[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: 46CFR176.650]

[Page 216]
 
                           TITLE 46--SHIPPING
 
   CHAPTER I--COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED)
 
PART 176--INSPECTION AND CERTIFICATION--Table of Contents
 
               Subpart F--Hull and Tailshaft Examinations
 
Sec. 176.650  Alternative Hull Examination Program options: Divers or underwater ROV.

    To complete the underwater survey portion of the AHE, you may use 
divers or an underwater remotely operated vehicle (ROV).
    (a) If you use divers to conduct the underwater survey, you must--
    (1) Locate the vessel so the divers can work safely under the 
vessel's keel and around both sides. The water velocity must be safe for 
dive operations;
    (2) Provide permanent hull markings or a temporary underwater grid 
system to identify the diver's location with respect to the hull, within 
one foot of accuracy;
    (3) Take ultrasonic thickness gaugings at a minimum of 5 points on 
each plate, evenly spaced;
    (4) Take hull plating thickness gaugings along transverse belts at 
the bow, stern, and midships, as a minimum. Plating thickness gaugings 
must also be taken along a longitudinal belt at the wind and water 
strake. Individual gaugings along the transverse and longitudinal belts 
must be spaced no more than 3 feet apart;
    (5) Ensure the third party examiner observes the entire underwater 
examination process;
    (6) Record the entire underwater survey with audio and video 
recording equipment and ensure that communications between divers and 
the third party examiner are recorded; and
    (7) Use appropriate equipment, such as a clear box, if underwater 
visibility is poor, to provide the camera with a clear view of the hull.
    (b) You may use an underwater ROV to conduct the underwater survey. 
The underwater ROV operating team, survey process and equipment, quality 
assurance methods, and the content and format of the survey report must 
be accepted by the Officer in Charge, Marine Inspection (OCMI) prior to 
the survey. If you choose this option, you must--
    (1) Locate the vessel to ensure that the underwater ROV can operate 
effectively under the vessel's keel and around both sides; and
    (2) Employ divers to examine any sections of the hull and 
appurtenances that the underwater ROV cannot access or is otherwise 
unable to evaluate.
    (3) If the OCMI determines that the data obtained by the ROV, 
including non-destructive testing results, readability of the results, 
and positioning standards, will not integrate into the data obtained by 
the divers, then a third party examiner must be present during the 
divers portion of the examination.

[USCG-2000-6858, 67 FR 21086, Apr. 29, 2002]