U.S. Coast Guard Reformats Marine Safety Manual on Marine Inspections

The U.S. Coast Guard has announced a sweeping revision – in format at least – to its marine safety program policy guidance, by cancelling the former Marine Safety Manual, Volume II, “Materiel Inspection,” and replacing it with seven separate policy documents, called “Commandant Instructions,” one for each chapter of the former manual.  The Coast Guard states that despite the reorganization of the former manual into separate documents, it has not made any changes to the content.

The new Instructions are now republished as the following:

1. Marine Safety: Marine Inspection Administration, COMDTINST 16000.70
   (former pages A1-1 – A7-43);

2. Marine Safety: Domestic Inspection Programs, COMDTINST 16000.71
   (former pages B1-1 – B10-3);

3. Marine Safety: Inspection of Engineering Systems, Equipment, and Materials, COMDTINST 16000.72
   (former pages C1-1 – C5-31);

4. Marine Safety: Port State Control, COMDTINST 16000.73
   (former pages D1-1 – D7-38);

5. Marine Safety: International Conventions, Treaties, Standards, and Regulations, COMDTINST 16000.74
   (former pages E1-1 – E4-3);

6. Marine Safety: Carriage of Hazardous Materials, COMDTINST 16000.75
   (former pages F1-1 – F5-35); and

7. Marine Safety: Outer Continental Shelf Activities, COMDTINST 16000.76
   (former pages G1-1 – G6-24).

The new Commandant Instructions are also available to the general public here (on page 3 of the linked index).

The Coast Guard policy guidance can be very helpful to maritime industry professionals by providing insight into Coast Guard policies and procedures.  The policy guidance also typically provides references to the underlying statutes and regulations governing Coast Guard regulatory activities.

The other volumes of the Coast Guard Marine Safety Manual remain in effect:

• Marine Safety Manual Vol. I, Administration and Management, COMDTINST M16000.6
  (last updated August 2017)

• Marine Safety Manual Vol. III, Marine Industry Personnel, COMDTINST M16000.8B
  (last updated July 2017)

• Marine Safety Manual Vol. IV, Technical, COMDTINST M16000.9
  (last updated September 2004)

• Marine Safety Manual Vol. V, Investigations and Enforcement, COMDTINST M16000.10A
  (last updated April 2008)

• Marine Safety Manual Vol. VI, Ports and Waterways Activities, COMDTINST M16000.11
  (last updated October 1996)