(a) If from analysis of the material and data required to be submitted under this subpart, the Commandant determines that the equipment or material meets the applicable subpart or has equivalent performance characteristics in accordance with §159.005-7(c), the Commandant—

(1) Approves the equipment or material;

(2) Issues a certificate of approval to the manufacturer under §2.75-5 of this chapter;

(3) Retains one set of approved plans and returns all others to the manufacturer; and

(4) Publishes a record of the approval in the Coast Guard Maritime Information Exchange (CGMIX). A listing of current and formerly approved equipment and materials may be found on the Internet at: http://cgmix.uscg.mil/equipment.

(b) If from analysis of the material and data submitted the Commandant determines that the equipment or material does not meet the applicable subpart, the Commandant informs the manufacturer of the reason why that equipment or material does not meet the subpart.

(c) If an independent laboratory performs the approval inspections or tests, the Commandant will notify the laboratory of the actions taken under paragraph (a) or (b) of this section, unless the manufacturer specifically requests that the laboratory not be notified.

[44 FR 73043, Dec. 17, 1979, as amended by CGD 93-055, 61 FR 13928, Mar. 28, 1996; CGD 85-205, 62 FR 25545, May 9, 1997; USCG-2015-0867, 80 FR 62470, Oct. 16, 2015]