Safety standards

readily accessible fire extinguishers capable of promptly and effectively extinguishing a flammable or combustible liquid fuel fire; at least one readily accessible life preserver or other lifesaving device for each individual on board; an efficient flame arrestor, backfire trap, or other similar device on the carburetors of each inboard engine which uses gasoline as fuel; the means to properly and efficiently ventilate enclosed spaces, including engine and fuel tank compartments, so as to remove explosive or flammable gases; visual distress signals; other equipment required to minimize the risk of injury to the crew during vessel operations, if the Secretary determines that a risk of serious injury exists that can be eliminated or mitigated by that equipment; and a placard as required by regulations prescribed under section 10603(b) of this title. operate beyond 3 nautical miles from the baseline from which the territorial sea of the United States is measured or beyond 3 nautical miles from the coastline of the Great Lakes; operate with more than 16 individuals on board; or in the case of a fish tender vessel, engage in the Aleutian trade. alerting and locating equipment, including emergency position indicating radio beacons; subject to paragraph (3), a survival craft that ensures that no part of an individual is immersed in water sufficient to accommodate all individuals on board; at least one readily accessible immersion suit for each individual on board that vessel when operating on the waters described in section 3102 of this title; marine radio communications equipment sufficient to effectively communicate with land-based search and rescue facilities; navigation equipment, including compasses, nautical charts, and publications; first aid equipment and medical supplies sufficient for the size and area of operation of the vessel; and ground tackle sufficient for the vessel. necessary for normal fishing operations; readily accessible during an emergency; and capable, in accordance with the Coast Guard capacity rating, when applicable, of safely holding all individuals on board the vessel to which the craft functions as an auxiliary. were built after December 31, 1988, or undergo a major conversion completed after that date; and operate with more than 16 individuals on board; or in the case of a fish tender vessel, engage in the Aleutian trade. navigation equipment, including radars and fathometers; lifesaving equipment, immersion suits, signaling devices, bilge pumps, bilge alarms, life rails, and grab rails; fire protection and firefighting equipment, including fire alarms and portable and semiportable fire extinguishing equipment; use and installation of insulation material; storage methods for flammable or combustible material; and fuel, ventilation, and electrical systems. that was built after December 31, 1989; or the physical characteristics of which are substantially altered after December 31, 1989, in a manner that affects the vessel’s operating stability. The Secretary may accept, as evidence of compliance with this subsection, a certification of compliance issued by the person providing insurance for the vessel or by another qualified person approved by the Secretary. shall consider the specialized nature and economics of the operations and the character, design, and construction of the vessel; and may not require the alteration of a vessel or associated equipment that was constructed or manufactured before the effective date of the regulation. shall require the individual in charge of a vessel described in subsection (b) to keep a record of equipment maintenance, and required instruction and drills; requested by an owner or operator; or at least 50 feet overall in length; built before July 1, 2013; and 25 years of age or older; and shall issue a certificate of compliance to a vessel meeting the requirements of this chapter and satisfying the requirements in paragraph (2). The individual in charge of a vessel described in subsection (b) must pass a training program approved by the Secretary that meets the requirements in paragraph (2) of this subsection and hold a valid certificate issued under that program. be based on professional knowledge and skill obtained through sea service and hands-on training, including training in seamanship, stability, collision prevention, navigation, fire fighting and prevention, damage control, personal survival, emergency medical care, emergency drills, and weather; require an individual to demonstrate ability to communicate in an emergency situation and understand information found in navigation publications; recognize and give credit for recent past experience in fishing vessel operation; and provide for issuance of a certificate to an individual that has successfully completed the program. The Secretary shall prescribe regulations implementing this subsection. The regulations shall require that individuals who are issued a certificate under paragraph (2)(D) must complete refresher training at least once every 5 years as a condition of maintaining the validity of the certificate. The Secretary shall establish an electronic database listing the names of individuals who have participated in and received a certificate confirming successful completion of a training program approved by the Secretary under this section. subsection (b) of this section applies to the vessel; the vessel is less than 50 feet overall in length; and the vessel is built after January 1, 2010. in the case of vessel operators, meets the requirements of subsection (g); and in the case of crewmembers, meets the requirements of subsection (g)(2)(A), such requirements of subsection (g)(2)(B) as are appropriate for crewmembers, and the requirements of subsections (g)(2)(D), (g)(3), and (g)(4); and for purchase of safety equipment and training aids for use in those fishing vessel safety training programs. The Secretary of Health and Human Services, in consultation with and based on criteria established by the Commandant of the Coast Guard 11 So in original. Probably should be followed by a comma. shall award grants under this subsection on a competitive basis. The Federal share of the cost of any activity carried out with a grant under this subsection shall not exceed 75 percent. There is authorized to be appropriated $3,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2026, and 2027 for grants under this subsection. The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall establish a Fishing Safety Research Grant Program to provide funding to individuals in academia, members of non-profit organizations and businesses involved in fishing and maritime matters, and other persons with expertise in fishing safety, to conduct research on methods of improving the safety of the commercial fishing industry, including vessel design, emergency and survival equipment, enhancement of vessel monitoring systems, communications devices, de-icing technology, and severe weather detection. The Secretary of Health and Human Services, in consultation with and based on criteria established by the Commandant of the Coast Guard, shall award grants under this subsection on a competitive basis. The Federal share of the cost of any activity carried out with a grant under this subsection shall not exceed 75 percent. There is authorized to be appropriated $3,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2026, and 2027. 