I 
115TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6175 
To enhance maritime safety, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 21, 2018 
Mr. HUNTER (for himself and Mr. GARAMENDI) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 
A BILL 
To enhance maritime safety, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Maritime Safety Act 
of 2018’’. 
SEC. 2. TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
The table of contents for this Act is as follows: 
Sec. 1. Short title. 
Sec. 2. Table of contents. 
Sec. 3. Definitions. 
Sec. 4. Domestic vessel compliance. 
Sec. 5. Safety management system. 
Sec. 6. Equipment requirements. 
Sec. 7. Voyage data recorder; access. 
Sec. 8. Voyage data recorder; requirements. 
Sec. 9. Survival and locating equipment. 
Sec. 10. Training of Coast Guard personnel. 
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Sec. 11. Major marine casualty property damage threshold. 
Sec. 12. Reviews, briefings, and reports. 
Sec. 13. Flag-state guidance and supplements. 
Sec. 14. Marine safety strategy. 
Sec. 15. Recognized organizations; oversight. 
Sec. 16. Timely weather forecasts. 
Sec. 17. Marine safety implementation status. 
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) COMMANDANT.—The term ‘‘Commandant’’ 
means the Commandant of the Coast Guard;. 
(2) RECOGNIZED
ORGANIZATION.—The term 
‘‘recognized organization’’ has the meaning given 
that term in section 2.45–1 of title 46, Code of Fed-
eral Regulations, as in effect on the date of the en-
actment of this Act. 
(3) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of the department in which the Coast 
Guard is operating. 
SEC. 4. DOMESTIC VESSEL COMPLIANCE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 60 days after the 
date on which the President submits to the Congress a 
budget each year pursuant to section 1105 of title 31, 
United States Code, the Commandant shall publish on a 
publicly accessible website information documenting do-
mestic vessel compliance with the requirements of subtitle 
II of title 46, United States Code. 
(b) CONTENT.—The information required under sub-
section (a) shall— 
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(1) include flag-State detention rates for each 
type of inspected vessel; and 
(2) identify any recognized organization that in-
spected or surveyed a vessel that was later subject 
to a Coast Guard-issued control action attributable 
to a major nonconformity that the recognized orga-
nization failed to identify in such inspection or sur-
vey. 
SEC. 5. SAFETY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Comptroller General of the 
United States shall conduct an audit regarding the imple-
mentation and effectiveness of safety management plans 
required under chapter 32 of title 46, United States Code. 
(b) SCOPE.—The audit conducted under subsection 
(a) shall include a representative sample of safety manage-
ment plans, including such plans for— 
(1) a range of vessel types and sizes; and 
(2) vessels that operate in a cross-section of re-
gional operating areas. 
(c) REPORT.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Comp-
troller General shall submit to Committee on Trans-
portation and Infrastructure of the House of Rep-
resentatives and the Committee on Commerce, 
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Science, and Transportation of the Senate a report 
detailing the results of the audit and providing rec-
ommendations related to such results, including 
ways to streamline and focus such plans on ship 
safety. 
(2) MARINE SAFETY ALERT.—Not later than 
60 days after the date the report is submitted under 
paragraph (1), the Commandant shall publish a Ma-
rine Safety Alert providing notification of the com-
pletion of the report and including a link to the re-
port on a publicly accessible website. 
SEC. 6. EQUIPMENT REQUIREMENTS. 
(a) REGULATIONS.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Section 3306 of title 46, 
United States Code, is amended by adding at the 
end the following: 
‘‘(l)(1) The Secretary shall require that a freight ves-
sel inspected under this chapter be outfitted with distress 
signaling and location technology for the higher of— 
‘‘(A) the minimum complement of officers and 
crew specified on the certificate of inspection for 
such vessel; or 
‘‘(B) the number of persons onboard the vessel; 
and 
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‘‘(2) the requirement described in paragraph (1) shall 
not apply to vessels operating within the baseline from 
which the territorial sea of the United States is measured. 
‘‘(m)(1) The Secretary shall promulgate regulations 
requiring companies to maintain records of all incremental 
weight changes made to freight vessels inspected under 
this chapter, and to track weight changes over time to fa-
cilitate rapid determination of the aggregate total. 
