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Effective immediately, the Coast Guard has amended the requirements regulating personnel permitted to serve as a person in charge (PIC) of fuel oil transfers on an inspected vessel by adding the option of using a letter of designation (LOD) in lieu of a Merchant Mariner Credential (MMC) with a Tankerman-PIC endorsement. The LOD designates the holder as a person in charge (PIC) of the transfer of fuel oil and states that the holder has received sufficient formal instruction from the operator or agent of the vessel to ensure his or her ability to safely and adequately carry out the duties and responsibilities of the PIC. Obtaining an MMC with a Tankerman-PIC endorsement is now optional for PICs of fuel oil transfers on inspected vessels. This rule does not change the existing requirements for the PIC on uninspected vessels, and the requirements for vessels transferring cargo also remains unchanged.

The Person In Charge of Fuel Oil Transfers Rule can be viewed in its entirety on the Federal Register, or search docket number USCG-2018-0493 on the Federal eRulemaking Portal at https://www.regulations.gov.

For information about this document call or email Cathleen Mauro, Office of Merchant Mariner Credentialing (CG-MMC-1), Coast Guard; telephone 202-372-1449, email Cathleen.B.Mauro@uscg.mil.

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