Implementing and adhering to new federal rules and regulations is never easy for any industry. However, the timing of new programs going into place means a lot to the burden an industry bears.
The current economic downturn and political climate has seen the Gulf of Mexico offshore market slide to numbers not seen since the oil crunch of the late 1980s and early 1990s. That’s why industry observers are worried about how a slew of new initiatives will affect the offshore service vessel market.
“Our core mission is regulatory matters and we’re slammed right now,” said Ken Wells, president of the New Orleans-based Offshore Marine Service Association.
Just a few of the issues OMSA is worried with are vessel discharge permitting, new ballast water requirements, international licensing and training requirements and possible readers onboard vessels to monitor Transportation Worker Identification Cards, or TWIC.
Most of the initiatives have been in the pipeline for years, but are only now getting close to becoming a reality.
“Unfortunately, they are hitting at a time of a downturn and there’s not a lot of ability absorb the additional costs of new regulations,” Wells said. “Our industry is already operating at a high level of safety and when we see new initiatives we have to ask ourselves ‘Does this make our industry safer?’”
TWIC readers for instance would monitor the new Transportation Safety Administration credentials onboard vessels. However, the federal government is behind on the technology to implement the program and industry watchers question the overall public policy of the issue.
“How does this added nuisance and expense make our vessels safer than today?” Wells asked. “We have to take a real close look at all of these initiatives.”