Top 10 Small Passenger Vessel Deficiencies (Subchapter K)—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.

Lighting Fixtures 46 CFR120.410
All light fixtures subject to damage must have a guard or be made of high-strength material. Light fixtures on the open weather deck, in the engine room, or in other machinery space must be protected with guards. Light fixtures located in spaces that contain flammable vapors must maintain protective guards and vapor-tight seals.

Lights in accommodation spaces are normally exempted from these requirements.

The majority of deficiencies related to light fixtures are due to the guard. Additionally, many deficiencies are due to a missing or damaged fixture.

Life Jacket Stowage 46 CFR 117.78
Inspectors often find a potential for mix-up between adult- and child-size lifejackets. These may be stowed in the same container, provided that there is a separation partition in place and the two sections are appropriately marked.

EPIRB 46 CFR 117.64
All small passenger vessels certificated to operate on the high seas or three miles beyond the coastline of the Great Lakes must have a FCC Type Accepted Category 1, 406-MHz Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) installed in a float-free system. Many small passenger vessels fail to replace the hydrostatic release prior to its expiration date.

Also see 46 CFR 122.728 for battery replacement and testing. Retain the customer copy of the invoice when the battery is replaced and ensure the registration certificate from NOAA is on board.

Wiring Materials and Methods 46 CFR 120.340
All cables or wires must serve some piece of equipment or system aboard the vessel. If equipment is removed and not replaced, the cable or wire that serviced it must also be properly removed from the power supply.

Inspectors commonly find:

• temporary wiring where equipment must be hard-wired,
• insufficient mounting of cables as they run along bulkheads,
• missing junction box covers,
• junction boxes that are insecurely mounted.

Battery Installation 46 CFR 120.350(d), 46 CFR 120.354
Terminal connections must be tight and free of corrosion, the battery box must be permanently secured, and the box cover must be fastened securely. Terminal connections should not be made with wing nuts.

For more information:
For more information about small passenger vessel inspections, contact your local Coast Guard Sector/Inspections Division. For a listing of sector offices, click on “Sector Map” on http://homeport.uscg.mil/.

Stay tuned for:
Top 10 Tank Barge Deficiencies

Top 10 Small Passenger Vessel Deficiencies (Subchapter K)—Part I

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


The U.S. Coast Guard Office of Investigations and Analysis recently examined vessel deficiencies in various vessel classes to identify the 10 most common deficiencies in each class.

We share these so that owners can take corrective action, rectify problems prior to scheduling the next Coast Guard examination, and ensure continual compliance with safety and environmental requirements.


Cooling Water Piping 46 CFR 119.420, .422 & .425
Piping is often corroded to the point of being considered wasted, and flexible hoses are often so badly dry-rotted that they crack. Additionally, piping and hoses are sometimes found with pin-hole leaks. On vessels with keel coolers, double hose clamps are required on both ends of all flexible hoses.

Deteriorated Hull Material 46 CFR 115.600; NVIC 7-68; NVIC 8-87; NVIC 7-95
Inspectors will typically find breaches in the hull plating and wastage of structural members while inspecting older vessels.

Exposed Hazards 46 CFR 116.960 & .970
Missing guards for moving machinery are the most common finding in this category. Additionally, hot surface guards are sometimes missing from cooking appliances in the galley.

Exhaust Piping 46 CFR 119.430(b) & 116.970
Inspectors routinely note leaking exhaust, which is true of both propulsion and generator diesels. Missing insulation and rusted-out pipe hangers are also common deficiencies.

F.C.C. Radio Compliance 46 CFR 121.502 and 47 CFR 80.13, .59, .903, & .1067
Note: since radio equipment requirements are structured according to the permissible operating distances from land, different vessels covered under the same Coast Guard inspection subchapter could be subject to different carriage requirements and certificates.

Many vessels are issued deficiencies for not having an FCC-issued ship station license, vessel bridge-to-bridge radiotelephony certificate, or a Communications Act safety radiotelephony certificate. SOLAS operation requires an additional certificate, FCC Form 806.


For more information:
For more information about small passenger vessel inspections, contact your local Coast Guard Sector/Inspections Division. For a listing of sector offices, click on “Sector Map” on http://homeport.uscg.mil/.

