The long road to passing the legislation through Congress last week came through New Bedford in 2007, when Frank sponsored a public forum on vessel safety.

That effort followed on the heels of a failed attempt in 2006 to put fishing vessel safety improvements in the Magnuson-Stevens Act, which governs fisheries management. The Republican majority at the time decided that the two issues weren't closely enough related to belong in the same bill.

The new legislation steps up the standards for new or altered boats, requires documented safety drills and inspections, and adds fishing safety research to the Coast Guard's annual research and development efforts.

The bill does contain one omission, Frank noted: It does not require single-hulled fuel barges traversing Buzzards Bay to take on a specially qualified pilot. That requirement, imposed by Massachusetts after the 1993 Bouchard oil spill, was nullified by the successful lawsuit filed by the Coast Guard, claiming the state had overreached its jurisdiction.

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