(a) This subchapter is applicable to all U.S.-flag vessels indicated in Column 4 of Table 2.01-7(A) and to all such foreign-flag vessels which carry 12 or fewer passengers from any port in the United States to the extent prescribed by law, except as follows:

(1) Any vessel of a foreign nation signatory to the International Convention for Safety of Life at Sea, 1974, and which has on board a current, valid safety equipment certificate.

(2) Any vessel operating exclusively on inland waters which are not navigable waters of the United States.

(3) Any vessel while laid up and dismantled and out of commission.

(4) With the exception of vessels of the U.S. Maritime Administration, any vessel with title vested in the United States and which is used for public purposes.

(b) Notwithstanding the exception previously noted in paragraph (a)(1) of this section, foreign vessels of novel design or construction or whose operation involves potential unusual risks shall be subject to inspection to the extent necessary to safeguard life and property in United States ports, as further provided by § 2.01-13 of subchapter A (Procedures Applicable to the Public) of this chapter.

(c) Notwithstanding the exception noted in paragraph (a)(1) of this section, each foreign vessel shall report marine casualties occurring while the vessel is in the navigable waters of the United States as required by subpart 97.07.

(a) At the beginning of the various parts, subparts, and sections, a more specific application is generally given for the particular portion of the text involved. This application sets forth the types, sizes, or services or vessels to which the text pertains, and in many cases limits the application of the text to vessels contracted for before or after a specific date. As used in this subchapter, the term “vessels contracted for” includes not only the contracting for the construction of a vessel, but also the contracting for a material alteration to a vessel, the contracting for the conversion of a vessel to a cargo or miscellaneous vessel, and the changing of service or route of a vessel if such change increases or modifies the general requirements for the vessel or increases the hazards to which it might be subjected.

(a) Vessels inspected and certificated for ocean or unlimited coastwise routes shall be considered suitable for navigation insofar as the provisions of this subchapter are concerned on any inland routes, including the Great Lakes.

(a) Except for yachts and fishing vessels and as provided in paragraphs (b), (c), and (d) of this section, the regulations in this subchapter that apply to a vessel on an “international voyage” apply to a vessel that—

(1) Is mechanically propelled and of at least 500 gross tons; and

(2) Is engaged on a voyage—

(i) From a country to which the International Convention for Safety of Life at Sea, 1974, (SOLAS 74) applies, to a port outside that country or the reverse;

(ii) From any territory, including the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, all possessions of the United States and all lands held by the United States under a protectorate or mandate, whose international relations are the responsibility of a contracting SOLAS 74 government, or which is administered by the United Nations, to a port outside the territory or the reverse; or

(iii) Between the contiguous states of the United States and the states of Hawaii or Alaska or between the states of Hawaii and Alaska.

(b) The regulations that apply to a vessel on an “international voyage” in this subchapter do not apply to ships engaged on a voyage solely on the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River as far east as a straight line drawn from Cap de Rosiers to West Point, Anticosti Island, the 63d Meridian;

(c) The Commandant or his authorized representative may exempt any vessel on an international voyage from the requirements of this subchapter if the vessel—

(1) Makes a single international voyage in exceptional circumstances; and

(2) Meets safety requirements prescribed for the voyage by the Commandant.

(d) The Commandant or his authorized representative may exempt any vessel from the construction requirements of this subchapter if the vessel does not proceed more than 20 nautical miles from the nearest land in the course of its voyage.

(a) Existing offshore supply vessels as defined by § 90.10-40(b), if they are of 100 GRT (100 GT ITC if GRT is not assigned) as defined in § 125.160 of this chapter or more, are subject to inspection under this subchapter. New offshore supply vessels as defined by § 90.10-40(c), are subject to inspection under subchapter L of this chapter.

(b) Each offshore supply vessel permitted grandfathering under paragraph (a) of this section must have completed construction and have a Certificate of Inspection by—

(1) March 16, 1998, if the vessel is of less than 500 GRT (6,000 GT ITC if GRT is not assigned) as defined in § 125.160 of this chapter; or

(2) August 18, 2016, if the vessel is of at least 6,000 GT ITC (500 GRT if GT ITC is not assigned) as defined in § 125.160 of this chapter.

(a) Each seagoing barge, as defined in 46 CFR 90.10-36, is subject to inspection and certification; except that a seagoing barge is exempt from those requirements if it is unmanned for the purposes of operating or navigating the barge, and carries neither a hazardous material as cargo nor a flammable or combustible liquid, including oil, in bulk quantities of 250 barrels or more.

(b) In applying the laws and regulations to manned seagoing barges, one criterion for invocation of safety standards is the description of seagoing barges by relative size in gross tons. When it is determined by the Commandant that the gross register tonnage for a particular manned seagoing barge, which is attained by exemptions, reductions, or other devices in the basic gross tonnage formulation, will circumvent or be incompatible with the application of specific safety requirements in the regulations in this subchapter for a manned seagoing barge of such physical size, the Commandant shall prescribe the regulations to be made applicable to such seagoing barge. When the Commandant determines that the gross register tonnage is not a valid criterion for the invocation of safety requirements based on relative size, the parties involved will be informed of the determination and of the regulations applicable to such manner seagoing barges, and before being permitted to operate such seagoing barges, compliance therewith shall be required. Endorsements or notations on the seagoing barge's certificate of inspection may be made as appropriate.

Vessels inspected and certificated under this subchapter may carry limited quantities of flammable and combustible liquid cargo in bulk in the grades indicated, provided the Certificate of Inspection is endorsed to permit such carriage:

(a) Cargo vessels:

(1) Grades D and E in an integral tank; and

(2) Grades D and E and certain specifically named Grade C in a portable tank, including a marine portable tank (MPT), in accordance with subpart 98.30 or 98.33 of this subchapter.

(b) Miscellaneous Vessels, such as cable, salvage, pile-driving, and oil-drilling-rig vessels:

(1) Grades B, C, D, and E in a fixed independent or integral tank authorized by the commandant;

(2) Grades D and E and certain specifically named Grade C in a portable tank, including an MPT, in accordance with subpart 98.30 or 98.33 of this subchapter.