(a) Except as noted in paragraphs (a)(1) and (2) of this section, the regulations in this subpart apply to seagoing vessels as defined in § 10.107 of this subchapter.

(1) The following vessels are exempt from application of the STCW Convention:

(i) Fishing vessels as defined in 46 U.S.C. 2101(11)(a).

(ii) Fishing vessels used as fish-tender vessels as defined in 46 U.S.C. 2101(11)(c).

(iii) Barges as defined in 46 U.S.C. 102, including non-self-propelled MODUs.

(iv) Vessels operating exclusively on the Great Lakes or on the inland waters of the U.S., in the Straits of Juan de Fuca, or on the Inside Passage between Puget Sound and Cape Spencer.

(v) Pilot vessels engaged on pilotage duty.

(2) The following small vessels engaged exclusively on domestic, near coastal voyages are not subject to any obligation for the purposes of the STCW Convention:

(i) Small passenger vessels subject to subchapter T or K of 46 CFR chapter I.

(ii) Vessels of less than 200 GRT (other than passenger vessels subject to subchapter H of 46 CFR chapter I).

(iii) Uninspected passenger vessels as defined in 46 U.S.C. 2101(42)(B).

(b) Masters, mates, and engineers serving on vessels identified in paragraphs (a)(2)(i) and (a)(2)(ii) of this section may be issued, without additional proof of qualification, an appropriate STCW endorsement when the Coast Guard determines that such a document is necessary to enable the vessel to engage on a single international voyage of a non-routine nature. The STCW endorsement will be expressly limited to service on the vessel or the class of vessels and will not establish qualification for any other purpose.

(a) Onboard a seagoing vessel of 500 GT or more, driven by main propulsion machinery of 1,000 HP/750 kW propulsion power or more or on an international voyage beyond the boundary line as described in part 7 of this chapter, no person may employ or engage any person to serve, and no person may serve, in a position requiring a person to hold an STCW endorsement, including master, chief mate, chief engineer officer, second engineer officer, officer of the navigational or engineering watch, or GMDSS radio operator, unless the person serving holds an appropriate, valid STCW endorsement issued in accordance with part 11 of this subchapter.

(b) Onboard a seagoing vessel of 500 GT or more, no person may employ or engage any person to serve, and no person may serve, as an RFPNW, except for training, unless the person serving holds an appropriate, valid STCW endorsement issued in accordance with part 12 of this subchapter.

(c) As of January 1, 2017, onboard a seagoing vessel of 500 GT or more, no person may employ or engage any person to serve, and no person may serve, as an able seafarer-deck, except for training, unless the person serving holds an appropriate, valid STCW endorsement issued in accordance with part 12 of this subchapter.

(d) Onboard a seagoing vessel driven by main propulsion machinery of 1,000 HP/750 kW propulsion power or more, no person may employ or engage any person to serve, and no person may serve, as an RFPEW, nor may any person be designated to perform duties in a periodically unmanned engine-room, except for training or for the performance of duties of an unskilled nature, unless the person serving holds an appropriate, valid STCW endorsement issued in accordance with part 12 of this subchapter.

(e) As of January 1, 2017, onboard a seagoing vessel driven by main propulsion machinery of 1,000 HP/750 kW propulsion power or more, no person may employ or engage any person to serve, and no person may serve, as an able seafarer-engine, except for training, unless the person serving holds an appropriate, valid STCW endorsement issued in accordance with part 12 of this subchapter.

(f) Onboard a passenger ship, as defined by the Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, 1974, as amended (SOLAS) (incorporated by reference, see § 15.103 of this part), on an international voyage, any person serving as master, chief mate, mate, chief engineer, engineer officer, or any person holding a license, MMD, or MMC and performing duties relating to safety, cargo handling, or care for passengers, must meet the appropriate requirements of Regulation V/2 of the STCW Convention (incorporated by reference, see § 15.103 of this part). These individuals must hold documentary evidence to show they meet these requirements.

(g) Onboard a seagoing vessel required to comply with provisions of the GMDSS in Chapter IV of SOLAS, no person may employ or engage any person to serve, and no person may serve, as the person designated to maintain GMDSS equipment at sea, when the service of a person so designated is used to meet the maintenance requirements of SOLAS Regulation IV/15, which allows for capability of at-sea electronic maintenance to ensure that radio equipment is available for radio communication, unless the person so serving holds documentary evidence that he or she is competent to maintain GMDSS equipment at sea.

