(a) The owner, charterer, managing operator, or master of the following vessels must keep a correct list of the names of all persons that embark on and disembark from the vessel:

(1) A vessel making a coastwise or oceans voyage where:

(i) Passengers embark or disembark from the vessel to another vessel or port other than at the port of origin; or

(ii) Passengers are carried overnight;

(2) A vessel making a voyage of more than 300 miles on the Great Lakes, except from a Canadian to a United States port; and

(3) A vessel arriving from a foreign port, except at a United States Great Lakes port from a Canadian Great Lakes port.

(b) The master of a vessel required to prepare a crew and passenger list by paragraph (a) of this section shall see that the list is prepared prior to departing on a voyage. The list must be communicated verbally or in writing ashore at the vessel's normal berthing location or with a representative of the owner or managing operator of the vessel. The crew and passenger list shall be available to the Coast Guard upon request.

(a) The master of the following vessels shall prepare a voyage plan:

(1) A vessel making an oceans or coastwise voyage;

(2) A vessel making a voyage of more than 300 miles on the Great Lakes, except from a Canadian to a United States port;

(3) A vessel, with overnight accommodations for passengers, making an overnight voyage; and

(4) A vessel arriving from a foreign port, except at a United States Great Lakes port from a Canadian Great Lakes port.

(b) The voyage plan required by paragraph (a) of this section must be prepared prior to departing on a voyage and communicated verbally or in writing, ashore at the vessel's normal berthing location or with a representative of the owner or managing operator of the vessel. The voyage plan shall be available to the Coast Guard upon request.

The master of a vessel, except a vessel listed in § 185.502(a) of this part, shall keep a correct, written count of all passengers that embark on and disembark from the vessel. Prior to departing on a voyage, the passenger count must be communicated verbally or in writing, and available ashore at the vessel's normal berthing location or with a representative of the owner or managing operator of the vessel. The passenger count shall be available to the Coast Guard upon request.

(a) Except as allowed by paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section, before getting underway on a voyage or as soon as practicable thereafter, the master of a vessel shall ensure that suitable public announcements are made informing all passengers of the following:

(1) The location of emergency exits, survival craft embarkation areas, and ring life buoys;

(2) The stowage location(s) of life jackets;

(3) Either:

(i) The proper method of donning and adjusting life jackets of the type(s) carried on the vessel including a demonstration of the proper donning of a lifejacket, or

(ii) That passengers may contact a crew member for a demonstration as appropriate, prior to beginning an oceans or coastwise voyage;

(4) The location of the instruction placards for life jackets and other lifesaving devices;

(5) That all passengers will be required to don life jackets when possible hazardous conditions exist, as directed by the master; and

(6) If the vessel is operating with reduced manning or equipment requirements in § 176.114 of this chapter.

(b) As an alternative to an announcement that complies with paragraph (a) of this section, the master or other designated person may—

(1) Prior to getting underway, deliver to each passenger or, on a vessel that does not carry vehicles and that has seats for each passenger, place near each seat, a card or pamphlet that has the information listed in paragraphs (a)(1) through (a)(6) of this section; and

(2) Make an abbreviated announcement consisting of:

(i) A statement that passengers should follow the instructions of the crew in an emergency;

(ii) The location of life jackets; and

(iii) That further information concerning emergency procedures including the donning of life jackets, location of other emergency equipment, and emergency evacuation procedures are located on the card or pamphlet that was given to each passenger or is located near each seat.

(c) Ferries operating on short runs of less than 15 minutes may substitute bulkhead placards or signs for the announcement required in paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section if the OCMI determines that the announcements are not practical due to the vessel's unique operation.

(d) The master of a vessel shall ensure that a passenger, who boards the vessel on a voyage after the initial public announcement has been made as required by paragraphs (a) or (b) of this section, is also informed of the required safety information.

(e) On a vessel on a voyage of more than 24 hours duration, passengers shall be requested to don life jackets and go to the appropriate embarkation station during the safety orientation. If only a small number of passengers embark at a port after the original muster has been held, these passengers must be given the passenger safety orientation required by paragraphs (a) or (b) of this section if another muster is not held.

(a) The master of a vessel described by 46 CFR 175.110(d) must conduct passenger emergency egress drills from the passengers' assigned overnight accommodation spaces prior to beginning an excursion with new passengers.

