SIU-contracted Alaska Tanker Company (ATC) has won a prestigious safety award issued by the U.S. Coast Guard. U.S. Coast Guard Assistant Commandant for Marine Safety and Environmental Protection, Rear Adm. Thomas H. Gilmour, recently announced that ATC earned the 2004 William M. Benkert Environmental Award. ATC won “gold level” recognition in the “large business vessel” category.
The award was presented in late June in San Diego.
“This award has been earned by the men and women of ATC,” stated Alaska Tanker Company President Anil Mathur. “I am proud to lead this team that harmoniously brings together helping provide energy for Americans and caring for our environment.”
According to the agency, the William M. Benkert Award “is the premier national award that recognizes excellence in marine environmental protection. The evaluation process is competitive; standards are rigorous and demanding. This award was created to recognize vessel and facilities operators who have implemented outstanding marine environmental protection programs— programs that far exceed mere compliance with industrial and regulatory standards.”
The award is named in honor of Rear Adm. William M. Benkert (1923-1989), a distinguished Coast Guard officer widely known for his leadership and vision in marine environmental protection.
ATC, based in Beaverton, Ore., operates a fleet of eight SIU-crewed tankers. The Coast Guard, in announcing the award, credited the company with maintaining “well-defined environmental policies and objectives with outstanding measurement tools. The company established performance contracts between owners, management, senior officers anrd the ship’s crew. These performance contracts identified clear and specific goals, measured trends and/or areas for improvement that allowed ATC to identify mitigation strategies to produce positive results. Each year, the specific goals and objectives of these contracts are set at a higher standard than the year before. During 2002 and 2003 ATC transported approximately 311 million barrels of crude oil with less than 2.2 gallons of oil being spilled in the environment.”
SIU-contracted Ocean Shipholdings, Inc. (OSI) received honorable mention. The company operates five U.S.-flag tankers for the U.S. Military Sealift Command (MSC).
The Coast Guard noted that Ocean Shipholdings’ vessels “operate worldwide, including the sensitive environmental regions of Antarctica and Greenland. OSI’s environmental polices are clear and concise covering the avoidance of damage to the environment with particular consideration to the marine environment. To meet the objectives of their mission and policy statements, risks are continually identified and evaluated to help reduce any impact on the environment. OSI also developed specific Marine Regulations to address the risks to vessels and the environment while operating in a harsh environment such as Antarctica.”
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