‘‘(2) Records maintained under paragraph (1) shall 
be stored, in paper or electronic form, onboard such ves-
sels for not less than 3 years and shoreside for the life 
of the vessel.’’. 
(2) DEADLINES.—The Secretary shall— 
(A) begin implementing the requirement 
under section 3306(l) of title 46, United States 
Code, as amended by this subsection, by not 
later than 1 year after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act; and 
(B) promulgate the regulations required 
under section 3306(m) of title 46, United 
States Code, as amended by this subsection, by 
not later than 1 year after the date of the en-
actment of this Act. 
(b) ENGAGEMENT.—Not later than 1 year after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Commandant shall 
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seek to enter into negotiations through the International 
Maritime Organization to amend regulation 25 of chapter 
II–1 of the International Convention for the Safety of Life 
at Sea to require a high-water alarm sensor in each cargo 
hold of a freight vessel (as that term is defined in section 
2101(13) of title 46, United States Code), that connects 
with audible and visual alarms on the navigation bridge 
of the vessel. 
SEC. 7. VOYAGE DATA RECORDER; ACCESS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 63 of title 46, United 
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘§ 6309. Voyage data recorder access 
‘‘Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the 
Coast Guard shall have full and timely access to and abil-
ity to use voyage data recorder data and audio held by 
any Federal agency in all marine casualty investigations, 
regardless of which agency is the investigative lead.’’. 
(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis for such 
chapter is amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘6309. Voyage data recorder access.’’. 
SEC. 8. VOYAGE DATA RECORDER; REQUIREMENTS. 
(a) FLOAT-FREE AND BEACON REQUIREMENTS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Com-
mandant shall seek to enter into negotiations 
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through the International Maritime Organization to 
amend regulation 20 of chapter V of the Inter-
national Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea to 
require that all voyage data recorders are installed 
in a float-free arrangement and contain an inte-
grated emergency position indicating radio beacon. 
(2) PROGRESS
UPDATE.—Not later than 3 
years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
Commandant shall submit to the Committee on 
Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of 
Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, 
Science, and Transportation of the Senate an update 
on the progress of the engagement required under 
paragraph (1). 
(b) COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS.—Not later than 2 
years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Com-
mandant shall submit to the Committee on Transportation 
and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives and 
the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 
of the Senate a cost-benefit analysis of requiring that voy-
age data recorders installed on commercial vessels docu-
mented under chapter 121 of title 46, United States Code, 
capture communications on the internal telephone systems 
of such vessels, including requiring the capture of both 
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sides of all communications with the bridge onboard such 
vessels. 
SEC. 9. SURVIVAL AND LOCATING EQUIPMENT. 
Not later than 2 years after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act, the Commandant shall, subject to the 
availability of appropriations, identify and procure equip-
ment that will provide search-and-rescue units the ability 
to attach a radio or Automated Identification System 
strobe or beacon to an object that is not immediately re-
trievable. 
SEC. 10. TRAINING OF COAST GUARD PERSONNEL. 
(a) PROSPECTIVE
SECTOR
COMMANDER
TRAIN-
ING.—Not later than 1 year after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act, the Commandant shall implement an Of-
ficer in Charge, Marine Inspections segment to the sector 
commander indoctrination course for prospective sector 
commanders without a Coast Guard prevention ashore of-
ficer specialty code. 
(b) STEAMSHIP INSPECTIONS.—Not later than 1 year 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Com-
mandant shall implement steam plant inspection training 
for Coast Guard marine inspectors and, subject to avail-
ability, recognized organizations to which authority is dele-
gated under section 3316 of title 46, United States Code. 
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(c) ADVANCED JOURNEYMAN INSPECTOR TRAIN-
ING.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Com-
mandant shall establish advanced training to provide 
instruction on the oversight of recognized organiza-
tions to which authority is delegated under section 
3316 of title 46, United States Code, auditing re-
sponsibilities, and the inspection of unique vessel 
types. 
(2) RECIPIENTS.—The Commandant shall— 
(A) require that such training be com-
pleted by senior Coast Guard marine inspectors; 
and 
(B) subject to availability of training ca-
pacity, make such training available to recog-
nized organization surveyors authorized by the 
Coast Guard to conduct inspections. 