(1) If the passengers are not assigned an overnight accommodation space, the master of a vessel described by 46 CFR 175.110(d) must conduct passenger emergency egress drills from an accommodation space prior to beginning an excursion with new passengers.

(2) For the purposes of this section, excursion includes anytime the vessel gets underway, or anytime passengers remain overnight on the vessel.

(b) Passenger egress drills must be logged or otherwise documented for review by the Coast Guard upon request. The drill entry must include the following information:

(1) Date and time of the drill; and

(2) Number of drill participants.

(a) The master of a vessel shall require passengers to don life jackets when possible hazardous conditions exist, including, but not limited to:

(1) When transiting hazardous bars and inlets;

(2) During severe weather;

(3) In event of flooding, fire, or other events that may possibly call for evacuation; and

(4) When the vessel is being towed, except a non-self-propelled vessel under normal operating conditions.

(b) The master or crew shall assist each passenger in obtaining a life jacket and donning it, as necessary.

(a) The master and crew of a vessel will be familiar with the content of and have mounted at the operating station, emergency instructions containing the actions to be taken in the event of fire, heavy weather, or man overboard conditions.

(b) Except when in the judgment of the cognizant OCMI the operation of a vessel does not present one of the hazards listed, the emergency instruction placard should contain at least the applicable portions of the “Emergency Instructions” listed in § 185.512. The emergency instructions must be designed to address the particular equipment, arrangement, and operation of each individual vessel.

(c) If the cognizant OCMI determines that there is no suitable mounting surface aboard the vessel, the emergency instructions need not be posted but must be carried aboard the vessel and be available to the crew for familiarization.

An emergency instruction placard containing the following information will satisfy the requirements of § 185.510.

(a) Emergency instructions—(1) Rough weather at sea, crossing hazardous bars, or flooding. (i) Close all watertight and weathertight doors, hatches, and airports to prevent taking water aboard or further flooding in the vessel.

(ii) Keep bilges dry to prevent loss of stability due to water in bilges. Use power driven bilge pump, hand pump, and buckets to dewater.

(iii) Align fire pumps to use as bilge pump if possible.

(iv) Check all intake and discharge lines, which penetrate the hull, for leakage.

(v) Passengers must remain seated and evenly distributed.

(vi) Passengers must don life jackets if the going becomes very rough, the vessel is about to cross a hazardous bar, or when otherwise instructed by the master.

(vii) Never abandon the vessel unless actually forced to do so.

(viii) If assistance is needed follow the procedures on the emergency broadcast placard posted by the radiotelephone.

(ix) Prepare survival craft (life floats, (inflatable) rafts, (inflatable) buoyant apparatus, boats) for launching.

(2) Man overboard. (i) Throw a ring buoy overboard as close to the person as possible.

(ii) Post a lookout to keep the person overboard in sight.

(iii) Launch rescue boat and maneuver to pick up person in the water, or maneuver the vessel to pick up the person in the water.

(iv) Have crew member put on life jacket, attach a safety line to him or her, and have him or her stand by jump into the water to assist the person overboard if necessary.

(v) If person is not immediately located, notify Coast Guard and other vessels in vicinity by radiotelephone.

(vi) Continue search until released by Coast Guard.

(3) Fire. (i) Cut off air supply to fire—close items such as hatches, ports, doors, ventilators, and louvers, and shut off ventilation system.

(ii) Cut off electrical system supplying affected compartment if possible.

(iii) If safe, immediately use portable fire extinguishers at base of flames for flammable liquid or grease fires or water for fires in ordinary combustible materials. Do not use water on electrical fires.

(iv) If fire is in machinery spaces, shut off fuel supply and ventilation and activate fixed extinguishing system if installed.

(v) Maneuver vessel to minimize effect of wind on fire.

(vi) If unable to control fire, immediately notify the Coast Guard and other craft in the vicinity by radiotelephone.

(vii) Move passengers away from fire, have them put on life jackets, and if necessary, prepare to abandon the vessel.

(b) [Reserved]

(a) A station bill must be posted by the master on a vessel of more than 19.8 meters (65 feet) in length having a Certificate of Inspection requiring more than four crew members at any one time, including the master.

