In the late 1990s when I was CEO of a ferry company serving
a small island community in New York, I learned there would be
a change in the vessel inspection process. The change was
designed to save Coast Guard inspectors time. It was also
expected to improve safety aboard my ferry company's four
Subchapter T vessels.
This Streamlined Inspection Program represented a voluntary
change in the vessel inspection process, one that was often
inaccurately labeled the "self inspection program." Other
operators I knew and respected were very pleased with the
results. Many had more vessels than my company - ones with more
complex machinery.
After reviewing the SIP outlined in a 1999 Coast Guard NVIC,
I decided that the initial workload to set up the program would
take at least another man-year for analysis and drafting of the
self-inspection procedures. I could not handle it myself, since
I was managing the parent company and a homeowners association.
I felt that an investment in part-time help to get the
inspection system organized and approved would not pay off in
the long run. I liked having a trained Coast Guard inspector's
knowledgeable set of eyes checking out our ferries to make sure
they were safe.
Since then, the Coast Guard's transfer to the Department of
Homeland Security has changed local Coast Guard setups and use
of personnel. The USCG's new sector structure is focused more
on response and less on prevention. The role of the Officer in
Charge of Marine Inspection has been reduced in many ports, a
result of new sector commanders being assigned with no marine
safety experience. This means more reliance on mid-level
department heads and less on OCMIs who have broad marine safety
experience and knowledge of local conditions.
With its shortage of trained inspectors, the Coast Guard is
once again pushing the Streamlined Inspection Program. With
fewer experienced marine inspectors available - if I were still
a ferry company CEO - I would now reconsider the SIP. The
benefits of using SIP to stabilize the routine inspection
process by having knowledgeable onboard operating and
shore-side maintenance personnel perform the majority of
inspections required by the rules may now outweigh the
administrative costs.
Pete Lauridsen of the Passenger Vessel Association wrote a
background piece on SIP in the April 2007 issue of the PVA's
Foghorn magazine that encourages operators to reexamine the
program. PVA is also planning an SIP workshop.