ASA Holds Fall Board Meeting at MITAGS

Published Nov 9, 2005 12:01 AM by The Maritime Executive

The American Salvage Association held its Fall Board Meeting on November 2nd at the Maritime Institute of Technology and Graduate Studies (MITAGS) in Linthicum Heights, Maryland. The American Salvage Association (ASA) agreed to several key actions to be undertaken over the next several months:

* ASA's membership elected a new slate of officers including George Wittich, President; John Witte, Jr., Vice President; and Paul Gallagher, Secretary/Treasurer.

* ASA expressed its gratitude to Richard Fairbanks, ASA's Immediate Past President, for a very successful two-year term.

* ASA welcomed Magone Marine Service, Inc. as the Association's 15th General Member.

* ASA will create an Executive Committee comprised of its officers, and four to six General Members.

* ASA will push for the inclusion of the U.S. Coast Guard developed standardized salvage response plan template in all of the Area Contingency Plans established across the country.

* ASA will exchange Associate Membership status with the International Salvage Union (ISU) as well as with C-PORT.

* ASA will endorse the principles outlined in the ISU's statement on criminalization of seamen and its impact on salvage and spill prevention, which relates to the larger issue of responder immunity for the professional salvage community.

* ASA will review options for rescheduling the National Maritime Salvage Conference, planned for November 1-3 in New Orleans, which was cancelled due to hurricane Katrina.

George Wittich, Senior Vice President of Weeks Marine (Cranford, NJ), has been named President of the American Salvage Association (ASA). John Witte, Jr., Executive Vice President of Donjon Marine Co., Inc. (Hillside, NJ), has been named ASA's Vice President, and Paul Gallagher, Director of Sales ? Marine Transportation, Foss Maritime (Seattle, WA), has been elected Secretary/Treasurer.

"We expect great things from ASA's incoming leadership," said George Wittich. "Among the areas the ASA will focus on throughout the year are the status of the still pending U.S. marine salvage regulations, responder immunity, and the salvors' role in environmental protection and maritime security. Our member's salvage response work in the hurricane devastated Gulf Region continues to be a priority", he said.

"The association owes a great debt of thanks to Richard Fairbanks, President, Titan, A Crowley Company, who served as ASA's President over the last two years. Dick's hard work, diligence, and critical guidance served our association and our industry well," Wittich said.

To learn more about ASA, visit its website at http://www.americansalvage.org