(d) COAST GUARD INSPECTIONS STAFF; BRIEF-
ING.—Not later than 1 year after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act, the Commandant shall provide to the 
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the 
House of Representatives and the Committee on Com-
merce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a brief-
ing detailing— 
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(1) the estimated time and funding necessary to 
triple the current size of the Coast Guard’s traveling 
inspector staff; and 
(2) other options available to the Coast Guard 
to enhance and maintain marine safety knowledge, 
including discussion of increased reliance on— 
(A) civilian marine inspectors; 
(B) experienced licensed mariners; 
(C) retired members of the Coast Guard; 
(D) arranging for Coast Guard inspectors 
to ride onboard commercial oceangoing vessels 
documented under chapter 121 of title 46, 
United States Code, to gain experience and in-
sight; and 
(E) extending tour-lengths for Coast 
Guard marine safety officers assigned to inspec-
tion billets. 
(e) AUDITS; COAST GUARD ATTENDANCE AND PER-
FORMANCE.—Not later than 180 days after the date of 
the enactment of this Act, the Commandant shall— 
(1) update Coast Guard policy to utilize risk 
analysis to target the attendance of Coast Guard 
personnel during external safety management certifi-
cate and document of compliance audits; and 
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(2) perform a quality assurance audit of recog-
nized organization representation and performance 
regarding United States-flagged vessels. 
SEC. 11. MAJOR MARINE CASUALTY PROPERTY DAMAGE 
THRESHOLD. 
Section 6101(i)(3) of title 46, United States Code, 
is amended by striking ‘‘$500,000’’ and inserting 
‘‘$2,000,000’’. 
SEC. 12. REVIEWS, BRIEFINGS, AND REPORTS. 
(a) MAJOR CONVERSION DETERMINATIONS.— 
(1) REVIEW OF POLICIES AND PROCEDURES.— 
The Commandant shall conduct a review of policies 
and procedures for making and documenting major 
conversion determinations, including an examination 
of the deference given to precedent. 
(2) BRIEFING.—Not later than 1 year after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Commandant 
shall provide to the Committee on Transportation 
and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives 
and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation of the Senate a briefing on the find-
ings of the review required by paragraph (1). 
(b) 
VENTILATORS, 
OPENINGS
AND
STABILITY 
STANDARDS.— 
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(1) REVIEW.—Note later than 1 year after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Commandant 
shall complete a review of the effectiveness of United 
States regulations, international conventions, recog-
nized organizations’ class rules, and Coast Guard 
technical policy regarding— 
(A) ventilators and other hull openings; 
(B) fire dampers and other closures pro-
tecting openings normally open during oper-
ations; and 
(C) intact and damage stability standards 
under subchapter S of chapter I of title 46, 
Code of Federal Regulations. 
(2) BRIEFING.—Not later than 18 months after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Com-
mandant shall provide to the Committee on Trans-
portation and Infrastructure of the House of Rep-
resentatives and the Committee on Commerce, 
Science, and Transportation of the Senate a briefing 
on the effectiveness of the regulations, international 
conventions, recognized organizations’ class rules, 
and Coast Guard technical policy reviewed under 
paragraph (1). 
(c) SELF-LOCATING DATUM MARKER BUOYS.—Not 
later than 6 months after the date of the enactment of 
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this Act, the Commandant shall provide to the Committee 
on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of 
Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, 
Science, and Transportation of the Senate a briefing on 
the reliability of self-locating datum marker buoys and 
other similar technology used during Coast Guard search- 
and-rescue operations. The briefing shall include a de-
scription of reasonable steps the Commandant could take 
to increase the reliability of such buoys, including the po-
tential to leverage technology used by the Navy, and how 
protocols could be developed to conduct testing of such 
buoys before using them for operations. 
(d) OVERSIGHT PROGRAM; EFFECTIVENESS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Com-
mandant shall commission an assessment of the ef-
fectiveness of the Coast Guard’s oversight of recog-
nized organizations and its impact on compliance by 
and safety of vessels inspected by such organiza-
tions. 
