(a) In place of compliance with other applicable provisions of this title, the owner or operator of a vessel subject to plan review and inspection under this subchapter for initial issuance or renewal of a COI may submit the vessel for classification, plan review and inspection by a recognized classification society authorized by the Coast Guard to determine compliance with applicable international treaties and agreements, the classification society's class rules, and the U.S. supplement prepared by the classification society and accepted by the Coast Guard.

(b) A vessel owner or operator wishing to have a vessel inspected under paragraph (a) of this section shall submit an Application for Inspection of U.S. Vessel (CG-3752) to the cognizant OCMI, and indicate on the form that the inspection will be conducted by an authorized classification society under the ACP.

(c) Based on reports from an authorized classification society that a vessel complies with applicable international treaties and agreements, the classification society's class rules, and the U.S. supplement prepared by the classification society and accepted by the Coast Guard, the cognizant OCMI may issue a certificate of inspection to the vessel. If the OCMI declines to issue a certificate of inspection even though the reports made by the authorized classification society indicate that the vessel meets applicable standards, the vessel owner or operator may appeal the OCMI decision as provided in subpart 1.03 of this chapter.

(d) If reports from an authorized classification society indicate that a vessel does not comply with applicable international treaties and agreements, the classification society's class rules, and the U.S. supplement prepared by the classification society and accepted by the Coast Guard, the cognizant OCMI may decline to issue a certificate of inspection. If the OCMI declines to issue a certificate of inspection, the vessel owner or operator may:

(1) Correct the reported deficiencies and make arrangements with the classification society for an additional inspection;

(2) Request inspection by the Coast Guard under other provisions of this subchapter; or

(3) Appeal via the authorized classification society to the Commandant (CG-CVC), Attn: Office of Commercial Vessel Compliance, U.S. Coast Guard Stop 7501, 2703 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20593-7501.

[CGD 95-010, 62 FR 67532, Dec. 24, 1997, as amended by USCG-2013-0671, 78 FR 60145, Sept. 30, 2013]