[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 46, Volume 7]
[Revised as of October 1, 2003]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 46CFR172.030]

[Page 145-146]
 
                           TITLE 46--SHIPPING
 
   CHAPTER I--COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED)
 
PART 172--SPECIAL RULES PERTAINING TO BULK CARGOES--Table of Contents
 
                          Subpart B--Bulk Grain
 
Sec. 172.030  Exemptions for certain vessels.

    (a) Vessels are exempt from 172.015 on voyages between:
    (1) United States ports along the East Coast as far south as Cape 
Henry, VA;
    (2) Wilmington, NC and Miami, FL;
    (3) United States ports in the Gulf of Mexico;
    (4) Puget Sound ports and Canadian west coast ports or Columbia 
River ports, or both;

[[Page 146]]

    (5) San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego, CA.
    (b) Vessels exempt by paragraph (a) of this section must comply with 
the following conditions:
    (1) The master is satisfied that the vessel's longitudinal strength 
is not impaired.
    (2) The master ascertains the weather to be encountered on the 
voyage.
    (3) Potential heeling moments are reduced to a minimum by carrying 
as few slack holds as possible.
    (4) Each slack surface must be leveled.
    (5) The transverse metacentric height (GM), in meters, of the vessel 
throughout the voyage, after correction for liquid free surface, has 
been shown by stability calculations to be in excess of the required GM 
(GMR), in meters.
    (i) The GMR is the sum of the increments of GM (GMI) multiplied by 
the correction factor, f and r.

Where:

r=(available freeboard) (beam) of the vessel and
f=1 if r is  0.268 or
f=(0.268 r) if r is < 0.268.

    (ii) The GMI for each compartment which has a slack surface of 
grain, i.e., is not trimmed full, is calculated by the following 
formula:

GMI=(B3xLx0.0661)(Disp.xSF))

where:

B=breadth of slack grain surface (m
L=Length of compartment (m)
Disp.=Displacement of vessel (tons)
SF=Stowage factor of grain in compartment (cubic meters/tons)

    (c) Vessels which do not have the Document of Authorization required 
by Sec. 172.015 may carry grain in bulk up to one third of their 
deadweight tonnage provided the stability complies with the requirements 
of Section 9 of the International Code for the Safe Carriage of Grain in 
Bulk.