(a) In addition to the alternatives for certain requirements in §199.620, passenger vessels operating in oceans; coastwise; Great Lakes; lakes, bays, and sounds; and rivers service may comply with alternative requirements to subparts A through C of this part as described in this section for the services specified in table 199.630(a) of this section.

(b) As an alternative to distress signals that meet the requirements of §199.60, vessels may carry at least 12 hand red flare distress signals approved under approval series 160.021 or 160.121.

(c) As an alternative to the lifeboat capacity requirements of §199.201(b)(1)(i), vessels may carry lifeboats with an aggregate capacity sufficient to accommodate not less than 30 percent of the total number of persons on board. These lifeboats must be equally distributed, as far as practicable, on each side of the vessel. Liferafts on these vessels may be either SOLAS A or SOLAS B liferafts.

(d) As an alternative to the survival craft requirements of §199.201(b), vessels may carry inflatable buoyant apparatus having an aggregate capacity, together with the capacities of any lifeboats, rescue boats, and liferafts carried on board sufficient to, accommodate the total number of persons on board. These inflatable buoyant apparatus must—

(1) Be served by launching appliances or marine evacuation systems evenly distributed on each side of the vessel if the embarkation deck is more than 3 meters (10 feet) above—

(i) The waterline under normal operating conditions; or

(ii) The equilibrium waterline after the vessel is subjected to the assumed damage and subdivision requirements in part 171 of this chapter;

(2) Be stowed in accordance with the requirements of §§199.130(a), 199.130(c), and 199.178; and

(3) Be equipped in accordance with the requirements in table 199.640(j) of this part.

(e) As an alternative to the survival craft requirements of §199.201(b), vessels may carry—

(1) Liferafts having an aggregate capacity, together with the capacities of any lifeboats carried on board, sufficient to accommodate the total number of persons on board that are served by launching appliances or marine evacuation systems evenly distributed on each side of the vessel; and

(2) In addition to the liferafts required in paragraph (e)(1) of this section, additional liferafts that have an aggregate capacity sufficient to accommodate at least 10 percent of the total number of persons, or equal to the capacity of the largest single survival craft on the vessel, whichever is the greater. The additional liferafts are not required to be stowed in accordance with §199.130(c), but they must be served by at least one launching appliance or marine evacuation system on each side of the vessel.

(f) As an alternative to the survival craft requirements of §199.201(b), vessels may have a safety assessment approved by the local OCMI that addresses the following:

(1) The navigation and vessel safety conditions within the vessel's planned operating area including—

(i) The scope and degree of the risks or hazards to which the vessel will be subject during normal operations;

(ii) The existing vessel traffic characteristics and trends, including traffic volume; the sizes and types of vessels involved; potential interference with the flow of commercial traffic; the presence of any unusual cargoes; and other similar factors;

(iii) The port and waterway configuration and variations in local conditions of geography, climate, and other similar factors; and

(iv) Environmental factors.

(2) A comprehensive shipboard safety management and contingency plan that is tailored to the particular vessel, is easy to use, is understood by vessel management personnel both on board and ashore, is updated regularly, and includes—

(i) Guidance to assist the vessel's crew in meeting the demand of catastrophic vessel damage;

(ii) Procedures to mobilize emergency response teams;

(iii) Procedures for moving passengers from the vessel's spaces to areas protected from fire and smoke, to embarkation areas, and off the vessel. The procedures must address provisions for passengers with physical or mental impairments;

(iv) Lists of external organizations that the vessel's operator would call for assistance in the event of an incident;

(v) Procedures for establishing and maintaining communications on board the vessel and with shoreside contacts; and

(vi) Guidance on theoretical, practical, and actual simulation training that includes the personnel or organizations identified in the plan so they can practice their roles in the event of an incident.

(g) As an alternative to the survival craft requirements of §199.201(b), vessels may carry inflatable buoyant apparatus having an aggregate capacity sufficient to accommodate 67 percent of the total number of persons on board, minus the capacities of any lifeboats, rescue boats and liferafts carried on board. These inflatable buoyant apparatus must meet the arrangement requirements of §199.630 (d)(1) through (d)(3). The number of persons accommodated in an inflatable buoyant apparatus may not exceed 150% of its rated capacity.

(h) A vessel need not comply with the requirements for survival craft in §199.201(b) if the vessel operates—

(1) On a route that is in shallow water not more than 3 miles from shore and the vessel cannot sink deep enough to submerge the topmost deck; or

(2) Where the cognizant OCMI determines that survivors can wade ashore.

(i) As an alternative to the rescue boat required in §199.202, vessels may carry a rescue boat meeting the requirements of part 160, subpart 160.056 of this chapter if it is equipped with a motor and meets the following:

(1) The towline for the rescue boat must be at least the same size and length as the rescue boat painter.

(2) The rescue boat must meet the embarkation, launching, and recovery arrangement requirements in §199.160 (b) through (f). The OCMI may allow deviations from the rescue boat launching requirements based on the characteristics of the boat and the conditions of the vessel's route.

(j) As an alternative to the requirements of §199.203(a), a vessel that meets the subdivision requirements in §171.068 of this chapter may meet the requirements of §199.203(b).

(k) Vessels carrying lifebuoys may carry—

(1) The number of lifebuoys specified in table 199.630(k) of this section instead of the number required in §199.211; and

(2) If the vessel carries less than four lifebuoys, at least two with a self-igniting light attached to the lifebuoy. A buoyant lifeline may be fitted to one of the lifebuoys with a self-igniting light.

(l) A deck officer, able seaman, certificated person, or person practiced in the handling of liferafts or inflatable buoyant apparatus is not required to be placed in charge of each inflatable buoyant apparatus, provided that there are a sufficient number of such persons on board to launch the inflatable buoyant apparatus and supervise the embarkation of the passengers. The number of persons on board for the purpose of launching and operating inflatable buoyant apparatus may be reduced during any voyage where the vessel is carrying less than the number of passengers permitted on board, and the number of such persons is sufficient to launch and operate the number of survival craft required to accommodate everyone on board.

(m) The person designated second-in-command of survival craft is not required to be a certificated person if the person is practiced in the handling and operation of survival craft.

[CGD 84-069, 61 FR 25313, May 20, 1996; 61 FR 40281, Aug. 1, 1996, as amended at 63 FR 52821, Oct. 1, 1998; 63 FR 56067, Oct. 20, 1998; 63 FR 63798, Nov. 17, 1998]