The regulations in this part are prescribed by the Commandant of the Coast Guard, pursuant to a delegation of authority by the Secretary of Homeland Security set forth in Department of Homeland Security Delegation No. 0170.1, to carry out the intent and purpose of 46 U.S.C. 3316 which authorizes the Secretary to rely on reports, documents, and certificates issued by the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) or a similar United States classification society, or an agent of the ABS or similar society; sections 4502 and 4506 which require safety equipment and operational stability for certain vessels in the commercial fishing industry; section 6104 which requires the Secretary of Transportation to compile statistics concerning marine casualties compiled from vessel insurers and to delegate that authority to compile statistics from insurers to a qualified person; and section 10603 which requires seamen on commercial fishing industry vessels to give notice of illness, injury, or disability to their employer.

(a) This section collects and displays the control numbers assigned to information collection and recordkeeping requirements in this part by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1980 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.). This section complies with the requirements of 44 U.S.C. 3507(f) which requires that agencies display a current control number assigned by the Director of the OMB for each approved agency information collection requirement.

(b) Display.

(a) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this section, this part is applicable to all United States flag vessels not inspected under this chapter that are commercial fishing, fish processing, or fish tender vessels. This includes vessels documented under the provisions of subchapter G of this chapter and vessels numbered by a State or the Coast Guard under the provisions of 33 CFR subchapter S. Certain regulations in this part apply only to limited categories of vessels. Specific applicability statements are provided at the beginning of those regulations.

(b) This part does not apply to a small boat or auxiliary craft that is deployed from a fishing industry vessel for the purpose of handling fishing gear.

(c) The regulations in this part have preemptive effect over State or local regulations in the same field.

(a) Certain material is incorporated by reference into this part with the approval of the Director of the Federal Register in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 552(a). To enforce any edition other than that specified in paragraph (b) of this section, the Coast Guard must publish notice of change in the Federal Register and make the material available to the public. All approved material is on file at the Coast Guard Headquarters. Contact Commandant (CG-ENG), Attn: Office of Design and Engineering Systems, U.S. Coast Guard Stop 7509, 2703 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20593-7509 or you may contact the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). For information on the availability of this material at NARA, call 202-741-6030, or go to: http://www.archives.gov/federal_register/code_of_federal_regulations/ibr_locations.html. All material is available from the sources indicated in paragraph (b) of this section.

(b) The material approved for incorporation by reference in this part and the sections affected are:

Accepted organization means an organization which has been designated by the Commandant for the purpose of examining commercial fishing industry vessels under the provisions of § 28.73.

Accommodations include:

(1) A messroom.

(2) A lounge.

(3) A sitting area.

(4) A recreation room.

(5) Quarters.

(6) A toilet space.

(7) A shower room.

(8) A galley.

(9) Berthing facilities.

(10) A clothing changing room.

Alcohol concentration means either grams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood, or grams of alcohol per 210 liters of breath.

Aleutian trade means the transportation of cargo, including fishery related products, for hire on board a fish tender vessel to or from a place in Alaska west of 153 degrees West longitude and east of 172 degrees East longitude if that place receives weekly common carrier service by water, to or from a place in the United States, except a place in Alaska.

Approved means approved by the Commandant unless otherwise stated.

Auxiliary Craft means a vessel that is carried onboard a commercial fishing vessel and is normally used to support fishing operations.

Boundary lines means the lines described in part 7 of this chapter. In general, they follow the trend of the seaward high water shorelines and cross entrances to small bays, inlets, and rivers. In some areas, they are along the 12-mile line that marks the seaward limits of the territorial sea and, in other areas, they come ashore.

Buoyant Apparatus means a buoyant apparatus approved by the Commandant.

Coast Guard Boarding Officer means a commissioned, warrant, or petty officer of the Coast Guard having authority to board any vessel under the Act of August 4, 1949, 63 Stat. 502, as amended (14 U.S.C. 522).

Coast Guard Representative means a person employed at the cognizant U.S. Coast Guard Sector Office or Marine Inspection Office, or an accepted organization, or a similarly qualified organization approved in examining commercial fishing industry vessels. Contact Commandant (CG-CVC-3); Attn: Fishing Vessels Division, U.S. Coast Guard Stop 7501, 2703 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20593-7501 for a current list of accepted organizations or similarly qualified organizations.

