In a world of steady business consolidation it’s really nice to see that the small, independent operator still exists…seen here on Long Island Sound motoring past the Gold Coast. While the towing industry as a whole has been sorely in need of vessel inspections for many decades, now that we’re actually getting close to seeing them implemented (maybe) the Coast Guard needs to be very careful not to inadvertantly run the small operators out of business with new rules that are inappropriate and overly-burdensome for the work they do while still meeting the improved-safety mandate from Congress. That means it can’t be a one-size-fits-all approach and it won’t be easy, so the Coast Guard will need to cast a broad net for opinions and advice on how to make it all work. I guess we’ll find out whether that will happen or not…
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