TVIB News

TVIB VIDEO MESSAGE: COI Enforcement Status As Of July 1, 2021 – 75% Compliance

TVIB VIDEO MESSAGE: COI Enforcement Status As Of July 19, 2021

46 CFR 136.202(a)(3) (paraphrased) requires that all owners or managing operators must ensure that at least 75% of their towing vessels must have a valid COI on board by July 19, 2021.

For those needing to submit applications (CG-3752) or schedule Coast Guard inspections in order to obtain a COI, §136.210 (paraphrased) requires the following of owners and managing operators:

  • Schedule an inspection for the initial certification with the cognizant OCMI at least 3 months before the vessel is to undergo the inspection for certification
    • Deadline for scheduling inspection was April 19, 2021, to have met the July deadline for 75% compliance
  • Submit a CG-3752 Application for Inspection of U.S. Vessel to the cognizant OCMI where the inspection will take place at least 30 days before the vessel will undergo inspection
    • Deadline for submitting CG-3752 was June 19, 2021, to have met the July deadline for 75% compliance

 CG-835Vs Issued for Phase-In Non-Compliance Immediately

CG-CVC Policy letter 20-01, dated 2/20/2020, indicates that those owner/managing operators that fail to meet the 75% requirement by July 19, 2021, will be receiving 835’s for the remaining portion of the fleet to equal 75%. The Coast Guard will be using listed owner data from a vessel’s COD as the primary source for establishing compliance and making contact with the owner.   They will issue the 835s to the vessels with the oldest to newest build dates. According to the policy letter these 835’s will:

  • Be considered as administrative in nature and will indicate the owner/managing operator’s failure to meet the requirements of 46 CFR 136.202(a);
  • Be visible on the outward facing side of the Coast Guard’s PSIX data base; and
  • Require the owner/managing operator to make the vessel available for inspection within 90 days, failure to do so will result in a deficiency code of 60 which must be rectified prior to movement

TVIB has discussed its concerns about using COD owner information as the only source of data with various OCMIs, TVNCOE and CVC-4, as recently as this week. We have offered to share our fleet data with them in hopes of reducing the administrative burden of issuing 835V’s to owner/managing operators that are actually at or above the 75% requirement. In the event an 835 is issued to an owner/managing operator that is in fact at or above the 75% requirement and objective evidence is presented indicating same, then the 835 will be closed with no further action.

Laid Up / Out of Service Vessels Affecting Fleet COI Percentages

Besides ownership issues such as those of an LLC or a financial institution that could skew a fleet size there is another consideration for companies with vessels they consider to be out of service. If an operator owns a vessel that they consider out of service or on “port risk” but have taken no official action with the Coast Guard to remove the vessel from service, those vessels will count towards a total fleet size and will be included in the 75% requirement.  A vessel is not required to have a COI in order to be placed into “laid up status” (reference CVC-WI-018(1)) which will reduce an operator’s fleet size. However, if a vessel is placed into “laid up status” it will be required to obtain a COI before entering back into service.

TVIB Training: Fall Training Courses To Be Held In Person

TVIB is happy to announce that remaining training courses for 2021 will be held in person. TVIB will offer two opportunities for the Drydock/Internal Structural Examination Certification Course (DDISE) to be held in Paducah, KY and Channelview, TX  with the Annual Survey of Towing Vessels (ASTV) and the Subchapter M Auditor Certification Course to be held in Channelview, TX.

Each of the course dates will link you directly to the course description and registration links.  Courses are limited in size and registration will be on a first-come, first-served basis. We look forward to seeing you in person soon.

Drydock/Internal Structural Examination Certification Course (DD/ISE)

Annual Survey of Towing Vessels (ASTV)—VIRTUAL

Subchapter M Auditor Certification Course

Marine Internal Lead Auditor Course (VIRTUAL)

TVIB has partnered with SafeMARINER, LLC and ACTion group (d/b/a ACTSafe Training) in this Coast Guard recognized Marine Internal Lead Auditor course, which is designed to teach the specific skills and knowledge necessary to conduct and lead internal audits for commercial marine companies. This fast-paced, informative course requires active participation and successfully completing practical exercises, quizzes, and a final exam in order to earn a certificate.

This course meets the requirements of ANSI Z 490.1 Criteria for Accepted Practices in Safety, Health and Environmental Training and the requirements of 46 CFR 138.310(d)(2) for those individuals performing internal audits under Subchapter M.

Register July 20-21, 2021— VIRTUAL

Course Description

Length: 2 VIRTUAL days (16 hours)

Standard: USCG Recognized for Subchapter M, ISO 9001, ISO 19011, ANSI Z 490.1 – 2012

This course has a maximum size of 30 and a minimum of 8. Course is presently being provided remotely using computers.

Instructors: Rick Dunn, Captain David A. Foret, Jr.

Who Should Attend

  • Internal auditors
  • External auditors wishing to learn more about auditing principles and techniques
  • Marine executives, HSE managers, operations managers, safety consultants and regulators

What’s Covered

  • History of marine auditing
  • Purpose and types of audits
  • The relationship between internal and external audits
  • Characteristics of effective internal system audits
  • Planning and scheduling the audit
  • Conducting the audit
  • Audit procedures
  • Phases of the audit
  • Competence for internal auditors
  • Reports and non-conformity statements
  • Tracking and close-out of non-conformities, corrective and preventative actions
  • Management system fundamentals
  • Plan-Do-Check-Act continuous improvement model
  • Management system standards: RCP, ISO 9001, ISO 14001, TSMS , ISM Code, TMSA requirements for internal audits
  • Aspects of ISO 19011: guidelines for auditing management system

Other Notes

  • This course is appropriate for internal auditing of marine companies that follow one or more of the following standards, including:
  • AWO Responsible Carrier Program (RCP)
  • ISM Code
  • ISO 9001, ISO 14001
  • OSHAS 18001
  • Tanker Management Self Assessment (TMSA), Oil Companies International Marine Forum
  • Offshore Vessel Management Self Assessment (OVMSA), Oil Companies International Marine Forum
  • This course exceeds current RCP and regulatory requirements for internal auditor training for inland, coastwise and ocean (ISM Code) marine internal auditors.