1. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Small Passenger Branch
CWO Leroy McMillan
LT Linsey Grainger

2. What dates are important on my Certificate of Inspection?
Certification Date
Located on the top right side of the Certificate of Inspection (COI).
Your vessel must undergo an annual inspection within the 3 months before or after each anniversary date
(46 CFR part (b) (1).

3. Important Dates- cont. Expiration Date
Located on the top right side of the COI under the certification date.
A COI is valid for 5 years.
A COI renewal must be completed on or before the expiration date.

4. Important dates on my Certificate of Inspection (page 2)?
Drydock/ISE exam intervals
Located on page 2 of the COI under hull exams.
You may not continue to operate if you have not had your inspection on or before this date.

5. Drydock-cont. Drydock/ISE exam intervals
A vessel that is exposed to salt water for more than three months in any 12 month period since the last examination must undergo a dry- dock examination and an internal structural examination at least once every two years (46 CFR part (c) (1).

6. What is the National Vessel Documentation Center’s purpose?
NVDC is responsible for issuing a Certificate of Documentation to vessel’s over 5 net tons.
The original certificate must be on board the vessel.
The COD is valid for one year.

7. How many people can I keep on the upper deck of my vessel?
The stability letter for your vessel will indicate if it is allowed to carry passengers on the upper deck. If the stability letter does not specifically address passengers on upper decks, then the stability test did
not account for the passenger weight on the upper deck. Therefore no passengers be allowed on the upper deck. (46 CFR (g))

8. What logs are required to be maintained and what is the frequency?
There are three logs which need to be maintained: Training, Drills, and Lifesaving equipment maintenance instruction/log.
Training Log: Training should be conducted upon first being employed, prior to getting underway for the first time on the vessel, and at least once every three months, as to the duties that the crew member is expected to perform in an emergency. (46 CFR )

9. Logs-cont.
Drill Log: The drills required to be logged are man overboard, fire, and abandon ship. (46 CFR and )
Lifesaving Equipment Maintenance Instruction/log:
The manufacturer’s instructions for onboard maintenance of survival craft (46 CFR ) and monthly test and servicing of the EPIRB (46 CFR )

10. How do I make my vessel ready for a dry-dock exam?
Remove growth/debris from hull.
Remove screens to access thru-hull fittings.
Remove all oil/water from the bilge for
internal structural exam.
The Inspector may request that the shafts be pulled to expose wear areas at any exam.

11. What should I have for my first aid kit, and what should I check in it every year?
Table (B) identifies items required for the first aid kit.
Items such as aspirin, ammonia inhalants, iodine, and burn creams have expiration dates. Check these items yearly (prior to inspection) to ensure they have not expired.

12. Contents of the first aid kit

13. Marine Casualties and misc. information LT Grainger

14. Marine Casualty Reporting Requirements
-Falls overboard, injury, or loss of life
-Grounding
-Collision
-Reduction or loss of vessel’s electrical power, propulsion, or steering capabilities
-Any circumstance that might affect or impair a vessel’s seaworthiness, efficiency or fitness for service or route
-Any occurrences of injury or loss of life to any person while diving from a vessel and using underwater breathing apparatus
-Stranding
-Foundering
-Flooding
-Allision
-Fire
-Explosion
-Failures or occurrences, regardless of cause, which impair any aspect of vessel’s operation, components, or cargo
-Any incident involving significant harm to the environment

15. Immediate Notification
is required for the following
types of Marine Casualties:
An unintended grounding or allision of a bridge, or
An intended grounding or allision of a bridge that creates a hazard to navigation, environment, or the safety of the vessel, or
A loss of main propulsion, primary steering, or associated control system that reduces the maneuverability of the vessel, or
Loss of life, or

16. Marine Casualty-cont. adversely affecting the vessel’s
An occurrence materially and
adversely affecting the vessel’s
seaworthiness or fitness for service
or route, including, but not limited
to fire, flooding, failure or damage
to fixed fire-extinguishing systems,
lifesaving equipment, auxiliary
power generating equipment or bilge pumping systems, or
An injury that requires professional medical treatment (beyond first aid) and if the person is engaged or employed on board a vessel in commercial service that renders the individual unfit to perform routine duties, or

17. Written Notification Written Notification 46CFR4.05-10
An occurrence causing property damage in excess of $25,000 or
An occurrence involving significant harm to the environment
Written Notification 46CFR
MUST be followed up within 5 days of the incident with a written CG-2692
SUMIT 2692’S TO LOCAL COAST GUARD AT

18. Drug and Alcohol Testing for Marine Casualties
Marine Casualties for which Drug and Alcohol Testing is REQUIRED
One or more deaths
Injury to a crewmember, passenger, or other person which requires professional medical treatment beyond first aid, and, in the case of a person employed on board a vessel in commercial service, which renders the individual unfit to perform routine vessel duties
Damage to property in excess of $100,000
Actual or constructive total loss of any vessel subject to inspection under 46 U.S.C. 3301
Actual or constructive total loss of any self-propelled vessel (un-inspected) of 100 gross tons or more
A discharge of oil of 10,000 gallons or more
A discharge of a reportable quantity of a hazardous substance

19. 5YR HISTORY OF DEFICIENCIES