(a) A drydock examination conducted in compliance with §176.600 must be conducted while the vessel is hauled out of the water or placed in a drydock or slipway. During the examination all accessible parts of the vessel's underwater body and all through hull fittings, including the hull plating and planking, appendages, propellers, shafts, bearings, rudders, sea chests, sea valves, and sea strainers shall be made available for examination. Sea chests, sea valves, and sea strainers must be opened for examination. On wooden vessels, fastenings may be required to be pulled for examination. The accuracy of draft or loading marks, if required by §185.602 of this chapter, must be verified if not verified at a previous drydock examination.

(b) An internal structural examination conducted in compliance with §176.600 may be conducted while the vessel is afloat or out of the water and consists of a complete examination of the vessel's main strength members, including the major internal framing, the hull plating and planking, voids, and ballast, cargo, and fuel oil tanks. Where the internal framing, plating, or planking of the vessel is concealed, sections of the lining, ceiling or insulation may be removed or the parts otherwise probed or exposed so that the inspector may be satisfied as to the condition of the hull structure. Fuel oil tanks need not be cleaned out and internally examined if the marine inspector is able to determine by external examination that the general condition of the tanks is satisfactory.

[CGD 85-080, 61 FR 953, Jan. 10, 1996, as amended by USCG-2007-0030, 75 FR 78087, Dec. 14, 2010]