---
kind: "section"
citation: "46 C.F.R. § 176.655"
title: "46"
number: "176.655"
heading: "Hull examination reports."
url: "https://uscodex.org/cfr/46/176.655"
---

# §176.655. Hull examination reports.

- (a) If you use only divers for the underwater survey portion of the Alternative Hull Examination (AHE), you must provide the Officer in Charge, Marine Inspection (OCMI), with a written hull examination report. This report must include thickness gauging results, bearing clearances, a copy of the audio and video recordings, and any other information that will help the OCMI evaluate your vessel for a credit hull exam. The third party examiner must sign the report and confirm the validity of its contents.
- (b) If you use an underwater remotely operated vehicle (ROV) as the predominate means to examine the vessel's underwater hull plating, you must provide the OCMI with a report in a format that is acceptable to the OCMI, per [§ 176.650(b)](/cfr/46/176.650.md?p=b) of this part.
- (c) The OCMI will evaluate the hull examination report and grant a credit hull exam if satisfied with the condition of the vessel. If approved and you exclusively use divers to examine the hull plating, you will receive a credit hull exam of up to 36 months. (Underwater examinations are required twice every 5 years.) If approved and you use an underwater ROV as the predominate means to examine the hull plating, you will receive a credit hull exam of up to 60 months (5 years).
- (d) At least 60 days prior to each scheduled underwater exam, the owner may request a waiver from the OCMI if:
  - (1) A satisfactory exam has been completed within the last three years;
  - (2) The conditions during the last exam allowed at least 80 percent of the bottom surface to be viewed and recorded; and
  - (3) **The results of the last exam indicated that an extended interval is safe and reasonable.**

## Notes

### Amendments

[USCG-2000-6858, 67 FR 21086, Apr. 29, 2002, as amended at 69 FR 47384, Aug. 5, 2004]

### Authority

Authority: 33 U.S.C. 1321(j); 46 U.S.C. 2103, 3205, 3306, 3307; 49 U.S.C. App. 1804; E.O. 11735, 38 FR 21243, 3 CFR, 1971-1975 Comp., p. 743; E.O. 12234, 45 FR 58801, 3 CFR, 1980 Comp., p. 277; Department of Homeland Security Delegation No. 0170.1.

### Source

Source: CGD 85-080, 61 FR 953, Jan. 10, 1996, unless otherwise noted.

### Amendments

[USCG-2000-6858, 67 FR 21086, Apr. 29, 2002, as amended at 69 FR 47384, Aug. 5, 2004]