Moran Towing of Texas Receives OSPRA Award

Moran Towing of Texas was awarded the 1998 OSPRA Award by the Texas General Land Office (GLO) for Moran's continued excellence in environmental safety. The oldest state agency in Texas, the GLO's primary functions are managing state lands and mineral rights, leasing drilling rights for oil and gas production and protecting the State's natural resources. The OSPRA Award was established by GLO to recognice organizations that have excelled in their efforts to comply with the Oil Spill Prevention and Response Act of 1991.

Moran's ongoing training program for its crews is designed to reduce the number of environmental incidents. In addition to training in various disciplines such as rules of the road, bridge resource management, and hazardous waste operations, crews are trained in first aid, CPR, fire safety, and safe methods of equipment operation. Crews are also offered a forum where they can candidly discuss issues and develop solutions based on real-life lessons learned in day-to-day experience. These solutions can then be applied to future operating practices.

The OSPRA Award recognizes one solution developed and adopted by Moran that reduces the threat of fuel spillage during the transfer of fuel to its tugs. As a standard practice prior to fueling its tugs, Moran deploys pads od sausage booms, which are placed around the fueling site to capture any spilled fuel before it spreads. After witnessing this procedure on the tug MARY MORAN. Mr. J. T. Ewing, Manager of the GLO Port Arthur Field Office, was so impressed that he recommended that the GLO establish a similar plan in his area. Under this plan, called Operation Scupper Plug, the GLO purchased and made available sausage booms stored in container boxes at the various fuleing terminals on the Texas coast in the hope that the procedure routinely utilized by Moran will be emulated by all responsible maritime operators.

The OSPRA Award was presented to Moran's Vice President and General Manager Larry Eaves by Mr. Russell Lutz, Deputy Commissioner of the GLO, and by J. T. Ewing, Manager of the GLO Port Arthur Office.