20 September, 2016 (Daphne, AL) – Today, Safety and Compliance solutions provider, Tug and Barge Solutions (TBS), announced its new working arrangement with Helm Operations. The arrangement allows TBS to deliver its safety and compliance management program through Helm CONNECT for customers that elect to use an electronic system to manage their safety and compliance, particularly for Subchapter M. This integration of the two product lines allows for towing operators preparing for Subchapter M to experience a much smoother Towing Safety Management System (TSMS) implementation process with TBS, in addition to leveraging Helm CONNECT to provide significant cost savings related to Sub M’s record-keeping requirements.
Patrick Boles, Managing Director of Tug and Barge Solutions, says that the working arrangement with Helm gives Tug and Barge Solutions’ clients a real advantage over using paper-based systems. “We (TBS) chose to work with Helm [to deliver our compliance management] because its software is the best fit for our customers,” said Boles. “The flexibility of Helm CONNECT lets us easily tailor the system to our way of managing safety and compliance, plus the efficiency of using software instead of paper will net many benefits for our customers.”
The timing of this arrangement is notable, given that the final rule of 46 CFR Subchapter M officially came into effect July 20th, 2016. By July 20th, 2018 all towing vessels required to have a COI issued from US Coast Guard must be in compliance with Subchapter M. Boles believes that his customers will greatly benefit from using Helm CONNECT to prove compliance with Subchapter M, “We see a lot of software in our business, and no one has anything quite like Helm CONNECT,” said Boles. “The software handles everything required by Subchapter M regulations and much more.” Rodger Banister, VP of Marketing for Helm Operations echoed Boles’s sentiments, “It’s great to have Tug and Barge Solutions using Helm CONNECT to help its towing vessel customers who need to comply with Subchapter M,” said Banister. Banister also welcomed the arrangement because it gives towing vessel customers of TBS the ability to comply with Subchapter M and experience the benefits of software to manage their maintenance and compliance, “The incorrect impression many smaller operators have is that they’re too small to afford software, which just isn’t the case with Helm CONNECT,” said Banister. Tug and Barge Solutions will offer Helm CONNECT as a package solution with its safety and compliance management services.
For more information, please contact:
Rodger Banister VP Marketing, Helm Operations +1 250 360.1991 x113 rodger.banister@helmoperations.com Pat Folan Tug and Barge Solutions 251-300-0017 pat@tugandbargesolutions.com
About Helm Operations:
Since 1999 Helm Operations has been developing software solutions for the commercial maritime industry. Helm CONNECT is the flagship product of Helm Operations that makes planned maintenance and compliance management easier and more affordable to vessel towing operators.
Helm Operations is a subsidiary of ClassNK, one of the world’s leading classification societies, dedicated to supporting the growth and development of the maritime industry, and ensuring the safety of ships, their crews, and the marine environment. Helm Operations is also a sister company to Safety Management Systems LLC, based in Portland, ME.
Helm, SMSLLC and ClassNK also comprise the Sub M Group of companies. As the vessel towing industry adopts the recently published 46 CFR Subchapter M regulations, the Sub M Group is developing solutions for Subchapter M compliance needs. Whether operators are looking at options to prepare their current safety management system for Subchapter M, to choose a Third Party Option to obtain a Certificates of Inspection, or to improve the recording of compliance related information or communication between vessels and shore, the Sub M Group of companies is standing by to assist towing vessel operators with their needs.
www.Submgroup.com
About Tug and Barge Solutions:
Tug & Barge Solutions is a leading safety & compliance consultancy for the marine towing industry. Specializing in Towing Safety Management System (TSMS) development and implementation, TBS can offer an affordable end-to-end solution to Subchapter M, SIRE, RCP, ISM, TMSA, or any other regulatory compliance hurdle your operation may face.
With more than 75 years combined in towing vessel experience, TBS’ three principal partners include two Masters of Towing Vessels, both of which have operated their own towing firms and still manage tugs and barges to this day. This unique dynamic allows Tug & Barge Solutions to better comprehend the pressure points of the business environment, budgeting constraints, daily struggles, and all of the other aspects of the towing industry that make it so special and yet so challenging. At Tug & Barge Solutions our consultants are mariners first, and we will enable you to change as the regulatory and business climate change, all the while becoming a safer, and more stable, productive and profitable company.
Tug & Barge Solutions has expertise in both coastal and inland marine operations and currently serve clients that range geographically from Portland, ME to Miami, FL, across the Gulf Coast to Houston, TX and north to St. Paul, MN. In addition to Tug & Barge Solutions offering Towing Safety Management System development and training.
