Regulation 46-CFR 71.50-29

Coast Guard, DHS

§ 71.50–31
bottom surface to be viewed and recorded; and
(3) The results of the last exam indicated that an extended interval is safe
and reasonable.

(2) Employ divers to examine any
sections of the hull and appurtenances
that the underwater ROV cannot access or is otherwise unable to evaluate;
and
(3) If the OCMI determines that the
data obtained by the ROV, including
non-destructive testing results, readability of the results, and positioning
standards, will not integrate into the
data obtained by the divers, then a
third party examiner must be present
during the divers portion of the examination.

[USCG–2000–6858, 67 FR 21078, Apr. 29, 2002, as
amended by USCG–2000–6858, 69 FR 47382,
Aug. 5, 2004]

§ 71.50–31 Continued participation in
the Alternative Hull Examination
(AHE) program.
(a) To continue to participate in the
AHE Program, vessel operators must
conduct an annual hull condition assessment. At a minimum, vessel operators must conduct an internal examination and take random hull gaugings
internally during the hull condition assessment, unless waived by the Officer
in Charge, Marine Inspection (OCMI). If
the annual hull assessment reveals significant damage or corrosion, where
temporary repairs have been made, or
where other critical areas of concern
have been identified, the OCMI may require an expanded examination to include an underwater hull examination
using divers. If an underwater examination is required, the examination
must focus on areas at higher risk of
damage or corrosion and must include
a representative sampling of hull
gaugings.
(b) If an underwater survey is required for the annual hull condition assessment, the OCMI may require the
presence of a third party examiner and
a written hull examination report must
be submitted to the OCMI. This report
must include thickness gauging results, a copy of the audio and video recordings and any other information
that will help the OCMI evaluate your
vessel for continued participation in
the AHE program. The third party examiner must sign the report and confirm the validity of its contents.
(c) You must submit your preventive
maintenance reports or checklists on
an annual basis to the OCMI. These reports or checklists must conform to
the plans you submitted in your application under § 71.50–19 of this part,
which the OCMI approved.
(d) Prior to each scheduled annual
hull condition assessment—

erowe on DSK2VPTVN1PROD with

[USCG–2000–6858, 67 FR 21078, Apr. 29, 2002, as
amended by USCG–2000–6858, 69 FR 47382,
Aug. 5, 2004]

§ 71.50–29 Hull examination reports.
(a) If you use only divers for the underwater survey portion of the Alternative Hull Examination (AHE), you
must provide the Officer in Charge, Marine Inspection (OCMI), with a written
hull examination report. This report
must include thickness gauging results, bearing clearances, a copy of the
audio and video recordings, and any
other information that will help the
OCMI evaluate your vessel for a credit
hull exam. The third party examiner
must sign the report and confirm the
validity of its contents.
(b) If you use an underwater ROV as
the predominant means to examine the
vessel’s underwater hull plating, you
must provide the OCMI with a report in
the format that is accepted by the
OCMI, per § 71.50–27(b) of this part.
(c) The OCMI will evaluate the hull
examination report and grant a credit
hull exam if satisfied with the condition of the vessel. If approved and you
exclusively use divers to examine the
hull plating, you may receive a credit
hull exam up to 36 months. (Underwater examinations are required twice
every 5 years). If approved and you use
an underwater ROV as the predominant means to examine the underwater
hull plating, you may receive a credit
hull exam up to 60 months (5 years).
(d) At least 60 days prior to each
scheduled underwater exam, the owner
may request a waiver from the OCMI if:
(1) A satisfactory exam has been
completed within the last three years;
(2) The conditions during the last
exam allowed at least 80 percent of the

33

VerDate Mar<15>2010

10:48 Nov 09, 2012

Jkt 226198

PO 00000

Frm 00043

Fmt 8010

Sfmt 8010

Y:\SGML\226198.XXX

226198