28 OCTOBER 2018 • FOGHORN REGULATORYREPORT By Peter Lauridsen, PV A Regulatory Affairs Consultant Coast Guard Marine Safety Program Evolution W ith the benefit of 59 years in and around the U.S. Coast Guard I have seen the Coast Guard reinvented many times. Because of my association with passenger vessel safety over the last 30 years, I have seen a Coast Guard focus broaden from passenger safety through specific vessel inspection regulation to what is now becoming a public service orientation in passenger servicing environment. By public service, I mean how does the Coast Guard see to the interest of the person who wants to ride a boat? There are a myriad of options from inspected vessels to uninspected-but- regulated vessels and now almost any vessel including personal recreational watercraft sharing via the Internet. The sharing industry today can provide almost any service or product with the click of a mouse. The thirty years has been a timeline fraught with highs and lows, even- tually leading to the point where we find ourselves today with an appropri- ate focus on vessels in illegal charter arrangements. We also have a Coast Guard willing to act against those that interfere with the safe operation of a vessel. The Coast Guard of the late eighties was an organization that still saw itself as blue water-orientated with a declining international trading fleet and a challenging passenger vessel industry that was evolving almost faster than the Coast Guard could react. Small passenger vessels were beginning to flourish in passenger services of excursion, dining, corporate event charters, eco-tourism and • Reduced Fuel Consumption • Reduced Wake Wash • Optimized Trim Control • Increased Passenger Comfort and Safety • Active Ride Control Stabilization