(b) The station bill required by paragraph (a) of this section must set forth the special duties and duty station of each crew member for various emergencies. The duties must, as far as possible, be comparable with the regular work of the individual. The duties must include at least the following and any other duties necessary for the proper handling of a particular emergency:

(1) The closing of hatches, airports, watertight doors, vents, scuppers, and valves for intake and discharge lines that penetrate the hull, the stopping of fans and ventilating systems, and the operating of all safety equipment;

(2) The preparing and launching of survival craft and rescue boats;

(3) The extinguishing of fire; and

(4) The mustering of passengers including the following:

(i) Warning the passengers;

(ii) Assembling the passengers and directing them to their appointed stations; and

(iii) Keeping order in the passageways and stairways and generally controlling the movement of the passengers.

(c) The station bill must be posted at the operating station and in a conspicuous location in each crew accommodation space.

(a) On vessels described by 46 CFR 175.110(d) of this chapter, a passenger safety bill must be posted by the master in each cabin or stateroom, and in passenger accommodation spaces.

(b) Each passenger safety bill required by this section must list:

(1) The embarkation station and the number and location of the survival craft to which each passenger is assigned, if applicable;

(2) The fire and emergency signal and the abandon ship signal;

(3) Essential action that must be taken in an emergency; and

(4) If immersion suits are provided for passengers, the location of the suits and illustrated instructions on the method of donning the suits.

(a) Placards containing instructions for the donning and use of the life jackets aboard the vessel must be posted in conspicuous places that are regularly accessible and visible to the crew and passengers.

(b) If the cognizant OCMI determines that there is no suitable mounting surface aboard the vessel, the life jacket placards need not be posted but must be carried aboard the vessel and be available to the crew and passengers for familiarization.

(a) Every vessel equipped with an inflatable survival craft must have approved placards or other cards containing instructions for launching and inflating inflatable survival craft for the information of persons on board posted in conspicuous places by each inflatable survival craft.

(b) Under the requirement in § 160.051-6(c)(1) of this chapter, the manufacturer of approved inflatable liferafts is required to provide approved placards containing such instructions with each liferaft. Similar placards must be used for other inflatable survival craft.

(a) The master shall conduct sufficient drills and give sufficient instructions to make sure that all crew members are familiar with their duties during emergencies that necessitate abandoning ship or the recovery of persons who have fallen overboard.

(b) Each abandon ship drill must include:

(1) Summoning the crew to report to assigned stations and prepare for assigned duties;

(2) Summoning passengers on a vessel on an overnight voyage to muster stations or embarkation stations and ensuring that they are made aware of how the order to abandon ship will be given;

(3) Checking that life jackets are correctly donned;

(4) Operation of any davits used for launching liferafts; and

(5) Instruction on the automatic and manual deployment of survival craft.

(c) Each abandon ship drill must, as far as practicable, be conducted as if there were an actual emergency.

(d) Each rescue boat required in accordance with § 180.210 of this chapter must be launched with its assigned crew aboard and maneuvered in the water as if during an actual man overboard situation:

(1) Once each month, if reasonable and practicable; but

(2) At least once within a 3 month period before the vessel gets underway with passengers.

(e) Onboard training in the use of davit launched liferafts must take place at intervals of not more than 3 months on a vessel with a davit launched liferaft.

(f) Abandon ship and man overboard drills and training shall be logged or otherwise documented for review by the Coast Guard upon request. The drill entry shall include the following information:

(1) Date of the drill and training; and

(2) General description of the drill scenario and training topics.

(a) The master shall conduct sufficient fire drills to make sure that each crew member is familiar with his or her duties in case of a fire.

(b) Each fire drill must include:

(1) Summoning passengers on a vessel on an overnight voyage to muster or embarkation stations;

(2) Summoning the crew to report to assigned stations and to prepare for and demonstrate assigned duties; and

(3) Instruction in the use and location of fire alarms, extinguishers, and any other fire fighting equipment on board.

(c) Each fire drill must, as far as practicable, be conducted as if there were an actual emergency.

(d) Fire fighting drills and training shall be logged or otherwise documented for review by the Coast Guard upon request. The drill entry shall include the following information:

(1) Date of the drill and training; and

(2) General description of the drill scenario and training topics.

Nothing in the emergency instructions or a station bill required by this subpart exempts any licensed individual from the exercise of good judgment in an emergency situation.