The U.S. Coast Guard Vessel Inspection Program: A Probability Analysis

This study investigates the probabilities of vessel safety and pollution inspections by type of vessel by the US Coast Guard based upon individual vessel inspections for the years 1992–2001. Probit estimates of vessel safety (versus pollution) inspection equations suggest that fishing, passenger, recreation and tug boats are less (more) likely to be inspected for safety (pollution), whereas tank barges and US flag vessels are more (less) likely to be inspected for safety (pollution). Also, vessel safety and pollution inspection probabilities by vessel type vary by Coast Guard district and time. The probability of a US flag vessel being inspected for safety has increased over the time period of the study. The results bring into question the effectiveness of the Coast Guard in reducing the oil-spill pollution of tank barges and improving the safety of fishing boats.

The Oil Pollution Act of 1990: A Decade Later

Although oil spills from tanker accidents receive the most publicity, most vessel spills are not the result of accidents but of oil transfer activities. We investigate determinants of the size of vessel oil transfer spills as well as the effectiveness of Coast Guard enforcement activities in reducing their size. Vessel out-of-water and in-water oil transfer spillage functions are estimated utilizing tobit regression and detailed data on individual vessel oil transfer spills as well as Coast Guard safety/environmental enforcement activity data for the 1991–1995 period. Our estimation results suggest that Coast Guard hull but not machinery inspections are effective in reducing both out-of-water and in-water spills; patrols by air, but not by boat, are effective in reducing out-of-water spills; but neither is effective in reducing in-water spills. The results also show that the type of vessel (oil- and non-oil-cargo), vessel characteristics, vessel operations, weather/visibility conditions, and waterway type are determinants of post OPA-90 vessel oil transfer spills.

In 1989 the U.S. Coast Guard promulgated regulations implementing Annex V to Marpol 73/78, which regulates the discharge of "garbage" from ships. Since that time it has become apparent that Marpol V, an international regime designed for the high seas, does not translate into a workable regime for the Great Lakes without some modification for the special problem of cargo residue discharges from dry bulk carriers. Application of Marpol V to the Great Lakes by the United States has also created an anomaly, because Canada has yet to do so, in large part because of serious concerns about its application to cargo residues on the Great Lakes. On September 22, 1993 the U.S. Coast Guard Ninth District put out an interim enforcement policy designed to provide a reasonable balance between the need to protect the environment of the lakes against any possible harm while taking account of the need for safe operation of commercial dry bulk carriers. At the same time, in cooperation with the Canadian Coast Guard Central Region and the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. Coast Guard Ninth District is developing better scientific information about the possible effects of cargo residues in order to build a scientific basis for a revised regulatory regime. As the scientific study progresses, the Ninth Coast Guard District continues to make modifications to the current enforcement policy, in consultation with Canadian Coast Guard Central Region, the scientific community, industry, and environmental groups. The final goal is a reasonably balanced and consistent regime on both sides of the lakes, in accordance with the mandates of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement.

Journal of the American Society for Naval EngineersVolume 70, Issue 1 p. 97-104 REGULATORY ASPECTS OF NUCLEAR SHIP SAFETY HOLMES F. CROUCH, HOLMES F. CROUCH THE AUTHOR is a graduate of the U. S. Coast Guard Academy in 1940, served on various Coast Guard vessels during World War II, and later (for seven years) as a safety inspector of merchant ships. Subsequent thereto he has specialized in engineering research and technical writing in the electronic, nuclear, and guided missile fields. He holds a Master of Science Degree in Nuclear Engineering from the University of California. Mr. Crouch is presently employed as a nuclear engineer in the Research Division of the Marquardt Aircraft Co., Van Nuys, California.Search for more papers by this author HOLMES F. CROUCH, HOLMES F. CROUCH THE AUTHOR is a graduate of the U. S. Coast Guard Academy in 1940, served on various Coast Guard vessels during World War II, and later (for seven years) as a safety inspector of merchant ships. Subsequent thereto he has specialized in engineering research and technical writing in the electronic, nuclear, and guided missile fields. He holds a Master of Science Degree in Nuclear Engineering from the University of California. Mr. Crouch is presently employed as a nuclear engineer in the Research Division of the Marquardt Aircraft Co., Van Nuys, California.Search for more papers by this author First published: February 1958 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1559-3584.1958.tb03277.x AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Volume70, Issue1February 1958Pages 97-104 RelatedInformation

