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The Coast Guard published a rule finalizing the amendments to Coast Guard regulations for certain lifesaving equipment including launching appliances, (winches and davits), release mechanisms, survival craft (lifeboats, inflatable liferafts, and inflatable buoyant apparatus), rescue boats and automatic disengaging devices, which were published as an interim rule and amended by a second interim rule.

Additionally, the rule finalizes the amendments to the requirements for Coast Guard-approved release mechanisms proposed in a supplementary notice of proposed rulemaking.

This final rule harmonizes the Coast Guard’s design, construction and performance standards for this lifesaving equipment with international standards, while providing for the use of qualified independent laboratories, instead of Coast Guard inspectors, during the approval process and for production inspections of certain types of lifesaving equipment.

This final rule is effective August 29, 2014.

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