Marine safety advisory
Following concerns expressed by United States Coast Guard (USCG) Sector New Orleans Port State Control Officers (PSCOs), in a USCG bulletin dated 18/02/2011, about an increasing number of vessels that are not in compliance with the requirements of 33 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 156.170 (which is reminded in the Appendix I of the attached MSA No. 23-11), the office of the Maritime Administrator of the Republic of the Marshall Islands has issued the two following attached Marine Safety Advisories (the second MSA being clarifications of the first one).
Indeed, each nonmetallic transfer hose (e.g., bunker lines) applied to the transfer of oil or hazardous material to, from or within each vessel with a capacity of 250 barrels (around 40 m3) or more, in navigable waters or contiguous zone of the United States, is required to be annually tested (or as part of the biennial and mid-period inspections) under static liquid pressure at least 1.5 times the maximum allowable working pressure.
It has to be noticed that testing with air is not acceptable.
It is the responsability of the master and/or operator of a vessel to ensure that the vessel is in compliance with 33 CFR parts 155 (Oil or Hazardous Material Pollution Prevention Regulations) and 156 (Oil and Hazardous Material Transfer Operations).
The vessel operator shall keep a written record available for inspection of the date and result of the most recent test and inspection of each item tested or inspected.
To view the Marine Safety Advisory please click here
Source: Bureau Veritas