Top 10 Towing Vessel Deficiencies—Part II

Excerpted from “Top Ten Deficiencies Found on Vessels.” Full text available on http://homeport.uscg.mil. Navigate to missions/investigations/safety reports.

See Part I here.

Fire Pumps 46 CFR 27.301
Owner/operator checklist:

• Ensure fixed pumps have been fitted with a remote-start control and that the control is in working order. If fire-main valves have to be operated from this remote location, ensure that the valves open properly.Portable pumps, along with the hose and nozzle, must be stowed outside the machinery space. A 50-foot hose is required. The portable pump must be a dedicated fire pump; it may not be used to pump oily mixtures.

Vessel Response Plan 33 CFR 155.1040, 155.1060
With regard to towboats that push tank barges, the most common items that are either lacking from or not sufficiently addressed in the response plan are:

• certification that response resources are able to respond to a “worst-case discharge,”
• volume and type of oil that would be discharged in a worst-case discharge,
• responsibilities of the qualified individual for immediate communication with the NRC,
• vessel-specific information and the captain of the port zone information for the areas in which the barge will operate.

Owners/operators must use the “Homeport” web portal, http://homeport.uscg.mil to submit a response plan for approval. Click “help” and navigate to the “vessel response plan submitter.”

Vessel Security Plan 33 CFR 104, Subpart D
Owner/operator checklist:

• The company security officer or vessel security officer must ensure that the vessel security plan (VSP) is audited annually. The plan must also be audited if the owner or operator of the vessel changes or if there has been any change in the operations of the vessel not addressed in the existing VSP.
• If the results of an audit indicate that the VSP must be amended, an amended plan must be submitted to the Coast Guard’s Marine Safety Center.
• Vessel security officers must conduct at least one drill that tests individual elements of the VSP every three months while the vessel is in service.
• Annual exercises are required to test communication and notification procedures and elements of resource availability, coordination, and response.
• Records of drills, exercises, and all other security activities must be kept for two years.

Wiring Materials and Methods
Missing junction box or switch plate covers and exposed dead-end wires account for 27 percent of inspection deficiencies.

Guards for Exposed Hazards Missing guards for moving machinery is the most common deficiency in this category.

Stay tuned for:
Top 10 towing vessel material failures.