Quick Thinking, Lasting Solutions: Emanuel Tishler’s Safety Innovation

Tishler’s path to maritime leadership began at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, where a family friend’s dinner table conversation introduced him to the industry. After graduation, he spent nearly three years with the Military Sealift Command, working primarily overseas on naval auxiliary ships.

The experience was grueling. “My first year there, I think I worked about 11 months out of the year I was away from home,” he recalls. “I did up to eight months on a ship in one go. So that’s ultimately why I left.”

The transition to tugboats offered better work-life balance and appealed to his practical nature.

When Tishler identified the emergency stop button problem on Foss’s ASD90-class tugs, he knew waiting for the manufacturer’s solution could take years. Instead, he took initiative.

“I just went down there with a tape measure and a screwdriver and figured it out,” he says. The solution required careful engineering—protective covers that prevented accidental activation while maintaining emergency access.

“To me, it was something that clearly needed to be done, so I did it. It’s as simple as that.”

The project took about a month from start to finish, including testing with crews and coordinating with the port engineer. But Tishler didn’t stop there.

Understanding that other companies operated similar vessels, Tishler proactively shared his solution with Foss and beyond. He distributed his safety notice to sister company AmNav, which also operates an ASD90-class tug.

As Port Captain, managing ship-assist vessels and a 230-foot sand mining dredge, Tishler emphasizes leading by example. “I try to start by just wearing my PPE all the time,” he says, spending considerable time working alongside crews on vessels.

When crew members exercise stop-work authority, Tishler validates their decisions. Recently, when a worker identified a cracked weld during a fuel transfer, Tishler supported the call to halt operations despite operational inconvenience.

“He made the right call,” Tishler reflects.

His approach balances hands-on problem-solving with strategic thinking—qualities that made him recognize the emergency stop button issue as more than just a design flaw, but a fleet-wide safety concern requiring immediate action.

For Tishler, receiving recognition for the modification validates an approach centered on practical solutions and proactive safety culture: “It wasn’t some huge engineering feat or anything like that. It was just a bit of initiative, but clearly needed to be done.”