The American Boat and Yacht Council said it has published Coast Guard regulations for towing vessels.
The Coast Guard published new requirements in June for the design, construction, onboard equipment and operation of towing vessels and the requirements for obtaining and renewing a certification of inspection, which are incorporated into Title 46 of the Code of Federal Regulations as the new Subchapter M.
To support and outline the compliance requirements, the ABYC has published “Regulations for Towing Vessels, Excerpts from CFR Title 46 Subchapter M.”
The ABYC’s publication includes applicable ABYC standards, which are approved as an alternative compliance solution for new towing vessels 65 feet or smaller.
“Utilization of ABYC standards within the commercial and workboat side of the marine industry is nothing new,” said ABYC president John Adey in a statement. “The recent addition of using ABYC standards for Subchapter M compliance is just one more compelling reason to look into the use of ABYC compliance for your commercial needs.”
“Not only are most of the ABYC standards written around simple, in-house testing and compliance verification, they are minimal, common-sense documents composed with the ultimate goal of crew safety in mind,” Adey added.
