The US Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Chicago issued the first Certificate of Inspection (COI) in its area of responsibility to the towing vessel Prentiss Brown, operated by Port City Marine Services, on Friday July 20.
The US Coast Guard and the Marine Transportation Act of 2004 included a provision to add towing vessels to a list of vessels subject to inspection and certification. This Final Rule set July 20, 2018, as the compliance date for all towing vessels subject to Subchapter M.
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This is the Ninth District’s first Certificate of Inspection issued to a towing vessel under the new regulations and one of the first USCG option COI’s issued nationwide.
A COI is issued to a vessel after the vessel has completed an examination of safety equipment, machinery, pollution prevention equipment, navigation equipment, life-saving equipment and more. Crew members must also showcase their ability to fight fires and take the necessary action in emergency situations.
Subchapter M, as the new towing vessel inspections regulations are called, came into force, on July 20. Approximately 6,000 towing vessels across the country will become inspected by USCG under these new requirements.
Vessels will have two options, to be inspected under the traditional US Coast Guard Marine Inspections program, or to register in a safety program with an authorized Third Party Organization (TPO).
Lt. Kate Woods, Inspections Division Chief at MSU Chicago expects that MSU Chicago’s fleet of inspected vessels will double by the end of July 2022. Other inspected vessels include tank barges, small passenger vessels, and Great Lakes freight vessels.
