(a) If a District Commander determines that the overall safety of the persons on board an OSV will not be significantly reduced, the District Commander may grant an exemption from compliance with a provision of this part to a specific OSV for a specified geographic area within the boundaries of the Coast Guard District. This exemption may be limited to certain periods of the year.

(b) Requests for exemption under this section must be in writing to the OCMI for transmission to the District Commander in the area in which the OSV is in service or will be in service.

(c) If the exemption is granted by the District Commander, the OCMI will endorse the OSV's Certificate of Inspection with a statement describing the exemption.