Fireboats are Basically an Insurance Policy
Maritime Activity Reports, Inc.
“Fireboats are basically an insurance policy.” -Meeting minutes, Southeast Texas Waterways Advisory Council (SETWAC).
Developments in America’s coastal ports are causing officials to closely review maritime safety operations and equipment. Fireboats draw a lot of attention. The reference here is to big fireboats – 40-50 feet, crewed by specially trained firefighters, outfitted with the equipment required to confront and take on a range of waterway emergencies. [CBRN is a frequent acronym used with these fireboats: Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear operations.]
Big, new energy projects stand out as prime examples of new and significant port hazards. Consider the map from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) showing some of the major energy projects under regulatory review (Figure 1). And it’s more than just cargo pushing up risk. Vessels are bigger and traffic is heavie