The subchapter K list continues in part 2.

Top 10 Small Passenger Vessel Deficiencies (Subchapter T)—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.


Running Lights Inoperable 46 CFR 183.420
All vessels must have navigation lights in accordance with the International and Inland Navigation Rules. Many vessels have inoperable stern, mast, and sidelights, and, in some instances, the installation of these lights was also found to conflict with the International and Inland Navigation Rules. Vessels of greater than 65 feet in length must also have navigation lights that are compliant with UL 1104 standards.

Light Guards Missing 46 CFR 183.410, UL 595 & 1570/1/2/3/4
All light fixtures that may be subject to damage must have a guard or be made of high-strength material. Light fixtures on the open weather deck, in the engine room, or in other machinery space must be protected with guards. Lights in accommodation spaces are normally exempted from this requirement.

Expired First Aid Kit Medication 46 CFR 184.710, 46 CFR 160.041
All certificated small passenger vessels must have a first aid kit approved under 46 CFR 160.041 or an equivalent that contains all required contents listed in 160.041. Individual items in approved first aid kits may be replaced as necessary with equivalent medications. If one item in a first aid kit is expired, the whole kit does not need to be replaced.

Navigational Charts Outdated or Missing 46 CFR 184.420
All certificated small passenger vessels must carry appropriate navigational charts that cover the area in which they operate. These charts must be kept current using regularly published Notices to Mariners. Many vessels that received deficiencies for outdated or missing navigation charts were also found to be missing other required nautical publications, including the U.S. Coast Pilot, Coast Guard light list, tide tables, and current tables. Vessels may use extracts from these publications for the area of operations in lieu of carrying the complete publication.

Expired EPIRB Hydrostatic Release 46 CFR 180.64
All small passenger vessels certificated to operate on the high seas or three miles beyond the coastline of the Great Lakes must have a FCC Type Accepted Category 1, 406-MHz Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) installed in a float-free system. Many small passenger vessels fail to replace the hydrostatic release prior to its expiration date.

For more information:
For more information about small passenger vessel inspections, contact your local Coast Guard Sector/Inspections Division. For a listing of sector offices, click on “Sector Map” at http://homeport.uscg.mil/.

Stay tuned for:
Top 10 Small Passenger Vessel Deficiencies (Subchapter K)

Top 10 Vessel Deficiencies

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


The U.S. Coast Guard Office of Investigations and Analysis recently examined vessel deficiencies in various vessel classes to identify the 10 most common deficiencies in each class.

We share these so that owners can take corrective action, rectify problems prior to scheduling the next Coast Guard examination, and ensure continual compliance with safety and environmental requirements.

The lists:
Top 10 small passenger vessel deficiencies (Subchapter T)
Top 10 small passenger vessel deficiencies (Subchapter K)
Top 10 tank barge deficiencies
Top 10 cargo vessel deficiencies
Top 10 offshore supply vessel deficiencies
Top 10 towing vessel deficiencies
Top 10 towing vessel material failures

Top 10 Small Passenger Vessel Deficiencies (Subchapter T)—Part I

Dead-End Wires 46 CFR 183.340
All cables or wires must serve some piece of equipment or system aboard the vessel. If equipment is removed and not replaced, the cable or wire that serviced it must also be properly removed from the power supply.

Deteriorated Hull Material 46 CFR 189.40; NVIC 7-68; NVIC 8-87; NVIC 7-95

• Wood vessels are notorious for having wasted wood planking and deteriorated fasteners.
• Steel and aluminum-hulled vessels are prone to cracked welds following allisions with objects such as docks and due to routine operations in rough seas. Steel is also prone to rusting, especially in areas where the plating is uncoated or where the coating has failed.
• Fiberglass-hulled vessels are subject to hull deterioration due to delamination, blisters, or cracks/knicks in the gel coat that can allow water to permeate through the layers of fiberglass and weaken the hull structure.

Inoperable Bilge High-Level Alarm 46 CFR 182.530
All certificated small passenger vessels 26 feet or greater, regardless of build date, must have visual and audible bilge high-level alarms for:

• normally unmanned spaces that might flood,
• spaces containing charged sea water piping, and
• spaces with a non-watertight closure.

