nor can we be, going about business as usual.
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21 Mar 2019
OP/ED: Smoother Sailing
Consistent Regulations Critical to Maritime Commerce, American Prosperity.“The ease of moving people and cargo on America’s waterways is a competitive advantage and wellspring for economic prosperity and national security,” states the U.S. Coast Guard’s Maritime Commerce Strategic Outlook, released last fall by ADM Karl Schultz, Commandant. The owners and mariners of the vessels that ply our nation’s waterways…
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25 Aug 2015
AWO Working Hard for the Domestic Workboat Market
The year 2015 has been a busy year for The American Waterways Operators, the national trade association for the tugboat, towboat and barge industry, and for the industry AWO is privileged to represent. It’s a dynamic time for a vital industry that constitutes the largest segment of the U.S. domestic fleet, as companies throughout the industry are investing heavily to meet evolving customer needs; the industry stands on the verge of historic regulatory change…
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08 Apr 2015
2015: An Action Year for Subchapter M
For all of the predictions and prognostications that have been made over the last ten years, one thing is objectively true: the publication of Subchapter M – the U.S. Coast Guard’s long-awaited towing vessel inspection rule – is closer than it’s ever been. Yes, the road to Subchapter M has been long, but the end is in sight (really). As we approach our destination, both the Coast Guard and the tugboat, towboat, and barge industry have work to do to ensure that the way is well paved.