Coastal Service Pack means equipment provided in liferafts approved by the Commandant for coastal service.

Coastal waters means coastal waters as defined in 33 CFR 175.105.

Coastline means the territorial sea baseline as defined in 33 CFR 2.20.

Cold water means water where the monthly mean low water temperature is normally 59 °F (15 °C) or less.

Commandant means the Commandant of the Coast Guard or an authorized representative of the Commandant of the Coast Guard.

Commercial fishing industry vessel means a fishing vessel, fish tender vessel, or a fish processing vessel.

Currently corrected means corrected with changes contained in all Notice to Mariners published by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.

Custom engineered means, when referring to a fixed gas fire extinguishing system, a system that is designed for a specific space requiring individual calculations for the extinguishing agent volume, flow rate, and piping, among other factors, for the space.

District Commander means an officer of the Coast Guard designated as such by the Commandant to command all Coast Guard activities within a district.

Documented vessel means a vessel for which a Certificate of Documentation has been issued under the provisions of 46 CFR part 67.

Equipment Packs means equipment provided in liferafts approved by the Commandant.

Especially hazardous condition means a condition which may be life threatening or lead to serious injury if continued.

Fish means finfish, mollusks, crustaceans, and all other forms of marine animal and plant life, except marine mammals and birds.

Fish processing vessel means a vessel that commercially prepares fish or fish products other than by gutting, decapitating, gilling, skinning, shucking, icing, freezing, or brine chilling.

Fish tender vessel means a vessel that commercially supplies, stores, refrigerates, or transports fish, fish products, or materials directly related to fishing or the preparation of fish to or from a fishing, fish processing or fish tender vessel or a fish processing facility.

Fishing vessel means a vessel that commercially engages in the catching, taking, or harvesting of fish or an activity that can reasonably be expected to result in the catching, taking, or harvesting of fish.

Fishing Vessel Drill Conductor means an individual who meets the training requirements of 46 CFR 28.270(c) for conducting drills and providing instruction once a month to each individual on board those vessels to which subpart C of this section applies.

Fishing Vessel Safety Instructor means an individual or organization that has been accepted by the local Officer-in-Charge, Marine Inspection to train Fishing Vessel Drill Conductors to conduct drills and provide instruction on those vessels to which subpart C of this part applies.

Gasoline as used in this part includes gasoline-alcohol blends and any other fuel having a flash point of 110 °F (43.3 °C) or lower.

Inflatable Buoyant Apparatus means an inflatable buoyant apparatus approved by the Commandant.

Inflatable Liferaft means an inflatable liferaft that is approved by the Commandant.

Length means the length listed on the vessel's Certificate of Documentation or Certificate of Number.

Lifeboat means a lifeboat approved by the Commandant.

Liferaft means a liferaft approved by the Commandant.

Major conversion means a conversion of a vessel that—

(1) Substantially changes the dimensions or carrying capacity of the vessel;

(2) Changes the type of the vessel;

(3) Substantially prolongs the life of the vessel; or

(4) Otherwise so changes the vessel that it is essentially a new vessel, as determined by the Commandant.

Mile means a nautical mile.

North Pacific Area means all waters of the North Pacific Ocean and Bering Sea north of 48°30′ north latitude including waters in contiguous bays, inlets, rivers, and sounds.

Officer in Charge, Marine Inspection (OCMI) means an officer of the Coast Guard who commands a Marine Inspection Zone described in 33 CFR part 3 or an authorized representative of that officer.

Open to the atmosphere means a space that has at least 15 square inches (9680 square millimeters) of open area directly exposed to the atmosphere for each cubic foot (0.0283 cubic meters) of net volume of the space.

Operating station means the principal steering station on the vessel from which the vessel is normally navigated.

Pre-engineered means, when referring to a fixed gas fire extinguishing system, a system that is designed and tested to be suitable for installation as a complete unit in a space of a set volume, without modification, regardless of the vessel on which installed.

Similarly qualified organization means an organization which has been designated by the Commandant for the purpose of classing or examining commercial fishing industry vessels under the provisions of § 28.76.

Switchboard means an electrical panel which receives power from a generator, battery, or other electrical power source and distributes power directly or indirectly to all equipment supplied by the power source.

Warm water means water where the monthly mean low water temperature is normally more than 59 °F. (15 °C.).