Vessels constructed of wood must also provide bilge level alarms in all watertight compartments except small buoyancy chambers.

Portable Hand Bilge Pump Inoperable or Missing 46 CFR 182.520(b); 46 CFR Table 182.520(a)
Specific small passenger vessels are permitted portable hand bilge pumps as secondary or emergency means of dewatering a space. Some examination activities showed that vessel owners failed to maintain a portable pump on board, but most found that the portable pump was either inoperable or not usable in all spaces of the vessel.

Regulations require that the portable hand bilge pump be capable of pumping water from all watertight compartments on the vessel, which means that the suction hose must be long enough to reach the deepest part of the vessel.

FCC Station License Missing 46 CFR 184.502, 47 CFR 80.13
Marine radios, EPIRBs, and AIS equipment required to be installed on small passenger vessels must comply with FCC requirements. Many certificated small passenger vessels are issued deficiencies for not having an FCC station license for the marine radio.

The subchapter T list continues in part 2.

For more information:
For more information about small passenger vessel inspections, contact your local Coast Guard Sector/Inspections Division. For a listing of sector offices, click on “Sector Map” on http://homeport.uscg.mil.

Understanding Coal

This "Chemical of the Quarter" excerpt is from the U.S. Coast Guard Proceedings of the Marine Safety & Security Council magazine by Mr. Richard Bornhorst, Chemical Engineer, U.S. Coast Guard Hazardous Materials Standards Division.

Coal
Editor's Note: Though coal is not a chemical, it does have unique physical and chemical properties. We are providing this information for the safety of those transporting and handling it.

What is it?
Coal is a rock formed by compression of decomposing plant material. Since it is primarily composed of carbon, it is a useful energy source. According to the World Coal Institute website, in 2007, the total world coal production was more than 5.5 billion tons, and coal meets about 26 percent of the world's energy needs and generates about 41 percent of the world's electricity.

How is it shipped?
Coal is generally shipped in bulk quantities either by rail, cargo vessel, or barge. For cargo vessel or barge transport, coal is loaded directly into the cargo hold without mark, count, or any intermediate form of containment such as packaging.

Coal is also sometimes shipped by self-unloading cargo vessels with a conveyor belt system that moves coal from the cargo holds to an unloading arm. A self-unloading cargo vessel is advantageous when it becomes necessary to deliver coal to ports or waterfront facilities that lack the proper shoreside equipment.

The International Maritime Solid Bulk Cargoes (IMSBC) code specifies how coal is loaded, unloaded, and transported by cargo vessel for international shipments. Recent changes to the International Convention for Safety of Life at Sea made the IMSBC code mandatory for all cargo vessels regardless of age, size, or character.

Why should I care?
Shipping concerns. Under the provisions of the IMSBC code, coal is regulated as a hazardous material when transported in bulk by cargo vessel. The code contains provisions for shipping papers, trimming the cargo, segregation, temperature monitoring, and gas detection. All of these provisions will generally apply to coal because of its unique physical and chemical properties.

Health concerns. Exposure to coal dust generated from processing, transporting, or handling coal can cause pneumociosis (black lung), bronchitis, and emphysema. The permissible exposure limit for coal dust is a time-weighted average of 2.4 milligrams per cubic meter over the course of a working period, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Coal may also deplete the available oxygen in cargo holds and compartments. Some self-heating coals may give off carbon monoxide, which can be toxic at an air concentration as low as 50 parts per million.

Environmental concerns. Although coal is generally not considered toxic or hazardous to the environment, it should be handled carefully and efficiently to minimize releases. Coal can be released into the environment during loading and unloading operations or during routine cleaning (cargo sweeping) operations. Releases from these operations may be prohibited, restricted, or allowed depending upon whether or not they occur in environmentally sensitive areas, coastal or inland waters, or the open sea.

Fire or explosion concerns. Some coals may self-heat spontaneously and emit flammable gases, such as methane. A concentration between five percent and 15 percent methane in air can be flammable or explosive when exposed to a source of ignition. When methane is released from coal stowed on a cargo vessel, it can build up in the cargo hold, thus creating the potential for fire or an explosion. Some self-heating coals may also spontaneously combust during transportation. However, spontaneous combustion is not common. If it does occur, it usually only affects some of the stowed cargo.

