USCG Announces New Fire Safety Rules for Passenger Vessels
The U.S. Coast Guard announced in the Federal Register that it is issuing an interim rule as the first step to implementing the statutorily mandated requirements for fire safety on certain covered small passenger vessels. This statutory mandate is in response to the fire and loss of life on the dive boat Conception off the coast of California on September 2, 2019. This interim rule adds additional fire safety requirements for small passenger vessels, including fire detection and suppression systems, avenues of escape, egress drills, crew firefighting training, watchmen monitoring devices, and the handling of flammable items such as rechargeable batteries.
Section 8441 of the Elijah E. Cummings Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2020 (2020 CGAA) amended Title 46 of the United States Code (U.S.C.), section 3306, which now directs the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to prescribe fire safety regulations for certain “covered small passenger vessels,” defined as small passenger vessels (SPVs) with overnight accommodations for passengers or operating on Oceans or Coastwise routes, excluding fishing vessels and ferries. (See Pub. L. 116-283, January 1, 2021.) The 2020 CGAA added a new paragraph (n) to section 3306 which requires the Secretary to issue interim requirements to cover the following eight provisions:
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