---
kind: "section"
citation: "46 C.F.R. § 8.515"
title: "46"
number: "8.515"
heading: "Eligibility."
url: "https://uscodex.org/cfr/46/8.515"
---

# §8.515. Eligibility.

- (a) **The company must—**
  - (1) Have owned or operated at least one U.S. documented or registered vessel for a minimum of 3 consecutive years before the SIP application date; and
  - (2) **Have paid all civil penalties and user fees.**
- (b) **Except as allowed by paragraph (c) of this section, each vessel must—**
  - (1) Have been in operation with an eligible owner or operator for at least 3 consecutive years before the SIP application date;
  - (2) Have had no revocation of its COI during the 3 years before the SIP application date; and
  - (3) **Have no documented deficiency for any of the following in the 3 years before the SIP application date—**
    - (i) **Any vessel operation inconsistent with the operating details specified on its COI.**
    - (ii) Operating without the required amount of lifesaving appliances on board the vessel or with inoperable survival craft.
    - (iii) Operating without the required firefighting equipment on board the vessel or with an inoperable fire pump(s).
    - (iv) Unauthorized modifications to the vessel's approved systems or structure, such as fixed firefighting systems, pollution prevention arrangements, overcurrent protection devices, or watertight boundary arrangements.
    - (v) Operating without the required navigation equipment on board the vessel or with inoperable navigation equipment.
- (c) A vessel constructed for, or acquired by, a company with one or more vessels enrolled in the SIP need not meet the requirement in [paragraph (b)(1)](#b-1) of this section for enrollment in the SIP, provided that the vessel holds a valid COI issued by the OCMI where the vessel will principally operate.

## Notes

### Source

Source: CGD 96-055, 63 FR 44353, Aug. 18, 1998, unless otherwise noted.

### Authority

Authority: 33 U.S.C. 1903, 1904, 3803 and 3821; 46 U.S.C. 3103, 3306, 3316, 3703, and 70034; Department of Homeland Security Delegation No. 0170.1 and Aug. 8, 2011 Delegation of Authority, Anti-Fouling Systems.

### Source

Source: CGD 95-010, 62 FR 67532, Dec. 24, 1997, unless otherwise noted.