Watertight means designed and constructed to withstand a static head of water without any leakage, except that “watertight” for the purposes of electrical equipment means enclosed so that equipment does not leak when a stream of water from a hose with a nozzle one inch (25.4 millimeters) in diameter that delivers at least 65 gallons (246 liters) per minute is played on the enclosure from any direction from a distance of 10 feet (3 meters) for five minutes.

Weather deck means the uppermost deck exposed to the weather to which a weathertight sideshell extends.

Weathertight means that water will not penetrate into the unit in any sea condition.

(a) Types of exemptions. (1) Specific exemption means an exemption for an individual commercial fishing industry vessel.

(2) Class exemption means an exemption for a class or fleet of commercial fishing industry vessels.

(b) Exemption procedure. A request for an exemption of either type must be in writing, have specific reasons for the request, and be sent to the Coast Guard District Office having jurisdiction over the waters where the vessel(s) will be operating. Coast Guard District geographical areas are described in 33 CFR part 3. The District Commander will review the request to determine that:

(1) Good cause exists for granting an exemption; and

(2) The safety of the vessel and those on board will not be adversely affected.

(c) The District Commander will either approve or deny the request in writing. In granting a request, the District Commander will specify the terms under which the exemption is granted and distribute the letter describing these terms to the party or parties requesting the exemption.

(d) Exemption letter. Exemption letters, or suitable copies, describing the terms under which the exemption is granted shall be maintained at all times on board each vessel to which any exemption applies.

(e) Right of appeal. Any person directly affected by a decision or action taken under this part may appeal in accordance with § 1.03 of this chapter.

(f) Rescinding an exemption letter. Exemptions granted may be rescinded by the District Commander if it is subsequently determined that the safety of the vessel and those onboard is adversely affected.

(a) A Coast Guard Boarding Officer may direct the master or individual in charge of a vessel, with the concurrence of the District Commander, or staff authorized by the District Commander, to immediately take reasonable steps necessary for the safety of individuals on board the vessel if the Boarding Officer observes the vessel being operated in an unsafe manner and determines that an especially hazardous condition exists. This may include directing the master or individual in charge of the vessel to return the vessel to a mooring and remain there until the situation creating the especially hazardous condition is corrected or other specific action is taken.

(b) Hazardous conditions include, but are not limited to, operation with—

(1) An insufficient number of lifesaving equipment on board, to include serviceable Personal Flotation Devices (PFDs), serviceable immersion suits, or adequate survival craft capacity.

(2) An inoperable Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) or radio communication equipment when required by regulation. There should be at least one operable means of communicating distress. When both are required, then at least one must be in operable condition to avoid termination of the voyage;

(3) Inadequate firefighting equipment on board;

(4) Excessive volatile fuel (gasoline or solvents) or volatile fuel vapors in bilges;

(5) Instability resulting from overloading, improper loading or lack of freeboard;

(6) Inoperable bilge system;

(7) Intoxication of the master or individual in charge of a commercial fishing vessel. An individual is intoxicated when he/she is operating a commercial fishing vessel and has an alcohol concentration of .04 percent, or the intoxicant's effect on the person's manner, disposition, speech, muscular movement, general appearance or behavior is apparent by observation;

(8) A lack of adequate operable navigation lights during periods of reduced visibility;

(9) Watertight closures missing or inoperable;

(10) Flooding or uncontrolled leakage in any space; or

(11) A missing or expired certificate of class, as required by 46 U.S.C. 4503(1), for a fish processing vessel.

(c) A Coast Guard Boarding Officer may direct the individual in charge of a fish processing vessel that is missing a Load Line Certificate, or that does not comply with the provisions of the Load Line Certificate issued by the American Bureau of Shipping or a similarly qualified organization, to return the vessel to a mooring and to remain there until the vessel obtains such a certificate.

(a) Equipment and material that is required by this subchapter to be approved or of an approved type, must have been manufactured and approved in accordance with the design and testing requirements in subchapter Q of this chapter or as otherwise specified by the Commandant.

(b) A listing of current and formerly approved equipment and materials may be found on the internet at: http://cgmix.uscg.mil/equipment. Each OCMI may be contacted for information concerning approved equipment.