(h) Medical certificate. (1) A person may not employ or engage an individual unless that individual maintains a current medical certificate.

(2) After January 1, 2017, all persons employed or engaged onboard vessels to which STCW applies must hold a medical certificate valid for 2 years unless the mariner is under the age of 18, in which case the maximum period of validity will be 1 year.

(3) If a mariner's medical certificate expires during a voyage, it will remain valid until the next United States port of call, provided that the period after expiration does not exceed 90 days.

(a) Onboard a seagoing vessel to which this subpart applies, no person may assign any person to perform shipboard duties, and no person may perform those duties, unless the person performing them has received—

(1) Training in personal survival techniques as set out in the standard of competence under Regulation VI/1 of the STCW Convention (incorporated by reference, see § 15.103 of this part); or

(2) Sufficient familiarization training or instruction that he or she—

(i) Can communicate with other persons onboard about elementary safety matters and understand informational symbols, signs, and alarm signals concerning safety;

(ii) Knows what to do if a person falls overboard; if fire or smoke is detected; or if the fire alarm or abandon-ship alarm sounds;

(iii) Can identify stations for muster and embarkation, and emergency-escape routes;

(iv) Can locate and don life jackets;

(v) Can raise the alarm and knows the use of portable fire extinguishers;

(vi) Can take immediate action upon encountering an accident or other medical emergency before seeking further medical assistance onboard; and

(vii) Can close and open the fire doors, weather-tight doors, and watertight doors fitted in the vessel other than those for hull openings.

(b) Onboard a seagoing vessel to which this subpart applies, no person may assign a shipboard duty or responsibility to any person who is serving in a position that must be filled as part of the required crew complement, and no person may perform any such duty or responsibility, unless he or she is familiar with it and with all of the vessel's arrangements, installations, equipment, procedures, and characteristics relevant to his or her routine and emergency duties or responsibilities, in accordance with Regulation I/14 of the STCW Convention.

(c) Onboard a seagoing vessel to which this subpart applies, no person may assign a shipboard duty or responsibility to any person who is serving in a position that must be filled as part of the required crew complement or who is assigned a responsibility on the muster list, and no person may perform any such duty or responsibility, unless the person performing it can produce evidence of having—

(1) Received appropriate approved basic training or instruction as set out in the standards of competence under Regulation VI/1 of the STCW Convention, with respect to personal survival techniques, fire prevention and fire-fighting, elementary first aid, and personal safety and social responsibilities; and

(2) Maintained the standard of competence under Regulation VI/1 of the STCW Convention, with respect to personal survival techniques, fire prevention and fire-fighting, elementary first aid, and personal safety and social responsibilities, every 5 years.

(d) Fish-processing vessels in compliance with the provisions of 46 CFR part 28 on instructions, drills, and safety orientation are deemed to be in compliance with the requirements of this section on familiarization and basic training.

For every credentialed mariner employed on a U.S.-documented seagoing vessel, the owner or operator must ensure that the following information is maintained and readily accessible to those in management positions, including the master of the vessel, who are responsible for the safety of the vessel, compliance with laws and regulations, and for the prevention of marine pollution:

(a) Experience and training relevant to assigned shipboard duties (i.e., record of training completed, ship-specific familiarization and of relevant on-the-job experience acquired).

(b) Copies of the mariner's current credentials.

Except those serving on vessels listed in § 15.105(f) and (g) of this part, each master of a vessel that operates beyond the boundary line, as described in part 7 of this chapter, must ensure observance of the principles concerning watchkeeping set out in Regulation VIII/2 of the STCW Convention and section A-VIII/2 of the STCW Code (both incorporated by reference, see § 15.103 of this part).

(a) Every person assigned duty as officer in charge of a navigational or engineering watch, or duty as ratings forming part of a navigational or engineering watch, or designated safety, prevention of pollution, and security duties onboard any vessel that operates beyond the boundary line, as described in part 7 of this chapter, must receive—

(1) A minimum of 10 hours of rest in any 24-hour period; and

(2) 77 hours of rest in any 7-day period.

