Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 3214 JUNE 2016 • FOGHORN REGULATORYREPORT By Peter Lauridsen, PV A Regulatory Affairs Consultant Fast Page Loads Streamlined Checkout Multiple Account Sign-Ons Improved Search Quick Order Easy Invoice Look-up Requisition Lists • Over 85,000 products for your business • 28 regional distribution centers • Same-day van delivery • 260+ stores • The most-knowledgeable and seasoned sales representatives in the industry Your 24/7 destination that’s packed with the features you need to get the most out of your time and money. portsupply.com All backed by the power of Port Supply. 1-800-621-6885 or visit portsupply.com. Increased Inventory Availability A t the recent Marine Inspector Course in Yorktown, VA, an issue that came up in discus- sion was the seeming “over reliance” on the U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Center (MSC). In this context, it was the inspector requiring a repair plan for review in ordinary or routine repair/ replacement approval sometimes even involving deferral to the MSC. My comment, in brief, was that the MSC was formula and black-and-white regulation-driven and the Officer in Charge, Marine Inspection (OCMI) was situation and flexibility-driven. This was and is not a criticism of the roles of the two elements of marine inspection since they are two necessary elements of the same mission. Merchant Marine Technical (MMT) over the years was meant to bring technical and engineering expertise to the OCMI for his or her use in decision making in the case-by-case applica- tion of regulation to a vessel whose service and challenges the OCMI must take into account when creating the Certificate of Inspection (COI). In the 1950-70s timeframe, plan approval for ships being designed and built was accomplished through three MMT offices located in district offices in New York, New Orleans, and San Francisco. Plan approval for small passenger vessels – Subchapter T – was done in the individual Marine Inspection Offices (MIO). MMT offices in Coast Guard Headquarters were policy development and more and more involved in supporting the State Department/Coast Guard delegations to international conventions. The 1980s brought a shifting of the relationship between the technical and the inspection sides driven primarily by the passenger vessel industry. We saw small passenger vessels (vessels less than 100 gross tons) that really Evolution