What Is Maritime Stewardship and How Does It Relate to Safety?

Have you ever wondered what allows the U.S. maritime industry to operate efficiently? What allows us to use our waterways and navigate the seas, protecting our most important resources while still engaging in business that supports the whole economy?

This is the role of maritime stewardship, and it does more for the maritime industry than most people realize.

What is maritime stewardship, and how does it impact your business? Keep reading to learn more.

What Is Maritime Stewardship?

Maritime stewardship is one of the missions of the United States Coast Guard, referring to its role as a facilitator of marine mobility, protector of the nation’s economy, and a defender against threats to the marine environment.

The Coast Guard’s duties in maritime stewardship include:

• Facilitating the movement of goods and people through the U.S. Marine Transportation System (MTS)
  
  
• Safeguard U.S. marine resources, endangered species, and the ocean from degradation and unlawful acts
  
  
• Conduct maritime recovery operations in the aftermath of maritime incidents of national significance

To ensure the success and safety of U.S. maritime operations, the Coast Guard provides services while acting as a leader among government and private sector partnerships.

Missions of the Coast Guard

This is part of the Coast Guard’s three main missions:

1. Maritime safety
2. Maritime security
3. Maritime stewardship

In its maritime safety mission, the Coast Guard ensures the safety of U.S. waterways with focused prevention programs. It also responds to maritime incidents of national significance to ensure the safety of U.S. communities.

Under its maritime security mission, the Coast Guard’s role is to protect the U.S. MTS and deny its usage and exploitation by terrorists as a means of inflicting harm on U.S. citizens. It also upholds U.S. sovereignty at sea, enforcing U.S. laws, treaties, and international conventions.

The Value of Maritime Stewardship

In its maritime stewardship role, the Coast Guard brings maritime safety and security together.

Essentially, maritime stewardship is the Coast Guard’s responsibility to keep the MTS operating efficiently. It maintains the maritime infrastructure necessary to allow businesses to coordinate their efforts at sea without conflict.

Think of maritime stewardship as the foundation of the U.S. maritime industry. Without it, the whole industry would be disjointed and unable to cooperate.

Furthermore, maritime stewardship is designed to protect the resources that the U.S. needs most. It works to ensure that the MTS remains safe and usable for years to come so that the maritime industry can continue to support the economy.

Understanding Your Maritime Responsibilities

What is maritime stewardship? It’s one small component that makes up the landscape of the maritime industry, but it has a big impact on your business in the long run.

Of course, understanding your regulatory responsibilities in the maritime industry is no small feat–the industry is among the riskiest in the country. That’s why we’re here to help make maritime safety and maritime safety training easier for you and your employees.

Check out our software to find out how we can support your business in maritime, and make sure to check out our blog for more great tips, like this post on three essential OSHA maritime standards you need to know.