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MET Staff | Thursday, January 2, 2014 |
The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) has established a number of rules and regulations to establish safe operation for cargo ships on domestic and international waters. Below is an outline of some of the most pertinent cargo ship regulations of which vessel owners, captains and certain crew should be aware.
Cargo Ships/Steel Vessels Certified for International Voyage
The U.S. Supplement to the American Bureau of Shipping includes updates to the regulation of steel vessels certified for international voyages. Among these regulations are:
Cargo Ship Safety Construction – All cargo vessels engaged in international voyage must carry a USCG-issued Cargo Ship Safety Construction Certificate. The American Bureau of Shipping also may issue this certification on behalf of the United States and in compliance with the International Convention for Safety of Life at Sea (Regulation 12, chapter I).
Fire safety equipment (Cite: II-2/10.2.3.2.1) – Cargo ships weighing more than 1,500 gross tons must have a minimum hydrant and hose size of 65 mm (2.5 inches). This applies for both interior and exterior locations. Further, interior locations may substitute a single 65-mm outlet with two adjacent outlets at 40 mm (1.5 inches) each. All equipment must by approved by the USCG.
Personal life-saving appliances (Cite: III/32.3) – Each cargo vessel must carry one immersion suit for each person aboard, regardless of whether or not the cargo ship also has fully enclosed lifeboats to accommodate all people. The only exception to this rule is those cargo vessels operating between 32 degrees north and 32 degrees south latitude.
Emergency Source of Electrical Power in Cargo Ships (Cite: II-1/43) – A vessel’s machinery space must include clear and visible indicators of when the automatically controlled emergency power source is in use.
USCG Regulations for Reporting on Cargo
All vessels should report the nature of cargo aboard – a statement of “general cargo” will not suffice. The description should include a detailed listing of cargo or whether the vessel is considered in ballast.
A cargo ship carrying Certain Dangerous Cargo (CDC) must electronically submit a cargo manifest to the USCG’s National Vessel Movement Center. This document must include the name, UN number and amount of each type of CDC aboard the vessel. In addition, the amount of each material should be submitted in metric tons, kilograms or applicable unit of measurement.
A vessel must resubmit such a report when moving from port to port. However, there is no requirement to resubmit a report when moving from one dock or berth to another (provided it is within the same port).
Note vessels that do not carry any CDCs are required to report only when traveling from one COTP zone to another.
The My Vessel Logs blog covers a number of other topics relating to safe maritime practices and USCG regulations for commercial vessels – including USCG-required logs. Place an order for vessel logbooks – including cargo logbooks and deck logbooks – by calling (888) 468-3757.