(NEW ORLEANS) — As the federal government intensifies efforts to reduce burdensome maritime regulations, the Offshore Marine Service Association (OMSA) is calling on the administration to eliminate all 95 U.S. Coast Guard type-approval requirements for equipment installed on U.S.-flagged vessels.
“Type approvals impose heavy costs, stifle competition, and create needless barriers for American mariners and vessel owners,” said OMSA President Aaron Smith. “Eliminating them would streamline equipment procurement without compromising safety, environmental protection, or property.”
The Coast Guard’s type-approval rules require pre-installation approval of certain equipment, even when that equipment already meets rigorous international standards, such as those set by the International Standards Organization (ISO). This duplicative process delays deployment of advanced technologies, limits equipment options, and strains both industry and Coast Guard resources.
One example is with inflatable life rafts, where the Coast Guard’s 11,000-word rule repeats the ISO requirements that the rafts already meet, adding only expensive and time-consuming requirements for the factories and companies that make the rafts. OMSA urges the Coast Guard to cut the extra steps and adhere to accepted international standards.
“With all these rules, (Coast Guard) inspectors are being diverted from critical safety work to duplicate tasks already handled by global standards bodies,” Smith said.
Type approvals have been noted to cause artificial shortages of maritime equipment. In Louisiana, there are currently no Coast Guard-approved rescue-boat engines available, despite the state being one of the nation’s primary offshore hubs. After an approved engine model was discontinued in 2020, Louisiana vessel owners were required to source engines from distant suppliers, driving up costs and causing unnecessary delays.
In cases where no internationally recognized standards exist, OMSA recommends that the Coast Guard shift from prescriptive sourcing rules to performance-based standards, allowing vessel owners to demonstrate compliance through evidence.
“This is about making smart, efficient decisions that support American jobs and industry,” Smith said. “Streamlining the system will save time, reduce costs, and keep our fleet competitive.”
Click here to read the full letter submitted to Coast Guard Adm. W. R. Arguin, assistant commandant for prevention policy, citing four examples and a bulleted list of additional problematic Coast Guard type-approval regulations.
– Offshore Marine Service Association
