The Coast Guard published Navigation and Vessel Circular, or NVIC 01-15, to provide guidance for the identification and reporting of marine casualties. Over the years, maritime industry stakeholders frequently noted that Coast Guard field commands had varying interpretations regarding what types of marine incidents should be reported and investigated under 46 CFR Part 4. To address the concerns, NVIC 01-15 clarifies terminology used in the reporting regulation, draws attention to additional regulatory citations related to reporting and provides detailed regulatory interpretations to assist all involved parties in the marine casualty reporting and investigation process.
“I’m confident that promulgation of the NVIC will focus industry resources and Coast Guard investigative efforts on the higher priority investigations that lead to critical safety recommendations and alerts,” said Capt. Jason Neubauer, chief of the Coast Guard’s Office of Investigation and Casualty Analysis.
A draft of the new NVIC was originally published for comment in the Federal Register in January 2014. The majority of the comments received from multiple industry segments and organizations made it clear that more detail was needed for specific types of marine casualties that had led to uncertainty in the past. As a result, several new definitions, interpretations, and common casualty scenarios were added to the updated NVIC.
“I would like to thank the leaders from the various companies, maritime organizations and Coast Guard field commands who provided the input that enabled us to improve and finalize this important guidance,” stated Rear Adm. Paul Thomas, assistant commandant for prevention policy.
NVIC 01-15 is available on the Coast Guard’s website at http://www.uscg.mil/hq/cg5/nvic/2010s.asp. Select the ’01-15’ link under the ‘Number’ tab in middle of the page.
This blog is not a replacement or substitute for the formal posting of regulations and updates or existing processes for receiving formal feedback of the same. Links provided on this blog will direct the reader to official source documents, such as the Federal Register, Homeport and the Code of Federal Regulations. These documents remain the official source for regulatory information published by the Coast Guard.
