This is in response to your letter of September 11, 1996 which concerned our vessel inspection program, and to your FAXED letter of October 4, 1996 regarding your visit later this month.
You requested responses to 10 questions included with your first letter. The following responses are provided as requested:
1. What laws and regulations apply to ship construction and equipment for American ships? Tide 46 of the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations (46 CFR), Parts 1 to 199, are the primary ship construction and equipment regulations for U.S. flag vessels. These regulations may refer to classification society rules, SOLAS rules, or other industry standards in some instances, but the regulatory authority is derived from these sections.
2. Which divisions enforce the regulations, and/or carry out the inspection? Enforcement of regulations is carried out by an Officer in Charge, Marine lnppection (OCMI), who is a Coast Guard Officer designated to carry out those functions within a specified geographic area
3. Which fields of ship inspection does the U.S. entrust to.the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), and how is this duty delegated in law and regulation? U.S. law allows the Coast Guard to delegate certain inspection functions to classification societies. This is accomplished by either a regulation or a Memorandum of Understanding between the Coast Guard and the classification society. Current delegations to ABS are listed in Navigation and Vessel Inspection Circular (NVIC) 10-82, Change 2, and NVIC 2-95, which are included as Enclosures (1) and (2) of this letter.
4. Are any ship classification societies, other than ABS, entrusted to carry out a part of USCG inspections? if yes, please inform us of the name of those classification societies, and the condition and coverage for the delegation The law permits the