(b) The hours of rest required under paragraph (a) of this section may be divided into no more than two periods in any 24-hour period, one of which must be at least 6 hours in length, and the interval between consecutive periods of rest must not exceed 14 hours.

(c) The requirements of paragraph (a) and (b) of this section need not be maintained in the case of an emergency or drill or in other overriding operational conditions.

(d) The minimum period of rest required under paragraph (a) of this section may not be devoted to watchkeeping or other duties.

(e) Watchkeeping personnel remain subject to the work-hour limits in 46 U.S.C. 8104 and to the conditions under which crewmembers may be required to work.

(f) The master must post watch schedules where they are easily accessible. They must cover each affected person under paragraph (a) of this section, and must take into account the rest requirements of this section as well as port rotations and changes in the vessel's itinerary.

(g) Records of daily hours of rest must be maintained onboard the vessel. Each affected person under paragraph (a) of this section must receive a copy of the records pertaining to them, which will be endorsed by the master or by a person authorized by the master and by the seafarer.

(h) For every seafarer on call, such as when a machinery space is unattended, the seafarer must have an adequate compensatory rest period if the normal period of rest is disturbed by call-outs to work.

(i) The master of the vessel may suspend the schedule of hours of rest and require a seafarer to perform any hours of work necessary for the immediate safety of the ship, persons onboard, or cargo, or for the purpose of giving assistance to other ships or persons in distress at sea. As soon as practicable after the situation has been restored, the master must ensure that any seafarer who has performed work in a scheduled rest period is provided with an adequate period of rest.

(j) In exceptional circumstances, the master may authorize exceptions from the hours of rest required under paragraph (a) and (b) of this section provided that:

(1) The hours of rest provided for in paragraph (a)(1) of this section may be divided into no more than three periods, one of which must be at least 6 hours in length, and neither of the other two periods are permitted to be less than one hour in length.

(i) Exceptions to paragraph (a)(1) of this section must not extend beyond two 24-hour periods in any 7-day period; and,

(ii) The intervals between consecutive periods of rest must not exceed 14 hours.

(2) Exceptions to paragraphs (a)(2) and (b) of this section must not be less than 70 hours of rest in any 7-day period.

(3) Exceptions to paragraph (a)(2) of this section are not allowed for more than two consecutive weeks, and the intervals between two periods of exceptions to paragraph (a)(2) must not be less than twice the duration of the longer exception.

(a) Onboard a seagoing vessel of 500 GT or more to which the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code applies, all persons performing duties as Vessel Security Officer (VSO) must hold a valid endorsement as VSO.

(b) Persons who hold an endorsement as VSO will be deemed to satisfy the requirements for vessel personnel with designated security duties in paragraph (c) of this section.

(c) After March 24, 2014, onboard a seagoing vessel of 500 GT or more to which the ISPS Code applies, all personnel with designated security duties must hold a valid endorsement as vessel personnel with designated security duties, or a certificate of course completion or documentary evidence of onboard training from an appropriate Coast Guard-accepted or Coast Guard-approved course meeting the requirements of 33 CFR 104.220.

(d) Persons who hold an endorsement as vessel personnel with designated security duties, or a certificate of course completion or documentary evidence of onboard training from an appropriate Coast Guard-accepted or Coast Guard-approved course for vessel personnel with designated security duties, will be deemed to satisfy the requirements for all other vessel personnel in paragraph (e) of this section.

(e) After March 24, 2014, onboard a seagoing vessel of 500 GT or more to which the ISPS Code applies, all other vessel personnel must hold a valid endorsement in security awareness, or a certificate of course completion from an appropriate Coast Guard-accepted or Coast Guard-approved course, or documentary evidence of onboard training meeting the requirements of 33 CFR 104.225.

(f) After March 24, 2014, onboard a seagoing vessel of 500 GT or more to which the ISPS Code applies, all contractors, whether part-time, full-time, temporary, or permanent, must have knowledge of the requirements in 33 CFR 104.225, through training or equivalent job experience. Vessel owners and operators must maintain records documenting this requirement and produce those records to the Coast Guard upon request.