§ 117.207 - Survival craft - vessels operating on lakes, bays, and sounds routes.

§ 117.207 Survival craft - vessels operating on lakes, bays, and sounds routes.

(a) Each vessel with overnight accommodations certificated to operate on a lakes, bays, and sounds route must be provided with inflatable buoyant apparatus of an aggregate capacity that will accommodate at least 67% of the total number of overnight persons permitted on board.

(b) Where the total number of persons allowed on the COI exceeds the total number of overnight persons allowed, the following survival craft requirements apply when not engaged in an overnight voyage:

(1) If operated in cold water, be provided with life floats of an aggregate capacity that will accommodate at least 100% of the total number of persons permitted on board; or

(2) If operated in warm water, be provided with life floats of an aggregate capacity that will accommodate at least 50% of the total number of persons permitted on board.

(c) Except as allowed by paragraphs (d), (e), and (f) of this section, each vessel without overnight accommodations certificated to operate on a lakes, bays, and sounds route must:

(1) If operated in cold water, be provided with life floats of an aggregate capacity that will accommodate at least 100% of the total number of persons permitted on board; or

(2) If operated in warm water, be provided with life floats of an aggregate capacity that will accommodate at least 50% of the total number of persons permitted on board.

(d) Each vessel certificated to operate on a lakes, bays, and sounds route within one mile of land is not required to carry survival craft.

(e) For a vessel certificated to operate on a lakes, bays, and sounds route in shallow water where the vessel can not sink deep enough to submerge the topmost passenger deck or where survivors can wade ashore, the cognizant OCMI may waive a requirement for survival craft, if the OCMI determines that it is safe to do so, taking into consideration the vessel's scope of operation, hazards of the route, and availability of assistance.

(f) Each vessel operating with a set schedule on a specific route that does not take it more than 20 nautical miles from a harbor of safe refuge, and that maintains a 15 minute radio communications schedule with an operations base, or participates in a Vessel Traffic Service (VTS), may be granted a reduction in the survival craft requirements of this section if the cognizant OCMI is satisfied that a sufficient level of safety exists.