[ve-l] Inland Bell Requirement

[hleahy142@adelphia.net]

The USCG Auxiliary VE Department has published For Safety's Sake Vol II No. 6. That is the departmental newsletter. On page 5 is an article "Clarifying The Bell Requirement:".

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In response to a question regarding the need for a vessel more
than 12 meters in length to carry a bell, W. Vann Burgess, PCB-2
writes; 

“While this person is technically correct in that Rule 33(a) of the
Inland Rules still states ‘... and a bell...’ for vessels more than 12 meters in length, the Rule is a moot point as a result of Rule 1(b)(ii) that states ‘All vessels complying with the construction and equipment requirements of the International Regulations are considered to be in compliance with these Rules (Inland).’ 

As a result of the change to Rule 33(a) of the COLREGS, and the impact of Rule 1(b)(ii) of the Inland Rules, the Coast Guard (the governing body of the Inland Rules) has decided that a vessel less than 20 meters in length is no longer required to carry a bell on board, and no enforcement action will be taken against a vessel less than 20 meters in length for requirements relating to the carriage of a bell. The reason Rule 33 (a) of the Inland Rules has not been changed to reflect this position is due to the fact the Inland Rules are written into law (United States Code) and not regulation (Code of Federal Regulations), thereby a change has required an action by the Congress of the United States and not a simple regulatory change. Just recently the Coast Guard has been given authority by Congress to put the Inland Rules into the Code of Federal Regulations and is in the early stages of a regulatory project.

The bottom-line, a bell is no longer required on a vessel less than 20 meters in length. That of course means a bell is not required for those same vessels for successful completion of a VSC.”

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Page 4 contains an article on doing Rental Boat Safety Checks.

Hal Leahy
Palm Beach S&PS