An organization desiring to be designated by the Commandant as an accepted organization must request such designation in writing. As a minimum the organization must verify that it is an organization—

(a) With a Code of Ethics;

(b) Whose surveyors are familiar with the requirements of this chapter related to commercial fishing industry vessels;

(c) Whose surveyors are familiar with the operations and equipment on board commercial fishing industry vessels;

(d) Whose only interest in the fishing industry is in ensuring the safety of commercial fishing industry vessels and surveying commercial fishing industry vessels;

(e) That has grievance procedures;

(f) That has procedures for accepting and terminating membership of an individual, including minimum professional qualifications for surveyors;

(g) That maintains a roster of present and past accepted members and surveyors; and

(h) That has an Apprentice/Associate program for surveyors.

An organization desiring to be designated by the Commandant as a similarly qualified organization must request such designation in writing. As a minimum the organization must verify that it—

(a) Publishes standards for vessel design and construction which are as widely available as and which are of similar content to the standards published by the ABS;

(b) Performs periodic surveys in a wide range of localities during and after construction to ensure compliance with published standards, including drydock examinations, in a manner similar to the ABS;

(c) Issues certificates testifying to compliance with the published standards;

(d) Has as its primary concern the survey and classification of vessels;

(e) Has no interest in owning or operating fishing, fish processing, or fish tender vessels; and

(f) Maintains records of surveys and makes such records available to the Coast Guard upon request in a manner similar to the ABS.

(a) Except for a casualty which is required to be reported to the Coast Guard on Form CG 2692 in accordance with part 4 of this chapter, the owner, agent, operator, master, or individual in charge of a vessel involved in a casualty must submit a report in accordance with paragraph (c) of this section, as soon as possible after the casualty, to the underwriter of primary insurance for the vessel or to an organization listed in paragraph (d) of this section whenever the casualty involves any of the following.

(1) Loss of life.

(2) An injury that requires professional medical treatment (treatment beyond first aid) and that renders the individual unfit to perform his or her routine duties.

(3) Loss of a vessel.

(4) Damage to or by a vessel, its cargo, apparel or gear, except for fishing gear while not on board a vessel, or that impairs the seaworthiness of the vessel, or that is initially estimated at $2,500.00 or more.

(b) Each underwriter of primary insurance for a commercial fishing industry vessel must submit a report of each casualty involving that vessel to an organization listed in paragraph (d) of this section within 90 days of receiving notice of the casualty and whenever it pays a claim resulting from the casualty. Initial reports must be in accordance with paragraph (c) of this section. Subsequent reports must contain sufficient information to identify the casualty and any new or corrected casualty data.

(c) Each report of casualty must include the following information:

(1) The name and address of the vessel owner and vessel operator, if different than the vessel owner;

(2) The name and address of the underwriter of primary insurance for the vessel;

(3) The name, registry number, call sign, gross tonnage, year of build, length, and hull material of the vessel;

(4) The date, location, primary cause, and nature of the casualty;

(5) The specific fishery, intended catch, and length of fishery opening when applicable;

(6) The date that the casualty was reported to the underwriter of primary insurance for the vessel, or to an organization acceptable to the Commandant;

(7) The activity of the vessel at the time of the casualty;

(8) The weather conditions at the time of the casualty, if the weather caused or contributed to the cause of the casualty;

(9) The damages to or by the vessel, its apparel, gear, or cargo;

(10) The monetary amounts paid for damages;

(11) The name, birth date, social security number, address, job title, length of disability, activity at the time of injury, type of injury, and medical treatment required for each individual incapacitated for more than 72 hours, or deceased as a result of the casualty;

(12) The name, registry number, and call sign of every other vessel involved in the casualty; and

(13) The monetary amount paid for an injury or a death.

(d) A casualty to a commercial fishing industry vessel must be reported to an organization that has knowledge and experience in the collection and processing of statistical insurance data and that has been accepted by the Commandant to receive and process casualty data under this part. The Commandant has accepted for this purpose:

(1) Verisk Insurance Solutions, ISO Claim Search® Solutions, 545 Washington Boulevard, Jersey City, NJ 07310.

(2) [Reserved]

Each individual employed on a commercial fishing industry vessel must notify the master, individual in charge of the vessel, or other agent of the employer of each illness, disability, or injury suffered while in service to the vessel not later than seven days after the date on which the illness, disability, or injury arose.

Any person directly affected by a decision or action taken under this part, by or on behalf of the Coast Guard, may appeal therefrom in accordance with part 1, subpart 1.03 of this chapter.