(2) EXPERIENCE.—The assessment commis-
sioned under paragraph (1) shall be conducted by a 
research organization with significant experience in 
maritime operations and marine safety. 
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(3) SUBMISSION TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 
180 days after the date that the assessment required 
under paragraph (1) is completed, the Commandant 
shall submit to the Committee on Transportation 
and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives 
and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation of the Senate the results of such as-
sessment. 
SEC. 13. FLAG-STATE GUIDANCE AND SUPPLEMENTS. 
(a) FREIGHT VESSELS; DAMAGE CONTROL INFORMA-
TION.—Within 1 year after the date of the enactment of 
this Act, the Secretary shall issue flag-State guidance for 
all freight vessels documented under chapter 121 of title 
46, United States Code, built before January 1, 1992, re-
garding the inclusion of comprehensive damage control in-
formation in safety management plans required under 
chapter 32 of title 46, United States Code. 
(b) RECOGNIZED ORGANIZATIONS; UNITED STATES 
SUPPLEMENT.—The Commandant shall— 
(1) work with recognized organizations to cre-
ate a single United States Supplement to rules of 
such organizations for classification of vessels; and 
(2) by not later than 1 year after the date of 
the enactment of this Act, provide to the Committee 
on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House 
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of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, 
Science, and Transportation of the Senate a briefing 
on whether it is necessary to revise part 8 of title 
46, Code of Federal Regulations, to authorize only 
one United States Supplement to such rules. 
SEC. 14. MARINE SAFETY STRATEGY. 
Section 2116 of title 46, United States Code, is 
amended— 
(1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘each year of 
an annual’’ and inserting ‘‘of a triennial’’; 
(2) in subsection (b)— 
(A) in the subsection heading, by striking 
‘‘ANNUAL’’ and inserting ‘‘TRIENNIAL’’; and 
(B) by striking ‘‘annual’’ each place it ap-
pears and inserting ‘‘triennial’’; 
(3) in subsection (c)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘fiscal year 2011 and each 
fiscal year’’ and inserting ‘‘fiscal year 2020 and 
triennially’’; and 
(B) by striking ‘‘annual plan’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘triennial plan’’; and 
(4) in subsection (d)(2), by striking ‘‘annually’’ 
and inserting ‘‘triennially’’. 
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SEC. 15. RECOGNIZED ORGANIZATIONS; OVERSIGHT. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 3316 of title 46, United 
States Code, is amended by redesignating subsection (g) 
as subsection (h), and by inserting after subsection (f) the 
following: 
‘‘(g)(1) There shall be within the Coast Guard an of-
fice that conducts comprehensive and targeted oversight 
of all recognized organizations that act on behalf of the 
Coast Guard. 
‘‘(2) The staff of the office shall include subject mat-
ter experts, including inspectors, investigators, and audi-
tors, who possess the capability and authority to audit all 
aspects of such recognized organizations. 
‘‘(3) In this subsection the term ‘recognized organiza-
tion’ has the meaning given that term in section 2.45– 
1 of title 46, Code of Federal Regulations, as in effect 
on the date of the enactment of the Maritime Safety Act 
of 2018.’’. 
(b) DEADLINE
FOR ESTABLISHMENT.—The Com-
mandant of the Coast Guard shall establish the office re-
quired by the amendment made by subsection (a) by not 
later than 2 years after the date of the enactment of this 
Act. 
SEC. 16. TIMELY WEATHER FORECASTS. 
Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment 
of this Act, the Commandant shall seek to enter into nego-
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tiations through the International Maritime Organization 
to amend the International Convention for the Safety of 
Life at Sea to require that vessels subject to the require-
ments of such Convention receive timely synoptic and 
graphical chart weather forecasts. 
SEC. 17. MARINE SAFETY IMPLEMENTATION STATUS. 
Not later than December 19 of 2018, and of each 
of the 2 subsequent years thereafter, the Commandant 
shall provide to the Committee on Transportation and In-
frastructure of the House of Representatives and the Com-
mittee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the 
Senate a briefing on the status of implementation of each 
action outlined in the Commandant’s final action memo 
dated December 19, 2017, regarding the sinking and loss 
of the vessel El Faro. 
Æ 
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