The Coast Guard published Marine Safety Information Bulletin (MSIB) 005-16 to provide guidance on entry into an enclosed space and rescue drills.

The guidance is response to receiving several questions on the applicability of the regulation for U.S. flag vessels where the specific characteristic of a ship (no human access to enclosed space, small voids, damage stability, etc) negate the need to enter an enclosed space at any time, including in the case of emergencies (fire, flooding, etc) AND where the company’s Safety Management System strictly prohibits ANY entry into an “enclosed space” outside a shipyard period.

View MSIB 005-16 for full details.

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.