This article gives a measure of life jacket (LJ) effectiveness in U.S. recreational boating. Using the U.S. Coast Guard's Boating Accident Report Database from 2008 to 2011, we find that LJ wear is one of the most important determinants influencing the number of recreational boating fatalities, together with the number of vessels involved, and the type and engine of the vessel(s). We estimate a decrease in the number of deceased per vessel of about 80% when the operator wears their LJs compared to when they do not. The odds of dying are 86% higher than average if the accident involves a canoe or kayak, but 80% lower than average when more than one vessel is involved in the accident and 34% lower than average when the operator involved in the accident has more than 100 hours of boating experience. Interestingly, we find that LJ effectiveness decreases significantly as the length of the boat increases and decreases slightly as water temperature increases. However, it increases slightly as the operator's age increases. We find that between 2008 and 2011, an LJ regulation that requires all operators to wear their LJs-representing a 20% increase in wear rate-would have saved 1,721 (out of 3,047) boaters or 1,234 out of 2,185 drowning victims. The same policy restricted to boats 16-30 feet in length would have saved approximately 778 victims. Finally, we find that such a policy would reduce the percentage of drowning victims compared to other causes of death.

Work history records and fitness reports were obtained for 1,767 marine inspectors of the U.S. Coast Guard between 1942 and 1970 and for a comparison group of 1,914 officers who had never been marine inspectors. Potential exposure to chemicals was assessed by one of the authors (RP), who is knowledgeable about marine inspection duties. Marine inspectors and noninspectors had a deficit in overall mortality compared to that expected from the general U.S. population (standardized mortality ratios [SMRs = 79 and 63, respectively]). Deficits occurred for most major causes of death, including infectious and parasitic diseases, digestive and urinary systems, and accidents. Marine inspectors had excesses of cirrhosis of the liver (SMR = 136) and motor vehicle accidents (SMR = 107), and cancers of the lymphatic and hematopoietic system (SMR = 157), whereas noninspectors had deficits for these causes of death. Comparison of mortality rates directly adjusted to the age distribution of the inspectors and noninspectors combined also demonstrated that mortality for these causes of death was greater among inspectors than noninspectors (directly adjusted ratio ratios of 190, 145, and 198) for cirrhosis of the liver, motor vehicle accidents, and lymphatic and hematopoietic system cancer, respectively. The SMRs rose with increasing probability of exposure to chemicals for motor vehicle accidents, cirrhosis of the liver, liver cancer, and leukemia, which suggests that contact with chemicals during inspection of merchant vessels may be involved in the development of these diseases among marine inspectors.

MERCHANT MARINE INSPECTORS AND CHEMICALS

The Coast Guard is responsible for the safety of thousands of vessels which carry passengers and cargo throughout the US. The Research and Development Center has had several projects with the objective of identifying advanced technologies that can increase the safety and efficiency of vessel inspections, especially structural surveys. The aim is to find technologies which will increase inspection coverage while still providing a complete and accurate condition of the vessel. One project focused on the basic technology items such as improved lighting, improved monitors to determine air quality, and use of visual enhancements such as binoculars and night-vision equipment which the inspectors could use directly. It continued on to more advanced nondestructive and visual methodologies which may not find the actual damage, but will indicate the most likely location to the inspector. These included magnetic climbers, robotics, advanced video camera systems and fiber- optic videoscopes, laser ultrasonics and climbing inspectors which utilize mountaineering techniques. Most of these advanced methods are more likely to be used by independent surveyors, classification societies or others hired by the vessel owners and operators. The Coast Guard needs to evaluate the effectiveness of these techniques to ensure the reliability of the information received and to bring some of the technology to the attention of owners and operators. Another project begun this year is investigating the nondestructive evaluation of metal fasteners in wooden boats. This paper provides an overview of these projects.