What's the Coast Guard doing about it?
Industry has been transporting coal in bulk for many years with relatively few incidents. The safety provisions contained in the IMSBC code have been largely adopted by the coal industry on a voluntary basis. Nonetheless, industry practices will need to be brought into line with the international standards to further improve safety and facilitate the shipping of coal in international commerce.


For more information:
Full article is available at http://www.uscg.mil/proceedings/summer2010.

Subscribe online at http://www.uscg.mil/proceedings/subscribe.asp.

Today's Data Sharing-The Coast Guard's Enterprise Geographic Information System

Excerpt from U.S. Coast Guard Proceedings of the Marine Safety & Security Council magazine by Mr. Pete Noy, Information Technology Specialist, U.S. Coast Guard Operations Systems Management Division, and CDR Joseph Sundland, Geospatial Management Officer, U.S. Coast Guard Office of Enterprise Architecture and Governance.


The U.S. Coast Guard collects and generates large amounts of information related to the people, vessels, and facilities it interacts with daily, ranging from law enforcement actions, to search and rescue activities, environmental response activities, and vessel or facility inspections. Often there is a common thread--the information has a unique geospatial component. As a result, it can be mapped for easier viewing and awareness.

Sharing this information poses the real challenge. For this, the Coast Guard relies on a geographic information system (GIS), an integrated collection of computer software and data used to view and manage information about geographic places, analyze spatial relationships, and model spatial processes. Simply put, this provides a way for a user to take data from a number of sources and generate a map that can be shared with other users.

USCG Enterprise Geographic Information System
The Coast Guard's Enterprise Geographic Information System (EGIS) arranges this information in a more user-friendly format, allowing the user to see the extent of a situation, such as an oil spill, and immediately identify Coast Guard assets for deployment. The system can also display SAR activities within a given sector and allow the user to access various Coast Guard systems of record to pull and display this information.

A key driver for the EGIS is the ability to ingest and share its large datasets and make them available to a broad range of users. For example, if a hurricane were forecast to impact an area, a user would be able to pull all facility information for a particular captain of the port and display this on a map. The user could then access the latest hurricane tracking information from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration website and overlay it to determine which facilities could be impacted, and plan accordingly.

Since the EGIS can share datasets within the Coast Guard and with external users, everyone can access the same information, which reduces duplication and potential errors.

Future Direction
At the time this article was written, the EGIS was undergoing a software rewrite to make it fully compliant with the current DHS Enterprise Architecture while offering a more positive and robust solution. Additionally, other Coast Guard programs have begun evaluating ways to share their own unique datasets. As a result, the Coast Guard established a Geospatial Management Office at its headquarters with an eye toward consolidating geospatial technologies across all Coast Guard programs.

For more information:
Full article is available at http://www.uscg.mil/proceedings/summer2010.

Subscribe online at http://www.uscg.mil/proceedings/subscribe.asp.

Long-Range Identification and Tracking—Observing maritime activity over the horizon

Excerpt from U.S. Coast Guard Proceedings of the Marine Safety & Security Council magazine by CDR Kevin Keast, Chief for Communications and Sensors, U.S. Coast Guard Office of C4 and Sensors Capabilities.

Many technical capabilities leverage the latest in C4ISR (Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance) architecture to enhance maritime situational awareness, or what is commonly referred to as the maritime common operational picture. Programs like the Nationwide Automatic Identification System (NAIS)—a coastal network of receiver sites—detect NAIS transponder signals and track vessels in the coastal environment. However, once line-of-sight limitations are reached, other capabilities are required.

The United States realized early on that this gap was part of a larger issue of global security. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) was easily convinced that a long-range ship tracking capability was required, and instituted the Long-Range Identification and Tracking (LRIT) effort.

The LRIT System

The Long-Range Identification and Tracking System is designed to collect and disseminate vessel position information received from IMO member state ships that are subject to the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS). This system allows SOLAS contracting governments access to tracking information.

