Coast Guard Lays Out Plan to Improve Marine Safety

WASHINGTON -  The U.S. Coast Guard published its five-year Marine Safety Performance Plan Thursday and seeks public comment on the plan for the next 60 days.

The plan was unveiled by Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Thad Allen during a National Maritime Day event in the Port of Baltimore Thursday.  Department of Labor Secretary Elaine L. Chao, Maryland Department of Transportation Secretary John D. Porcari and former Congresswoman Helen Delich Bentley also participated in the event which was well-attended by stakeholders and partners of the Port of Baltimore maritime community.

Allen noted that America's maritime transportation system is vital to the country's economy, supporting the flow of more than $950 billion in international commerce and 51 million containers of cargo while providing the most cost effective and energy efficient means of cargo transportation.  As big as those numbers are, Allen said maritime commerce is forecasted to increase.  "Total maritime trade is expected to double by the year 2020," said Allen. 

Allen continued by stating that the current fleet of 10,500 U.S. flagged vessels subject to Coast Guard inspection is expected to increase by about 7,000 vessels as towing and assistance vessels comply with requirements of the Marine Transportation Safety Act of 2004. 

"For centuries, we've provided marine safety experience and expertise to the maritime community to help ensure our citizens remain safe, our ports are secure, and our waters are protected," said Allen.  "Recognizing this exponential growth in maritime trade, we are recommitting ourselves to our Marine Safety Program.  We've just completed our five-year Marine Safety Performance Plan. This action plan is designed to improve upon the service's marine safety program with the ultimate goal of a program that will be considerate and responsive to mariners and the maritime community." 

The plan is available on the Internet by navigating to http://homeport.uscg.mil/mycg/portal/ep/home.do and then clicking on the Marine Safety Performance Plan link.  Comments may be submitted via the active e-mail link provided on the site.    

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The U.S. Coast Guard is a military, maritime, multi-mission service within the
Department of Homeland Security dedicated to protecting the safety and security of America.

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