Regulation 46 CFR 176.615

§ 176.610

46 CFR Ch. I (10–1–13 Edition)

examination at least once every five
years.
(d) Whenever damage or deterioration to hull plating or structural members that may affect the seaworthiness
of a vessel is discovered or suspected,
the cognizant OCMI may conduct an
internal structural examination in any
affected space including fuel tanks, and
may require the vessel to be drydocked
or taken out of service to assess the extent of the damage, and to effect permanent repairs. The OCMI may also decrease the drydock examination intervals to monitor the vessel’s structural
condition.
(e) For a vessel that is eligible per
§ 115.625, and if the owner opts for an alternate hull examination with the underwater survey portion conducted exclusively by divers, the vessel must undergo two alternate hull exams and
two internal structural exams within
any five-year period. If a vessel completes a satisfactory alternate hull
exam, with the underwater survey portion conducted predominantly by an
approved underwater remotely operated vehicle (ROV), the vessel must undergo one alternate hull and one internal structural exam, within any fiveyear period. The vessel may undergo a
drydock exam to satisfy any of the required alternate hull exams.
[CGD 85–080, 61 FR 953, Jan. 10, 1996, as
amended at 62 FR 51356, Sept. 30, 1997; USCG–
2000–6858, 67 FR 21084, Apr. 29, 2002]

wreier-aviles on DSK5TPTVN1PROD with CFR

§ 176.610 Scope of drydock and internal structural examinations.
(a) A drydock examination conducted
in compliance with § 176.600 must be
conducted while the vessel is hauled
out of the water or placed in a drydock
or slipway. During the examination all
accessible parts of the vessel’s underwater body and all through hull fittings, including the hull plating and
planking,
appendages,
propellers,
shafts, bearings, rudders, sea chests,
sea valves, and sea strainers shall be
made available for examination. Sea
chests, sea valves, and sea strainers
must be opened for examination. On
wooden vessels, fastenings may be required to be pulled for examination.
The accuracy of draft or loading
marks, if required by § 185.602 of this

chapter, must be verified if not verified
at a previous drydock examination.
(b) An internal structural examination conducted in compliance with
§ 176.600 may be conducted while the
vessel is afloat or out of the water and
consists of a complete examination of
the vessel’s main strength members,
including the major internal framing,
the hull plating and planking, voids,
and ballast, cargo, and fuel oil tanks.
Where the internal framing, plating, or
planking of the vessel is concealed, sections of the lining, ceiling or insulation
may be removed or the parts otherwise
probed or exposed so that the inspector
may be satisfied as to the condition of
the hull structure. Fuel oil tanks need
not be cleaned out and internally examined if the marine inspector is able
to determine by external examination
that the general condition of the tanks
is satisfactory.
[CGD 85–080, 61 FR 953, Jan. 10, 1996, as
amended by USCG–2007–0030, 75 FR 78087,
Dec. 14, 2010]

§ 176.615 Underwater Survey in Lieu
of Drydocking (UWILD).
(a) The Officer in Charge, Marine Inspection (OCMI), may approve an underwater survey instead of a drydock
examination at alternating intervals if
your vessel is—
(1) Less than 15 years of age;
(2) A steel or aluminum hulled vessel;
(3) Fitted with an effective hull protection system; and
(4) Described in § 176.600(b) or (c) of
this part.
(b) For vessels less than 15 years of
age, you must submit an application
for an underwater survey to the OCMI
at least 90 days before your vessel’s
next required drydock examination.
The application must include—
(1) The procedure for carrying out
the underwater survey;
(2) The time and place of the underwater survey;
(3) The method used to accurately determine the diver’s or remotely operated vehicle’s (ROV) location relative
to the hull;
(4) The means for examining all
through-hull
fittings
and
appurtenances;

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Coast Guard, DHS

§ 176.625

(5) The condition of the vessel, including the anticipated draft of the
vessel at the time of survey;
(6) A description of the hull protection system; and
(7) The name and qualifications of
any third party examiner.
(c) If your vessel is 15 years old or
older, the cognizant District Commander, may approve an underwater
survey instead of a drydock examination at alternating intervals (UWILD).
You must submit an application for an
underwater survey to the OCMI at
least 90 days before your vessel’s next
required drydock examination. You
may be allowed this option if—
(1) The vessel is qualified under paragraphs (a)(2) through (4) of this section;
(2) Your application includes the information in paragraphs (b)(1) through
(b)(7) of this section; and
(3) During the vessel’s drydock examination, preceding the underwater survey, a complete set of hull gaugings
was taken and they indicated that the
vessel was free from appreciable hull
deterioration.
(d) After the drydock examination required by paragraph (c)(3) of this section, the OCMI submits a recommendation for future underwater surveys, the
results of the hull gauging, and the results of the Coast Guards’ drydock examination results to the cognizant District Commander for review.

wreier-aviles on DSK5TPTVN1PROD with CFR

[USCG–2000–6858, 67 FR 21084, Apr. 29, 2002]

§ 176.620 Description of the Alternative Hull Examination (AHE) Program for certain passenger vessels.
The Alternative Hull Examination
(AHE) Program provides you with an
alternative to a drydock examination
by allowing your vessel’s hull to be examined while it remains afloat. If completed using only divers, this program
has four steps: the application process,
the preliminary examination, the presurvey meeting, and the hull examination. If the vessel is already participating in the program, or if a remotely
operated vehicle (ROV) is used during
the program, the preliminary exam
step may be omitted. Once you complete these steps, the Officer in Charge,
Marine Inspection (OCMI), will evaluate the results and accept the examination as a credit hull exam if the vessel

is in satisfactory condition. If only divers are used for the underwater survey
portion of the examination process,
you may receive credit for a period of
time such that subsequent AHEs would
be conducted at intervals of twice in
every five years, with no more than
three years between any two AHEs.
The OCMI may waive an underwater
survey in accordance with § 176.655(d)
provided that the interval does not exceed five years between any two underwater surveys. If an underwater ROV is
used as the predominate method to examine the vessel’s underwater hull
plating, you may receive credit up to
five years. At the end of this period,
you may apply for further participation under the AHE Program.
NOTE TO § 176.620: The expected hull coverage when using an ROV must be at least 80
percent.
[USCG–2000–6858, 69 FR 47384, Aug. 5, 2004]

§ 176.625 Eligibility requirements for
the Alternative Hull Examination
(AHE) Program for certain passenger vessels.
(a) Your vessel may be eligible for
the AHE Program if—
(1) It is constructed of steel or aluminum;
(2) It has an effective hull protection
system;
(3) It has operated exclusively in
fresh water since its last drydock examination;
(4) It operates in rivers or protected
lakes; and
(5) It operates exclusively in shallow
water or within 0.5 nautical miles from
shore.
(b) In addition to the requirements in
paragraph (a), the Officer in Charge,
Marine Inspection (OCMI) will evaluate
the following information when determining your vessel’s eligibility for the
AHE Program:
(1) The overall condition of the vessel, based on its inspection history.
(2) The vessel’s history of hull casualties and hull-related deficiencies.
(3) The AHE Program application, as
described in § 176.630 of this part.
(c) When reviewing a vessel’s eligibility for the AHE program, the OCMI
may modify the standards given by
paragraph (a)(5) of this section where it
is considered safe and reasonable to do

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