Editor’s note: The signing ceremony with International Cargo Gear Bureau was held July 13, 2017, prior to Rear Adm. Paul Thomas’s transfer to New Orleans, Louisiana to begin his new assignment as the 8th Coast Guard District commander. Rear Adm. John Nadeau assumed responsibilities as assistant commandant for prevention policy July 28, 2017.
Rear Adm. Paul Thomas and Mr. Mr. Joseph Cox sign the MOA July 13, 2017. The new agreement outlines specific organizational standards that conform to the RO Code, such as record keeping, quality control, training and qualification of personnel, liability, and governmental oversight of activities.
Written by Mr. John Hannon, Domestic Compliance Division, Office of Commercial Vessel Compliance
Rear Adm. Paul Thomas, assistant commandant for prevention policy and Mr. Joseph Cox, vice president – Regulatory Compliance, International Cargo Gear Bureau (ICGB), signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) July 13, 2017, for inspections and tests performed on U.S. flagged vessels by ICGB on behalf of the Coast Guard. This need for a formal MOA was prompted by the recently enacted International Maritime Organization Code for Recognized Organizations.
ICGB is a not-for-profit membership corporation that inspects and certifies the condition of cargo and other materials handling cranes, derricks, and additional lifting appliances. ICGB also conducts inspections of inter-modal cargo containers. ICGB has performed work in this area on behalf of the Coast Guard for many decades based on authority established in federal regulations.
This new agreement outlines specific organizational standards that conform to the RO Code. These include such things as record keeping, quality control, training and qualification of personnel, liability, and governmental oversight of activities. ICGB and the Coast Guard have a long and successful history of partnership in this specialized area of maritime safety and this new agreement affirms a mutual commitment to the sustainment of safety in the maritime work place.
An electronic copy of the MOA is available online.
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.