§ 155.240 - Damage stability information for oil tankers and offshore oil barges.

§ 155.240 Damage stability information for oil tankers and offshore oil barges.

(a) Owners or operators of oil tankers and offshore oil barges shall ensure that their vessels have prearranged, prompt access to computerized, shore-based damage stability and residual structural strength calculation programs.

(b) Vessel baseline strength and stability characteristics must be pre-entered into such programs and be consistent with the vessel's existing configuration.

(c) Access to the shore-based calculation program must be available 24 hours a day.

(d) At a minimum, the program must facilitate calculation of the following:

(1) Residual hull girder strength based on the reported extent of damage.

(2) Residual stability when the vessel's compartments are breached.

(3) The most favorable off-loading, ballasting, or cargo transfer sequences to improve residual stability, reduce hull girder stresses, and reduce ground-force reaction.

(4) The bending and shear stresses caused by pinnacle loads from grounding or stranding.

[CGD 90-068, 58 FR 67996, Dec. 22, 1993, as amended by USCG-1998-3799, 63 FR 35531, June 30, 1998]