(a) The master of each towing vessel must keep an accurate list of crewmembers and their assigned positions and responsibilities aboard the vessel.

(b) The master must keep an accurate list of individuals to be carried as persons in addition to the crew and any passengers.

(c) The date and time that a navigation watchstander, including master, officer in charge of a navigational watch, and lookout assumes a watch and is relieved of a watch must be recorded in the towing vessel record (TVR), official logbook, or in accordance with the TSMS applicable to the vessel. If an engineering watch is maintained, comparable records documenting the engineering watch are required.

(a) Crewmembers must meet the requirements in §§ 15.405 and 15.1105 of this chapter, as appropriate.

(b) Any towing vessel with alternating watches (shift work) or overnight accommodations must identify the duties and duty stations of each person onboard during an emergency, including:

(1) Responding to fires and flooding;

(2) Responding to emergencies that necessitate abandoning the vessel;

(3) Launching survival craft;

(4) Taking action during heavy weather;

(5) Taking action in the event of a person overboard;

(6) Taking action relative to the tow;

(7) Taking action in the event of failure of propulsion, steering, or control system;

(8) Managing individuals onboard who are not crewmembers;

(9) Managing any other event or condition which poses a threat to life, property, or the environment; and

(10) Responding to other special duties essential to addressing emergencies as determined by the TSMS applicable to the vessel, if a TSMS is used.

(c) The emergency duties and duty stations required by this section must be posted at each operating station and in a conspicuous location in a space commonly visited by crewmembers. If posting is impractical, such as in an open boat, they may be kept onboard in a location readily available to the crew.

(a) Personnel must meet the requirements in §§ 15.405 and 15.1105 of this chapter, as appropriate.

(b) Prior to getting underway for the first time on a particular towing vessel, each crewmember must receive a safety orientation on:

(1) His or her duties in an emergency;

(2) The location, operation, and use of lifesaving equipment;

(3) Prevention of falls overboard;

(4) Personal safety measures;

(5) The location, operation, and use of Personal Protective Equipment;

(6) Emergency egress procedures;

(7) The use and operation of watertight and weathertight closures;

(8) Responsibilities to provide assistance to individuals that are not crewmembers;

(9) How to respond to emergencies relative to the tow; and

(10) Awareness of, and expected response to, any other hazards inherent to the operation of the towing vessel which may pose a threat to life, property, or the environment.

(c) The safety orientation provided to crewmembers who received a safety orientation on another vessel may be modified to cover only those areas unique to the other vessel on which service will occur.

(d) Safety orientations and other crew training must be documented in the TVR, official logbook, or in accordance with the TSMS applicable to the vessel. The entry must include:

(1) The date of the safety orientation or training;

(2) A general description of the safety orientation or training topics;

(3) The name(s) and signature(s) of individual(s) providing the orientation or training; and

(4) The name(s) of the individual(s) receiving the safety orientation or training.

Individuals, who are not crewmembers, on board a towing vessel must receive a safety orientation prior to getting underway or as soon as practicable thereafter, to include:

(a) The location, operation, and use of lifesaving equipment;

(b) Emergency procedures;

(c) Methods to notify crewmembers in the event of an emergency; and

(d) Prevention of falls overboard.

(a) Master's responsibilities. The master of a towing vessel must ensure that drills are conducted and instructions are given to ensure that all crewmembers are capable of performing the duties expected of them during emergencies. This includes abandoning the vessel, recovering persons from the water, responding to onboard fires and flooding, or responding to other threats to life, property, or the environment.

(b) Nature of drills. Each drill must, as far as practicable, be conducted as if there was an actual emergency.

(c) Annual instruction for each crew member. Unless otherwise stated, each crewmember must receive the instruction required by this section annually.

(d) Instructions and drills required. The following instruction and drills are required:

(1) Response to fires, as required by § 142.245 of this subchapter;

(2) Launching of a skiff, if listed as an item of emergency equipment to abandon ship or recover a person-overboard;

(3) Instruction on the use of davit-launched liferafts, if installed.

(4) If a rescue boat is installed, instruction on how it must be launched, with its assigned crew aboard, and maneuvered in the water as if during an actual man-overboard situation.

(5) Credentialed mariners holding an officer endorsement do not require instruction in accordance with paragraphs (d)(1), (3), and (4) of this section.

(e) Alternative forms of instruction. (1) Instruction as required by this section may be conducted via an electronic format followed by a discussion and demonstration by a competent individual. This instruction may occur either on board or off the vessel but must include the equipment that is the subject of the instruction.

(2) Instruction as required by this section may be performed in accordance with the TSMS applicable to the vessel, provided that it meets the minimum requirements of this section.

(f) Location of drills, full crew participation, and use of equipment. As far as practicable, drills must take place on board the vessel. They must include:

(1) Participation by all crewmembers; and

(2) Actual use of, or realistic simulation of the use of, emergency equipment.

(g) Recordkeeping. Records of drills and instruction must be maintained in the TVR, official logbook, or in accordance with the TSMS applicable to the vessel. The record must include:

(1) The date of the drill and instruction;

(2) A description of the drill scenario and instruction topics;

(3) The personnel involved.

(a) The owner or managing operator of a towing vessel must establish procedures to address fall overboard prevention and recovery of persons in the water, including, but not limited to:

(1) Personal protective equipment;

(2) Safely working on the tow;

(3) Safety while line handling;

(4) Safely moving between the vessel and a tow, pier, structure, or other vessel; and

(5) Use of retrieval equipment.

(b) The owner, managing operator, or master must ensure that all persons on board comply with the policies and procedures in this section.

(a) Personnel dispatched from the vessel or that are working in an area on the exterior of the vessel without rails and guards must wear a lifejacket meeting requirements in 46 CFR 141.340, an immersion suit meeting requirements in 46 CFR 141.350, or a work vest approved by the Commandant under 46 CFR subpart 160.053. When worn at night, the work vest must be equipped with a light that meets the requirements of 46 CFR 141.340(g)(1). Work vests may not be substituted for the lifejackets required by 46 CFR part 141.

(b) Each storage container containing a work vest must be marked “WORK VEST”.

Each towing vessel must be equipped with an industrial type first aid cabinet or kit, appropriate to the size of the crew and operating conditions. Each towing vessel operating on oceans, coastwise, or Great Lakes routes must have a means to take blood pressure readings, splint broken bones, and apply large bandages for serious wounds.