22 So in original. Period probably should not appear. for activities under this subsection. For the purposes of this section, the term “auxiliary craft” means a vessel that is carried onboard a fishing vessel and is normally used to support fishing operations. The requirements imposed by section 3302(c)(4)(B) and (C) of title 46, United States Code, (as enacted by subsection (b) of this section) is effective 6 months after the date of enactment of this Act. before September 8, 1990, operated in that trade; or before September 8, 1990, was purchased to be used in that trade and, before June 1, 1992, entered into service in that trade; and does not undergo a major conversion. before September 8, 1990, operated in that trade; or before September 8, 1990, was purchased to be used in this trade and, before June 1, 1992, entered into service in that trade; does not undergo a major conversion; and did not have a load line assigned at any time before the date of enactment of this Act. The requirements imposed by section 8702(b)(2) of title 46, United States Code, (as amended by subsection (e)(2)(B) of this section) are effective 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act.” The Commandant [of the Coast Guard], in coordination with the National Commercial Fishing Safety Advisory Committee established by section 15102 of title 46, United States Code, shall develop a publicly accessible website that contains all information related to fishing industry activities, including vessel safety, inspections, enforcement, hazards, training, regulations (including proposed regulations), outages of the Rescue 21 system in Alaska and similar outages, and any other fishing-related activities. The Commandant shall provide methods for regular and automatic email communications with stakeholders who elect, through the website developed under subsection (a), to receive such communications.” disseminating information to the commercial fishing vessel industry; conducting outreach with the commercial fishing vessel industry; facilitating interaction with the commercial fishing vessel industry; and releasing information collected under section 15102 of title 46, United States Code, as added by this Act, to the commercial fishing vessel industry. identify staff, resources, and systems available to the Secretary to ensure the widest dissemination of information to the commercial fishing vessel industry; include a means to document all communication and outreach conducted with the commercial fishing vessel industry; and include a mechanism to measure effectiveness of such plan. leverage Coast Guard staff, resources, and systems available; monitor implementation nationwide to ensure adherence to plan contents; allow each Captain of the Port to adopt the most effective strategy and means to communicate with [the] commercial fishing vessel industry in that Captain of the Port Zone; document communication and outreach; and solicit feedback from the commercial fishing vessel industry. submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives a report on the effectiveness of the plan to date and any updates to ensure maximum impact of the plan one year after the date of enactment of this Act [Dec. 4, 2018], and every 4 years thereafter; and include in such report input from individual Captains of the Port and any feedback received from the commercial fishing vessel industry.” The Secretary shall prescribe regulations which require that each vessel to which this chapter applies shall be equipped with— In addition to the requirements of subsection (a) of this section, the Secretary shall prescribe regulations requiring the installation, maintenance, and use of the equipment in paragraph (2) of this subsection for vessels to which this chapter applies that— The equipment to be required is as follows: Except for a nonapplicable vessel, an auxiliary craft shall satisfy the equipment requirement under paragraph (2)(B) if such craft is— In addition to the requirements described in subsections (a) and (b) of this section, the Secretary may prescribe regulations establishing the standards in paragraph (2) of this subsection for vessels to which this chapter applies that— The standards shall be minimum safety standards, including standards relating to— The Secretary shall prescribe regulations for the operating stability of a vessel to which this chapter applies— In prescribing regulations under this chapter, the Secretary— To ensure compliance with the requirements of this chapter, the Secretary— shall examine at dockside a vessel described in subsection (b) at least once every 5 years, but may require an exam at dockside every 2 years for vessels described in subsection (b) if— the vessel is— The training program shall— A vessel to which this chapter applies shall be constructed in a manner that provides a level of safety equivalent to the minimum safety standards the Secretary may establish for recreational vessels under section 4302, if— The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall establish a Fishing Safety Training Grants Program to provide funding to municipalities, port authorities, other appropriate public entities, not-for-profit organizations, and other qualified persons that provide commercial fishing safety training— to conduct fishing vessel safety training for vessel operators and crewmembers that— Before January 1, 1993, section 4502(c) (as amended by subsection (c) of this section) does not apply to a fish tender vessel engaged in the Aleutian trade, if the vessel— Before January 1, 2003, a fish tender vessel is exempt from chapter 51 of title 46, United States Code, (as amended by subsection (d) of this section) when engaged in the Aleutian trade, if the vessel— Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act [Dec. 4, 2018], the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating shall develop and submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives a national communications plan for the purposes of— The plan required by subsection (a), and each annual update, shall— Not later than one year after submission of the initial plan, the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating shall implement the plan and shall at a minimum— The Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating shall— (Source: (Added Pub. L. 98–364, title IV, § 402(7)(C), July 17, 1984, 98 Stat. 447; amended Pub. L. 98–557, § 33(a), Oct. 30, 1984, 98 Stat. 2876; Pub. L. 100–424, § 2(a), Sept. 9, 1988, 102 Stat. 1585; Pub. L. 101–595, title VI, § 602(c), Nov. 16, 1990, 104 Stat. 2990; Pub. L. 104–324, title III, § 307, Oct. 19, 1996, 110 Stat. 3918; Pub. L. 105–383, title III, § 301(b)(5), Nov. 13, 1998, 112 Stat. 3417; Pub. L. 111–281, title VI, § 604(a), Oct. 15, 2010, 124 Stat. 2962; Pub. L. 112–213, title III, § 305(a), (b), Dec. 20, 2012, 126 Stat. 1564; Pub. L. 113–281, title III, § 309, Dec. 18, 2014, 128 Stat. 3045; Pub. L. 115–282, title V, §§ 504–506, Dec. 4, 2018, 132 Stat. 4271; Pub. L. 116–283, div. G, title LVXXXIII [LXXXIII], § 8321(a), (b), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4701; Pub. L. 117–263, div. K, title CXIII, § 11328(a), title CXV, § 11509(a)(1), Dec. 23, 2022, 136 Stat. 4098, 4137; Pub. L. 119–60, div. G, title LXXIII, § 7313, Dec. 18, 2025, 139 Stat. 1761.))