Global Efforts

The Coast Guard developed the U.S. National Data Center in December 2008 to collect, request, receive, and distribute data within the LRIT system. Additionally, the IMO designated that the U.S. build and temporarily operate the International Data Exchange, which routes vessel positioning data among all participating LRIT data centers, through the end of 2011.

The Way Ahead

Although Long-Range Identification and Tracking is in its infancy, the U.S. is already obtaining thousands of ship position reports daily for thousands of reporting vessels. These numbers will continue to grow as all SOLAS vessels integrate into the LRIT system and data centers come online. LRIT has been delivered to the Coast Guard as an open architecture system and is providing a tracking service that can be delivered easily across all U.S. government entities. While this tracking information is only available to the Coast Guard and the Department of Defense at present, the service will be extended to other government agencies to support government requirements relating to maritime safety, security, and environmental protection.

For more information:

Full article is available at http://www.uscg.mil/proceedings/summer2010.

Subscribe online at http://www.uscg.mil/proceedings/subscribe.asp.

Civilian Earth Observation Satellites for Global Maritime Awareness-Effective? Affordable?

Excerpt from U.S. Coast Guard Proceedings of the Marine Safety & Security Council magazine by Mr. Guy Thomas, Science and Technology Advisor, U.S. Coast Guard.


Civilian earth observations satellites have been operating since the mid-1980s and are expanding in number and capability. Many of these systems have significant ocean surveillance capabilities, which--if bundled together and used intelligently--could provide the maritime nations of the world with a much better picture of who is sailing the seas, and provide indications of their intentions.

However, no one is planning to take advantage of these systems for the global maritime awareness they could provide if operated collaboratively.

Earth Surveillance Satellites
The numbers and capabilities of both electro-optical and/or infrared (EO/IR) imaging systems and synthetic aperture radar satellites (SARSats) with oceanic surveillance capabilities are projected to grow substantially in the coming years. In addition, in the last two years almost a dozen different satellites have been launched with Automatic Identification System (AIS) receivers, and an AIS receiver has been installed on the International Space Station. Some of these are now in direct support of at least two different SAR satellites.

Indeed, it is the coupling of AIS via space with radar satellites, which can "see" in darkness and look through most cloud cover, and the new, higher-resolution imaging satellites that makes the concept known as "Collaboration in Space for International Global Maritime Awareness," or C-SIGMA, feasible. These new civilian space systems are not seen as replacing any existing terrestrial systems, but as a means to make those sorts of broad ocean surveillance systems more effective.

A Look Ahead
To achieve maritime domain awareness goals, satellites could be used to openly survey the world's oceans to establish normal patterns of behavior for shipping and boating worldwide. Other sources and methods would need to be employed to gain further information, but the basic data would be provided by the envisioned, unclassified system.

A civilian-based space broad ocean surveillance system such as the proposed C-SIGMA concept could provide the necessary surveillance for first-level indications as to whether a vessel was engaged in actions such as illegal fishing, environmentally harmful practices, smuggling, or just operating in a manner such that a closer examination might be warranted. Indeed, projects are underway to develop anomaly detection algorithms.

C-SIGMA is not a silver bullet, but it would be a huge help in establishing the envisioned transparency for all maritime nations. The dawn of unclassified open ocean surveillance has already occurred, and while these systems do not replace the national classified systems, their data can be shared with the many nations of the world.


For more information:
Full article is available at http://www.uscg.mil/proceedings/summer2010.

Subscribe online at http://www.uscg.mil/proceedings/subscribe.asp.

Proceedings Spring 2011 Issue Available Online

The current edition of Proceedings (Spring 2011 – Waterways Management) is available online at http://www.uscg.mil/proceedings/.

This issue highlights the domestic and international efforts of the Marine Transportation Systems Management Directorate.

Because marine transportation systems management is such a broad mission area within the Coast Guard, it is just a sampling of the marine transportation systems management that occurs in the field and at headquarters. It is intended to update readers on the latest developments for many of the areas traditionally covered under the waterways management umbrella.

In this day and age, this nation and our global partners rely more heavily than ever on our oceans and waterways for our collective prosperity, safety, and security. We trust that this edition will provide our policy makers, industry stakeholders, and international partners with a broader understanding of marine transportation systems management.