Vane Brothers Marine Safety and Services specialises in around-the-clock marine safety inspections all along the East Coast of the United States. General Manager, Marketing, Frank Hornig outlined how the company helps clients maintain Safety of Life at Sea, in conversation with Phil Nicholls.
Vane Brothers Marine Safety and Services (VBMSS) assists the owners and operators of commercial vessels and recreational craft along the US East Coast, sometimes traveling even farther for specific requests.
“We are a one-stop shop for ship owners to maintain, at the highest levels, the complete safety readiness and compliance of their vessels and crews,” said General Manager, Marketing, Frank Hornig. “We deal with every major shipping owner and manager from around the world when their vessels visit our region.”
The history of the parent company, Vane Brothers, stretches back 125 years. In 1898, Captain William Burke Vane and his brother,
Captain Allen P Vane, established a humble ship chandlery in Baltimore. Today, the company is a premier marine transportation provider that sets the standard of excellence in the maritime industry with modern tugboats and barges, highly trained crews, and a steadfast commitment to safety.
VBMSS was established by Vane Brothers in 1993 as a US Coast Guard-approved life raft service and inspection station in Baltimore, Maryland. Two years later, the company expanded by opening a second facility to the south, in Norfolk, Virginia.
Delivering safety at sea
VBMSS currently operates in the ports of New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Wilmington (Delaware), Baltimore, Norfolk
“WE TAKE OUR RESPONSIBILITY VERY SERIOUSLY TO ENSURE THE SAFETY AND COMPLIANCE OF THE CUSTOMERS THAT COME TO US FOR ASSISTANCE”
(all Virginia ports), and Morehead City/Wilmington (North Carolina).
The company handles life rafts, immersion suits, inflatable life jackets and fire suppression equipment sales and service directly in all of these US East Coast ports. VBMSS keeps marine safety equip ment, apparel, pyrotechnics and some electronics in stock. Additionally, the company has manufacture- and class-approved lifeboat and davit service technicians available to travel to multiple Eastern US and Canadian, Gulf, and Caribbean ports.
“It’s worth noting that VBMSS has an important partnership with Survitec,” explained Mr Hornig. “We are Survitec’s LRE (extended-service life raft) service depot for the US East Coast.”
The Marine Safety and Services division’s expert Raft Technicians, Lifeboat and Davit Technicians, and Fire Technicians are kept in constant motion servicing a broad range of clients. This includes supporting Vane
Brothers’ 50 tugboats and 80 barges wherever the fleet is operating.
Lifeboat inspections conducted according to IMO and manufacturer’s guidelines are a vital safety service offered by VBMSS. According to Mike Ahern, General Manager, Operations: “Along with weekly and monthly checks performed by vessel crews (as required by SOLAS), inspections must also be completed by a factory-authorised technician each year and in greater detail at the five-year mark.”
This annual inspection involves reviewing the davit, winch, brakes, releasing gear, steering, rudder and engine, as well as ensuring complete food, water and other supplies are on board the lifeboat. VBMSS technicians also observe deployment of the lifeboat by the crew. The dedicated VBMSS
technicians conduct these reviews at any time of day or night.
“After the boat has been successfully tested,” Mr Ahern concluded, “and resecured to its stowed position – and as long as we can get wi-fi on the vessel –we generate the online-accessible factory certificate while onboard and issue it to the Captain then and there.”
Expert inspections
With experience in depth and an extensive portfolio of services, VBMSS has a distinct offering for clients, according to Mr Hornig: “Our ability to respond around the clock to requests for marine safety inspections and other customer needs is a definite advantage. Our worldwide customer base also benefits from the breadth of our territory - the fact that we are fully prepared to assist a ship owner or operator almost anywhere along the US East Coast.
“Other advantages include the strength of our relationships with our distributors
and manufacturers, and the fact that we hold a variety of manufacturer certifications and most major classsociety approvals.”
VBMSS is proudly certified and recognised by the American Bureau of Shipping, Bureau Veritas, DNV and Lloyd's Register. The company meets all US Coast Guard flag state and International Maritime Organisation (IMO) requirements. VBMSS is routinely audited by the manufacturers as well as the major class societies.
“The certifications we acquire aren’t just pieces of paper we frame for our wall,” Mr Hornig continued. “We take pride in earning them through in-depth training and a thorough understanding of the marine safety equipment we service.”
A serious responsibility
The world economy relies on the maritime industry, whether for transhipping thousands of tonnes of cargo, or simply to bring fish to market. All these vessels
need safety equipment, so VBMSS will always find customers.
“Global supply issues in recent years have impacted us as much as any service and equipment provider,” explained Mr Hornig. “As such, we have often been required to work twice as hard to ensure that deadlines were being met, but we did what we had to do. That’s what our customers have come to expect, and VBMSS is proud to have played a part in keeping America’s cargo moving.
“As some sort of ‘normalcy’ is restored throughout the world, we remain on a solid footing to continue delivering the best service available to our customers, ensuring that their vessels and crews are safe and compliant. 2023 is the 30th anniversary of Vane Brothers Marine Safety and Services, and we intend to be around for another 30 years, and beyond.”
There are great personal rewards to be found when working for a company that
directly saves lives, according to Mr Hornig: “We hope no one ever must face an emergency on the water, but if one comes up, our customers can rest assured that their vessels and crews are safe and compliant, thanks to the equipment and services we provide.”
Mr Hornig recalled a couple of years ago when, within several months of each other , one fishing boat took on water off the coast of Georgia and another capsized in North Carolina’s frigid Pamlico Sound. In both cases, the Coast Guard rescued crew members from life rafts that Vane Brothers Marine Safety and Services had inspected and packed.
“Those incidents illustrate why it is important for customers to seek out a company with the knowledge and experience that the VBMSS staff supplies,” he concluded. “We take our responsibility very seriously to ensure the safety and complianc e of the customers that come to us for assistance.”n
