Regulation 46 CFR 115.630

§ 115.630

46 CFR Ch. I (10–1–11 Edition)

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§ 115.630 The Alternative Hull Examination (AHE) Program application.
If your vessel meets the eligibility
criteria in § 115.625 of this part, you
may apply to the AHE Program. You
must submit an application at least 90
days before the requested hull examination date to the Officer in Charge,
Marine Inspection (OCMI) who will
oversee the survey. The application
must include—
(a) The proposed time and place for
conducting the hull examination;
(b) The name of the participating
diving contractor and underwater remotely operated vehicle (ROV) company which must be accepted by the
OCMI under § 115.650;
(c) The name and qualifications of
the third party examiner. This person
must be familiar with the inspection
procedures and his or her responsibilities under this program. The OCMI has
the discretionary authority to accept
or deny use of a particular third party
examiner using the criteria established
in 46 CFR 114.400;
(d) A signed statement from your
vessel’s master, chief engineer, or the
person in charge describing the vessel’s
overall condition, level of maintenance, known or suspected damage, underwater body cleanliness (if known),
and the anticipated draft of the vessel
at the time of the examination;
(e) Plans or drawings that illustrate
the external details of the hull below
the sheer strake;
(f) A detailed plan for conducting the
hull examination in accordance with
§§ 115.645 and 115.650 of this part, which
must address all safety concerns related to the removal of sea valves during the inspection; and
(g) A preventative maintenance plan
for your vessel’s hull, its related systems and equipment.

preliminary examination is to assess
the overall condition of the vessel’s
hull and identify any specific concerns
to be addressed during the underwater
hull examination.
(b) If you use an underwater ROV as
the predominate means to examine
your vessel’s hull plating, a preliminary examination and the participation of a third party examiner will not
be necessary.
(c) The preliminary examination is
required only upon the vessel’s entry
or review into the AHE program.
[USCG–2000–6858, 67 FR 21081, Apr. 29, 2002]

§ 115.640

Pre-Survey meeting.

(a) You must conduct a pre-survey
meeting to discuss the details of the
AHE procedure with the Officer in
Charge, Marine Inspection (OCMI). If
you exclusively use divers to examine
the underwater hull plating, the third
party examiner must attend the meeting and you must present the results of
the preliminary examination. If you
use an underwater remotely operated
vehicle (ROV) as the predominate
means to examine the vessel’s hull
plating, then a representative of the
ROV operating company must attend
the pre-survey meeting and address the
underwater ROV’s capabilities and limitations related to your vessel’s hull
design and configuration.
(b) A vessel owner, operator, or designated agent must request this meeting in writing at least 30 days in advance of the examination date.
(c) The pre-survey meeting may be
conducted by teleconference, if agreed
to in advance by the OCMI.
[USCG–2000–6858, 67 FR 21081, Apr. 29, 2002, as
amended by USCG–2000–6858, 69 FR 47383,
Aug. 5, 2004]

[USCG–2000–6858, 67 FR 21080, Apr. 29, 2002, as
amended by USCG–2000–6858, 69 FR 47383,
Aug. 5, 2004]

§ 115.645 Alternative Hull Examination
(AHE) Procedure.

§ 115.635 Preliminary examination requirements.
(a) If you exclusively use divers to
examine the underwater hull plating,
you must arrange to have a preliminary examination conducted by a third
party examiner, with the assistance of
qualified divers. The purpose of the

(a) To complete the underwater survey you must—
(1) Perform a general examination of
the underwater hull plating and a detailed examination of all hull welds,
propellers, tailshafts, rudders, and
other hull appurtenances;
(2) Examine all sea chests;

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Coast Guard, DHS

§ 115.650

(3) Remove and inspect all sea valves
in the presence of a marine inspector
once every five years;
(4) Remove all passengers from the
vessel when the sea valves are being examined, if required by the Officer in
Charge, Marine Inspection (OCMI);
(5) Allow access to all internal areas
of the hull for examination, except internal tanks that carry fuel (unless
damage or deterioration is discovered
or suspect), sewage, or potable water.
Internal sewage and potable water
tanks may be examined visually or by
non-destructive testing to the satisfaction of the attending marine inspector;
and
(6) Meet the requirements in § 115.650
of this part.
(b) A marine inspector may examine
any other areas deemed necessary by
the OCMI.
(c) If the AHE reveals significant deterioration or damage to the vessel’s
hull plating or structural members, the
OCMI must be immediately notified.
The OCMI may require the vessel be
drydocked or otherwise taken out of
service to further assess the extent of
damage or to effect permanent repairs
if the assessment or repairs cannot be
completed to the satisfaction of the
OCMI while the vessel is waterborne.
[USCG–2000–6858, 67 FR 21081, Apr. 29, 2002, as
amended by USCG–2000–6858, 69 FR 47383,
Aug. 5, 2004]

wreier-aviles on DSK3TPTVN1PROD with CFR

§ 115.650 Alternative Hull Examination
(AHE) Program options: Divers or
underwater ROV.
To complete your underwater survey,
you may use divers or an underwater
remotely operated vehicle (ROV).
(a) If you use divers to conduct the
underwater survey, you must—
(1) Locate the vessel so the divers can
work safely under the vessel’s keel and
around both sides. The water velocity
must be safe for dive operations;
(2) Provide permanent hull markings,
a temporary grid system of wires or cables spaced not more than 10 feet apart
and tagged at one-foot intervals, or
any other acoustic or electronic positioning system approved by the OCMI
to identify the diver’s location with respect to the hull, within one foot of accuracy;

(3)
Take
ultrasonic
thickness
gaugings at a minimum of 5 points on
each plate, evenly spaced;
(4) Take hull plating thickness
gaugings along transverse belts at the
bow, stern, and midships, as a minimum. Plating thickness gaugings
must also be taken along a longitudinal belt at the wind and water
strake. Individual gaugings along the
transverse and longitudinal belts must
be spaced no more than 3 feet apart;
(5) Ensure the third party examiner
observes the entire underwater examination process;
(6) Record the entire underwater survey with audio and video recording
equipment and ensure that communications between divers and the third
party examiner are recorded; and
(7) Use appropriate equipment, such
as a clear box, if underwater visibility
is poor, to provide the camera with a
clear view of the hull.
(b) You may use an underwater ROV
to conduct the underwater survey. The
underwater ROV operating team, survey process and equipment, quality assurance methods, and the content and
format of the survey report must be accepted by the Officer in Charge, Marine
Inspection (OCMI) prior to conducting
the survey. If you choose this option,
you must—
(1) Locate the vessel to ensure that
the underwater ROV can operate effectively under the vessel’s keel and
around both sides;
(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 21081, Apr. 29, 2002, as
amended by USCG–2000–6858, 69 FR 47383,
Aug. 5, 2004]

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