Law enforcement by the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) is characterized by soft penalties for safety violations, low incidence of penalties relative to the number of violations, and substantial resources devoted to inspections of vessels. Under what conditions can such an enforcement strategy be effective? And is it? This article seeks answers to these two questions. Harrington's (1988) model is motivated by such facts about U.S. regulation in general, and provides an answer to the first question via targeting of good and poor performers. The model generates hypotheses about optimal regulation in the context of pollution prevention activities of the USCG. In order to answer the second question, an organization‐level panel data set consisting of thousands of U.S. flag tank barges is constructed and those hypotheses tested. A count model that controls for vessel heterogeneity yields mixed evidence. If USCG inspections are considered exogenous variables (as the theory presumes), they appear to prevent pollution spills. But if inspections are endogenous and respond to previous spills, then correcting for endogeneity reverses the earlier result. In addition, violations are found to be good predictors of pollution occurrences, suggesting that inspections are not as effective as they could be. Targeting, as in Harrington's model, therefore appears to be incomplete, and the findings suggest that more complete targeting could increase performance. An interesting finding is that stronger penalties could increase performance.

Biofouling on the hulls of recreational boats kept on swing moorings and marina berths poses a risk of transporting invasive species. A survey of 360 boats was undertaken of both mooring types at six sites near Auckland, New Zealand by visual observation from the waterline and underwater video. Both methods showed that the boats on swing moorings had more biofouling than those in berths (p < 0.001), and the video found more biofouling than visual observation (p < 0.001). A survey of boat owners found that boats on swing moorings moved at lower speeds (a function of different vessel types), making their speed insufficient to dislodge biofouling and potentially increasing their biosecurity risk. Five invasive marine species were known in the study area and the video images suggested that some of these and other invasive marine species were growing on boat hulls. About 8,700 recreational boats may be moored in the region, indicating that they have the potential to disperse invasive marine species beyond their present range.

The ‘‘WindStar’’ project is a cooperative, cost‐sharing venture between NASA’s Earth Observations Commercial Applications Program (EOCAP), directed by the Stennis Space Center (SSC), and User Systems, Incorporated (USI), a Virginia‐based remote sensing technology development company. The project seeks to establish the commercial viability of using twice‐a‐day satellite scatterometer data to produce marine wind forecasts for commercial television weather broadcasts. The WindStar product will be an animated, two dimensional map of wind speed and direction that evolves in time from the observed ‘‘nowcast’’ every 12 hours to a projected ‘‘forecast’’. Commercial television stations in coastal areas will incorporate this video into the weather segment of their news broadcasts to advise viewers, with both commercial and recreational interests, of coastal and off‐shore conditions. While contributing to improved near shore marine operations for both recreational and commercial boaters, the proposed product would also be of use to commercial fishermen, coastal shipping operations, search and rescue operations, state and local governments, the Coast Guard, and the Navy. Projected new business plans include establishing and maintaining a ‘‘Global Wind History’’ archive that can be accessed on Internet.

Characterization of the underwater noise produced by recreational and small fishing boats (&lt;14 m) in the shallow-water of the Cres-Lošinj Natura 2000 SCI

Robust exploitation of tracking and surveillance data will provide an early warning and cueing capability for military and civilian Law Enforcement Agency operations. This will improve dynamic tasking of limited resources and hence operational efficiency. The challenge is to rapidly identify threat activity within a huge background of noncombatant traffic. We discuss development of an Automated Anomaly Detection Processor (AADP) that exploits multi-INT, multi-sensor tracking and surveillance data to rapidly identify and characterize events and/or objects of military interest, without requiring operators to specify threat behaviors or templates. The AADP has successfully detected an anomaly in traffic patterns in Los Angeles, analyzed ship track data collected during a Fleet Battle Experiment to detect simulated mine laying behavior amongst maritime noncombatants, and is currently under development for surface vessel tracking within the Coast Guard's Vessel Traffic Service to support port security, ship inspection, and harbor traffic control missions, and to monitor medical surveillance databases for early alert of a bioterrorist attack. The AADP can also be integrated into combat simulations to enhance model fidelity of multi-sensor fusion effects in military operations.

Boating-related drowning in Australia: Epidemiology, risk factors and the regulatory environment