Regulation 46 CFR 71.50-31

§ 71.50–29

46 CFR Ch. I (10–1–13 Edition)
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—
(1) The owner may submit to the
OCMI a plan for conducting the assessment, or a request for a waiver of this
requirement, no fewer than 30 days before the scheduled assessment; and
(2) The OCMI may reduce the scope
or extend the interval of the assessment if the operational, casualty, and
deficiency history of the vessel, along
with a recommendation of the vessel’s
master, indicates that it is warranted.

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

pmangrum on DSK3VPTVN1PROD with CFR

[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

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

§ 71.50–35 Notice and plans required.
(a) The master, owner, operator, or
agent of the vessel shall notify the Officer in Charge, Marine Inspection,
whenever the vessel is to be drydocked,

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