b'SAFETY MATTERS:BACK ON THE LIST - SAFETYNTSB Most Wanted Transportation Safety Improvements PVAERIC CHRISTENSENDIRECTOR OF REGULATORY AFFAIRS & RISK MANAGEMENTT he National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has called for Require companies operating domestic passenger vessels to improvements to passenger vessel safety as part of their 2021- develop and implement a preventative maintenance program for 2022MostWantedTransportationSafetyImprovements. all systems aff ecting the safe operation of their vessels;The addition of passenger and commercial fi vessel safety wasshing done at the last minute during the NTSB Board Meeting on April Evaluate the feasibility of creating a passenger vessel safety 6, 2021, announcing the most wanted and caught many people off specialist billet and staffsector-level billets at each sector that has guard.The addition of passenger and commercial fi shing vessels wasthe potential for a search and rescue activity;at the urging of NTSB board member Jennifer Homendy who most recently was the NTSBs member on scene for the M/V Conception Require fi re-detection systems in unoccupied spaces with fi machinery or other potential heat sources on board smallre investigation. It was not until May 2021 that NTSB staffwas able to articulate recommendations to improve passenger vessel safety aspassenger vessels;part of the most wanted list.Require newly constructed vessels and those currently in Statingthatpassenger(andfi vesselspresentdistinctsafetyservice with overnight accommodations to have interconnectedshing) challenges within the marine transportation industry, NTSB providedsmoke detectors in all accommodation spaces;an introduction to frame their list of recommended improvements for 2021 and 2022:Develop and implement an inspection procedure to verify that small passenger vessel owners, operators, and charterers are Fires pose a catastrophic threat to passenger vessels, as we saw in theconducting roving patrols;Conception dive boat accident othe coast of California in which 34 people died. Our investigations have revealed that crew training Require newly constructed small passenger vessels and those andsafetyregulationsforthesevesselsvary,increasingtheriskconstructed prior to 1996 with overnight accommodations to to passengers and crew. To prevent needless deaths and mitigateprovide a secondary means of escape into a diff erent space than injuries, passenger vessels should have safety management systems,the primary exit;usevoyagedatarecorders,andprovideadequate re-detection Review the suitability of regulations regarding means of escape and extinguishing systems and enhanced emergency egress options.to ensure there are no obstructions to egress on small passenger Operators need to ensure their crews have enhanced trainingthatvessels constructed prior to 1996 and modify regulations includes re drills andre ghting techniques. We also need to seeaccordingly;more roving patrols on our waterways to ensure passengers are being transported safely.Ensure that amphibious passenger vehicle operators tell RECOMMENDATIONS passengers that seat belts must not be worn while the vessel/vehicle is operated in the water and visually check that each Recommendations were divided with two target audiences in mindpassenger has unbuckled his or her seat belt; the Coast Guard and the domestic passenger vessel industry. The Require DUKW amphibious passenger vessels to have NTSB recommended that the Coast Guard take the following actions: sufficient reserve buoyancy through passive means, and for thoseRequire all operators of domestic passenger vessels tothat dont, require the removal of canopies, side curtains, and implement safety management systems; their associated framing during waterborne operations; Develop a US voyage data recorder standard for ferry Require that amphibious passenger vessels equipped with vessels that meets the International Maritime Organizationsforward hatches enable operators to securely close them during performance standards and require the installation of suchwaterborne operations;equipment on new and existing ferry vessels;SAFETY MATTERS 30 FOGHORN'