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Towing Vessel Safety: Analysis Of Congressional And Coast Guard Investigative Response To Operator Involvement In Casualties Where A Presumption Of Negligence Exist, Paul J. Cormier

Theses and Major Papers

Legislation proposed by members of the 103rd Congress to address towing vessel safety resulted from three focusing events. The proposed legislation was not passed. There is a continuing need to address the human element in marine casualties. Prevention through enforcement is a viable solution to some human causal factors. Numerous personnel investigations which should have been initiated following towing vessel groundings during 1992 and 1993, were not pursued; despite a presumption of negligence that exists in grounding cases. Due to the presumption, all groundings, and particularly those attributed to human factors during a casualty investigation provide sufficient reason to initiate …