The Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2010

New requirements for commercial fishing industry vessels—Part 1.

Excerpt from U.S. Coast Guard Proceedings of the Marine Safety & Security Council magazine by CAPT Eric Christensen, Chief, U.S. Coast Guard Office of Vessel Activities; Mr. Jack Kemerer, Chief, U.S. Coast Guard Fishing Vessel Safety Division

Parity for All Vessels
Uniform safety standards are established for all vessels, particularly those operating beyond three nautical miles of the baseline of the territorial sea and coastline of the Great Lakes. In Title 46 U.S.C. §4502(b)(1) “documented” is deleted, so there will no longer be different standards for federally documented and state-registered vessels operating on the same waters.

Replacing Boundary Line with Three Nautical Miles
Title 46 U.S.C. §4502(b)(1)(A) is amended by replacing “Boundary Line” with “three nautical miles from the baseline from which the territorial sea of the United States is measured or three nautical miles from the coastline of the Great Lakes.”

Survival Craft
All fishing industry vessels operating beyond three nautical miles are required to carry survival craft that will meet a new performance standard for primary lifesaving equipment. Title 46 U.S.C. §4502(b)(2)(B) is amended by replacing “lifeboats or liferafts” with “a survival craft that ensures that no part of an individual is immersed in water.”

Records
A new provision requires that the individual in charge of a vessel operating beyond three nautical miles maintain a safety logbook—a record of equipment maintenance and required instruction and drills.

The list continues in part 2.

Full article is available at http://www.uscg.mil/proceedings/winter2010-11/

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