The Great Lakes Towing Company, in partnership with Resolve Marine, hosted an open house to demonstrate their marine salvage and fire fighting (SMFF) capabilities.  The event included equipment displays, serious discussions about maritime emergencies and response, and a nice Cleveland BBQ luncheon.

Earlier this year, Resolve Marine, a global leader in specialized marine services, emergency response, salvage, and recovery, announced an exclusive agreement with The Great Lakes Towing Company (GLT) to provide OPA 90 Salvage and Marine Firefighting (SMFF) services in U.S. Coast Guard District 9.

The open house was available to anyone interested in learning more about the marine response capabilities in the Great Lakes region that are provided by the two companies to meet requirements under OPA90 Salvage & Marine Firefighting regulations.

The event provided an opportunity for industry partners to meet team members from The Great Lakes Towing Company and Resolve Marine, learn about the resources available; discuss marine fire response tactics, tug fleet locations, and facility capabilities; and to watch live demonstrations of the emergency response equipment in use.

Open House attendees included representatives from the U.S. Coast Guard, vessel owner/operators, Cleveland Fire Department, and more.

Per Joe Starck, President, The Great Lakes Towing Company, “There are two messages we are trying to send during this Open House:  First and foremost, we want the USCG and our customers to know that firefighting equipment, dewatering pumps and other response equipment are here and immediately available to deploy when needed.  It is important to recognize that the teaming of GLT and Resolve will result in the most timely, effective, and comprehensive response to any marine casualty, be it a shipboard fire, grounding, or any other incident. 

Second, and perhaps even more importantly, is the recognition that readiness is critical.  Waiting until an incident occurs to put a plan into action is too late.  As a ship owner/operator, it is just as critical to be prepared as it is to have a plan.  What good is a VRP if the responders you depend on are not ready the moment you need them?  The Towing Company and our tug crews are on call, 24-hours a day, 7-days a week, year-round.  We have 36 tugs stationed in 13 ports from Duluth to Buffalo.  There is no other tugboat company on the lakes with that breadth of service and level of readiness.  And Resolve is unquestionably the most experienced and prepared responder.  The scale of their operation, and their inventory of response equipment immediately available for deployment, is extraordinary.  In our opinion, no other SMFF response company maintains that level of readiness.”