American Salvage Association 10th Anniversary

vThe American Salvage Association (ASA) is celebrating the 10th year of its founding with a variety of special events to commemorate the occasion, including a lunch at its fall membership meeting on November 1 at MITAGS in Linthicum, Md. to be attended by a number of industry and government guests.

ASA’s accomplishments have been noteworthy over the last decade.  Among them, ASA members helped to evacuate people and debris from the devastation of the World Trade Center after 9-11.  ASA came together during Hurricane Katrina and members were responsible for helping the Coast Guard achieve the prompt reopening of the Mississippi River and to accomplish salvage and wreck removal operations offshore and inland.  ASA members responded to hundreds of marine casualties in the aftermath of Hurricanes Rita and Ike as well.  More recently, ASA members mobilized to earthquake stricken Port Au Prince to help in clearing the harbor and assist in the restoration of port operations. 

On the environmental front, ASA continues to serve as a catalyst in raising awareness in Congress and within the maritime community on the latent threat of oil contained in submerged wrecks throughout the coastal zones of North America in the Wreck Oil Removal Program (WORP).   Removing oil from a sunken wreck protects the environment, the local community, and makes the best use of taxpayer’s dollars as the cost of removal is considerably lower than cleaning the oil off impacted wildlife and shorelines.  

“Throughout the past 10 years, our Association has continued to gain momentum and achieve key milestones for the improvement of marine casualty response and environmental protection in North America.  An ever-increasing membership roll, coupled with an increased operational efficiency, our distinguished group of salvors and affiliate and associate members have created a new chapter for moving forward in this century,” said ASA President Mauricio Garrido.