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GAO-24-106644 1 (2024-01-30)

handle is hein.gao/gaopuk0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Why This Matters The U.S. Coast Guard is the primary federal agency responsible for marine safety and security. Since 2010, the Coast Guard has investigated over 50,000 maritime accidents. In 2019, a vessel named Conception caught fire off the coast of California, resulting in the deaths of 34 people, in part due to exits that all led to the same area in which the fire was located. This accident prompted an investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) that resulted in recommendations to the Coast Guard to revise fire safety requirements for small passenger vessels. Coast Guard requirements related to exits on small passenger vessels vary depending on the age of the vessel. However, in response to statute, the Coast Guard issued an interim rule in 2021 requiring all small passenger vessels with overnight accommodations for passengers to comply with the same egress requirements by December 27, 2023. The James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23 NDAA) includes a provision for us to review the effect of these egress requirements on historic wood sailing vessels (e.g., constructed before 1986), including the feasibility of compliance and associated risk and costs.1 This report addresses the safety of historic wood sailing vessels, changes to egress requirements, and the feasibility of vessels complying with the 2021 interim rule. Key Takeaways There are no vessels in operation that meet all of the elements of a historic wood sailing vessel as defined in the FY23 NDAA. However, we identified 27 vessels-that we refer to as wood sailing vessels-that meet most of the elements of a historic wood sailing vessel. Our review of Coast Guard marine casualty reports found that from January 2013 through July 2023, some of these vessels were involved in incidents, none of which resulted in significant damage or fatalities. Older small passenger vessels were allowed to comply with less stringent egress requirements until the Coast Guard's 2021 interim rule. The rule required all small passenger vessels with overnight accommodations for passengers, regardless of build date, to comply with newer, more stringent requirements by December 27, 2023. The 27 wood sailing vessels we identified account for a small portion of the total number of vessels (308) that are required to comply with the new egress requirements. Coast Guard officials stated they plan to issue a final rule in November 2024. Owners of wood sailing vessels may need to make modifications to comply with the new egress requirements. According to vessel owners and Page 1 GAO-24-106644 Egress Requirements

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