A recent letter from the Passenger Vessel Association (PVA) has urged the Trump administration to reduce regulatory burdens on the domestic passenger vessel industry. The request is timely, given the administration’s clear focus on cutting unnecessary and inefficient regulations to support business. While some regulation in the maritime industry is justified, much of it could be eliminated.
PVA is seeking relief from federal regulations that burden the industry, starting with the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC). PVA has requested that both credentialed and non-credentialed mariners be exempt from the TWIC requirement. TWIC is costly, problematic for employees — especially seasonal workers — and offers little real security value. The PVA Alternate Security Program already addresses all substantive security concerns.
In its letter, PVA also asked that the requirement for passenger vessels of 79' or larger to file a Vessel General Permit for incidental discharges of wastewater with EPA be rescinded. We believe that the regulation is misplaced for our types of vessels, is ineffective in protecting the environment, and the EPA’s recordkeeping requirement is confusing and burdensome.
PVA’s regulatory reform list includes a long-standing request for the Coast Guard to extend the five-year drydock interval. This would provide flexibility amid limited drydock availability and allow for internal structural exams and risk-based decision-making in inspections.
Servicing Inflatable Buoyant Apparatus annually is costly and time-consuming for passenger vessel operators. PVA has asked the Coast Guard to extend the inspection interval to every two years, which would significantly cut costs without compromising safety.
These are just a few examples of the regulations that PVA is asking the Trump administration to either rescind or amend. Others deal with lighting, day shapes, flares, and merchant mariner documents. It is important that we seriously evaluate the regulations that have accrued over the years and take steps to eliminate those that are inefficient and obsolete. If we do not, then we in the maritime industry will be unable to meet the challenges of the future.
