The Coast Guard issued safety alert 15-16 to remind vessel owners, operators, mariners, cruises ship passengers, and all others employed in the maritime domain of the importance of concerns associated with Samsung Galaxy Note 7 Smartphone. This includes phones recently replaced.

According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), as of last month there have been at least 92 reports of batteries overheating, including 26 reports of customer burns and 55 reports of property damage. The primary concern is the phone’s Lithium-ion batteries which stores significant energy. During normal use and charging devices have overheated and ruptured

The Coast Guard strongly recommends immediately powering down and ending all use of Samsung Galaxy Note 7 phones not updated. In exceptional cases only and in alignment with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) flight requirements, if a person has not replaced their phone, and must bring it onboard a vessel the Coast Guard recommends:

• Turn off their phones;
• Disconnect the phone from any charging equipment;
• Disable all applications that could inadvertently activate the phone such as the alarm clock;
• Protect the power switch to prevent it from being turned on;
• Keep the device accessible; and
• Do not store it in an inaccessible space such as baggage storage area.

For additional details, please view the entire safety alert.

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.