b'second wave of our transition. To continuously maintaining continues to be coordinated through period trainings buy in and relevancy, we have our captains get some adminand safety meetings. time to review our materials such as training packets and procedures as well. They really enjoy this. Wendella Sightseeing BoatsAbsolutely. It is ever changing just as we are in the pas-One of the other ways we sow the seeds of safety manage- senger vessel industry. Our SMS is a living and breathing ment is through new hires and annual returning employeesystem. I think that is one of the most critical key takeaways orientations. We take this time to inspire them to work thein safety management. Its not a book on a shelf or a box to system with us and be part of how it evolves. Opportunitiescheck off. It is a journey to be endured that takes nurture for improvement can come from anyone in the companyand patience. Our major evolution was going online. Los-and they appreciate that. ing the paper was one of the best decisions we ever made. All our forms and processes are available to the captains How has your operations SMS evolved since you firstand dock staff in a very simple but effective database. As implemented it?we learn what is missing from our forms and processes, we can add them on the fly. We have come a long way from just Blue & Gold Fleet one person keeping all this information in their head and We strive to improve safety, environmental stewardship,in stacks of paperwork. That transition from keeping all customer service, efficiency, and effectiveness by havingthe information in your head was probably one of the most themanualactasalivingdocumentthatisconstantlydifficult vulnerabilities to shake.changing due to employee feedback.What would you say to an operator that hasnt yet im-Seastreak plemented an SMS to encourage them to do so? The SMS has evolved from reactive to proactive. Safety management is now a way of life at Seastreak. Blue & Gold FleetChange is always going to be painful, but the right approach Staten Island Ferry can make all the difference. Implementing a new SMS is no Opportunities for improvement to our SMS continue tosmall task. Because safety is highly cross-functional, you be identified through SMS controls. These control ourwill need buy-in and support from all departments, as well event tracking system, risk assessments, as well as man- as dedicated time and resources to develop a plan. It may agement and captain reviews. Currently, the SMS is ourtake months to develop, but most of it is probably already in norm. All employees received initial SMS familiarizationplace. For example, your company is probably already hav-as part of their initial training and onboarding. SMS train- ing safety meetings and reviewing best practices. You prob-ably are already correcting deficiencies. The SMS is just a way of documenting all these practices in one area. Putting When implemented a new SMS in place and getting adoption does not haveproperly it creates a to be difficult.culture of transparencySeastreakI believe that the idea of the SMS within the small passenger and establishes clear linesvessel industry is not going away. I know many operators are nervous about taking on the task to create, implement, of communication and maintain a SMS. It will require more resources and manpower to do such. However, when done successfully between the vessels andthe SMS will have huge benefits for your company.shoreside management. Staten Island FerryPHOTO: SEASTREAKThe benefits of implementing an SMS are endless. An SMS SEASTREAK notonlyprovidesstandardizationofrequirementsand FOGHORN 28'