Lloyd’s Register, MarineCFO Partner to Provide Turnkey SubM Solutions

Posted by Joseph Keefe September 13, 2016

Industry Innovators Combine to lead US Towing Vessel Compliance.

Lloyd’s Register North America, Inc. has formally announced to the United States Coast Guard its intention to assume Subchapter M Third Party Organization duties effective immediately. This message was followed by the signing of an exclusive Subchapter M joint marketing agreement between Lloyd’s Register North America, Inc. and workboat technology provider MarineCFO, who will jointly bring comprehensive solutions for compliance with Subchapter M.

A result of the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2004, Subchapter M became effective July 20, 2016. The rulemaking transitions upwards of 5,000 previously uninspected towing vessels into a USCG inspection regime which includes the development, certification, and implementation of towing safety management systems by workboat operators. All towing vessels must be fully compliant with Subchapter M by August 20, 2018 and must be issued a USCG Certificate of Inspection no later than July 2022.

“The benefits of innovative thought leadership, a common maritime heritage, and a shared attitude towards mariner safety has never resonated more fervently than through this Subchapter M commitment by Lloyd’s Register to the American towing industry,” said Mark Darley, Lloyd’s Register Marine and Offshore Manager for the Americas, adding, “we are delighted to be writing another exciting chapter in our long and storied history.”

The Lloyd’s Register family of companies dates back to 1760, and classes 21% of the worlds IACS tugboat tonnage, including 30% of the IACS tugboat tonnage on order. “Subchapter M is an opportunity for the American inland towing industry to innovate effective workboat safety management systems that other maritime markets can easily emulate. Lloyd’s Register North America, Inc. and MarineCFO are perfectly positioned to assist in the implementation and ongoing support of Subchapter M and the requisite Towing Safety Management Systems,” explained Dean Shoultz, CTO of MarineCFO.

A technology provider to the American workboat industry since the late 1990s, MarineCFO engineered the cutting edge application Vessel 365 to complement Subchapter M recordkeeping requirements with an electronic towing vessel record complete with eLogs, Document Management, Assessments, Planned Maintenance, Audit Management, and Notifications. MarineCFO clients include Marquette Transportation, Harvey Gulf, Tidewater Barge, and Bollinger Shipyards.

“MarineCFO’s technology thought leadership, provides products and services that empower workboat operators with Vessel Enterprise Resources Planning through sustainable data collection, tasking and decision making tools. Vessel 365 exceeds Subchapter M recordkeeping requirements and is the natural complement to the LR compliance and quality assurance service portfolio. The Subchapter M agreement between Lloyd’s Register North America, Inc. and MarineCFO will be a tough combination to beat especially from a pricing, servicing, and technology perspective,” said David Hanowski, CEO of MarineCFO.

According to Rafael Riva, Lloyd’s Register North America Marine and Offshore Business Development Manager, the focus of the combined LR and MarineCFO efforts will be small and mid-sized towing fleets operating in the Mississippi, Ohio, and Tennessee River Valleys, as well as coastal tug fleets operating on the East Coast and Pacific Northwest. LR will direct Subchapter M activities through its offices in Houston, Seattle, New York, and others around the US, led by Sarah-Jane Bailey on the West Coast and Michael Klein-Ureña on the Inland Waterways and East Coast. MarineCFO will coordinate with LR from the MarineCFO operations center in Houma, LA, led by David Hanowski and Dean Shoultz.