(a) Vessels engaged on international voyages.

(1) The following types of vessels engaged on international voyages may request an exemption from Commandant (CG-CVC) from requirements of this part:

(i) A vessel for which the sheltered nature and conditions of an international voyage would render the application of any specific requirements of this part unreasonable or unnecessary and which in the course of the voyage does not proceed more than 20 miles from the nearest land.

(ii) A vessel embodying features of a novel kind to which the application of any provision of this part would seriously impede research into the development of such features and their incorporation on vessels engaged on international voyages.

(2) A written request for exemption under this section must be submitted to the cognizant OCMI for review and forwarding to Commandant (CG-CVC).

(b) Single voyage exemption from SOLAS requirements. A vessel that is not normally engaged on international voyages, but which, under exceptional circumstances, is required to undertake a single international voyage, may be exempted from the applicable requirements in this subpart and subparts B, C, and D of this part by the Commandant (CG-CVC). A written request for exemption under this paragraph must be submitted to the cognizant OCMI for review and forwarding to Commandant (CG-CVC).

(c) Exemption Certificates. When Commandant (CG-CVC) grants an exemption under paragraph (a) or (b) of this section, an Exemption Certificate describing the exemption will be issued by the appropriate OCMI. The Exemption Certificate must be carried on board the vessel at all times and must be available to Coast Guard personnel upon request.

(d) Vessels not engaged on international voyages.

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

(2) Requests for exemption under this paragraph must be made in writing to the OCMI for transmission to the District Commander for the area in which the vessel is in service or will be in service.

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

[CGD 84-069, 61 FR 25313, May 20, 1996, as amended by CGD 96-041, 61 FR 50735, Sept. 27, 1996; USCG-1999-6216, 64 FR 53229, Oct. 1, 1999; USCG-2009-0702, 74 FR 49241, Sept. 25, 2009]