The Eighth District Officer in Charge, Marine Inspection (OCMI) of the Outer Continental Shelf issued Marine Safety Information Bulletin 20-01, “Novel Coronavirus,” to alert offshore operators of protocols and requirements regarding novel coronavirus.

An outbreak of respiratory illness caused by a novel coronavirus (COVID-19) may affect offshore workers. While not specifically tailored to the Outer Continental Shelf, the Coast Guard has published several Marine Safety Information Bulletins (MSIB) related to COVID-19 that provide relevant guidance.

Many stakeholders have already initiated protocols for reducing exposure to the virus for their personnel and those protocols should stay active for the foreseeable future. While not specifically tailored to offshore facilities, the guidelines recently published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provide guidance for further protocols to consider.

If not already developed, operators shall develop and be prepared to execute plans to evacuate offshore personnel exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms, and have them tested.

Additionally, operators are reminded to report the illness (as defined in 42 CFR 71.1) or death to their respective Coast Guard Sector Command Center as outlined in the Marine Casualty Reporting MSIB 19-01 dated 28Jan2019. This will ensure continued tracking and awareness of the virus.

Questions concerning this bulletin should be sent to ocscorrespondence@uscg.mil.

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.