(CHICAGO) — Earlier this month, the American Waterways Operators’ Tankering and Barge Operations Subcommittee presented AWO affiliate member ERL Inc. with the subcommittee’s third annual Safety Award for the creation and testing of its EverGreen seal.
The EverGreen seal replaces current braided Teflon gaskets and reduces cargo vapor emissions by more than 90 percent, improving safety for mariners and shore tankering personnel as well as environmental sustainability.
The award was presented during an AWO summer meeting in Chicago by the subcommittee’s newly elected chairman, PSC Group Vice President of Marine and Plant Operations Josh Dixon, to Craig Theiler, ERL vice president Houston.
“I would like to thank the AWO Tankering and Barge Subcommittee for choosing ERL Inc. for the third annual Safety Award,” said Stephen Wilkins, CEO of ERL. “It is an honor to be a part of AWO, (which) continues to improve maritime safety and environmental sustainability. We are proud of the team at ERL that develops and manufactures innovative products, like the EverGreen seal, that reduce emissions, prevent spills, and increase tankerman and deck hand safety.”
“We were honored to have received the 2022 AWO annual Safety Award,” said Theiler. “This accolade not only highlights ERL’s desire to partner with our customers in innovating new products, but it also demonstrates AWO’s and the entire domestic maritime industry’s commitment to improving operations in a safe and sustainable manner. We look forward to continuing our relationship with our industry partners to develop new products and innovate on existing ones in our collective effort to continuously improve the safety, reliability, and efficiency of domestic maritime transportation.”
“Thanks to AWO for being good stewards of our working environment through actively promoting engineered solutions for a safer world for us all,” said ERL Vice President Todd Marshall. “We at ERL take the safety of our mariners and the preservation of the environment very seriously and are honored to be recognized by our peers with this Safety Award.”
“AWO applauds ERL Inc. on this well-deserved award,” said AWO President and CEO Jennifer Carpenter. “ERL Inc. and their EverGreen seal are a shining example of the ingenuity and innovation that are propelling the tugboat, towboat and barge industry forward into the future. Their leadership is a fantastic representation of AWO members’ commitment to mariner safety and environmental sustainability.”
The first and second annual Safety Awards were presented in 2020 and 2021 by the subcommittee to AWO affiliate members CITGO Petroleum Corp.’s Lake Charles, La., marine department and facility and ARCOSA Marine Products, respectively.
