The Coast Guard has published Marine Safety Information Bulletin 05-23, Fire Safety on Small Passenger Vessels, which encourages owners and operators to do a self-assessment of the fire safety of their vessel(s).
The MSIB provides a checklist evaluating fire safety and emergency preparedness on board. MSIB 05-23 also announces that the Coast Guard has initiated a concentrated inspection campaign focused on fire safety aboard small passenger vessels. Some vessels initially certificated prior to 1996 that carry 100 or more passengers will be subject to in-service inspection to verify certain arrangements and procedures related to fire safety.
MSIB 05-23 is available at https://www.dco.uscg.mil/Featured-Content/Mariners/Marine-Safety-Information-Bulletins-MSIB/.
For any questions, please contact [email protected].