§ 67 — Public vessel equipment

§ 67. Public vessel equipment. 1. Buoyant apparatus. Every public\nvessel of over fifty tons burden, navigating more than one mile from\nshore, shall carry in addition to other equipment required by this\nsection, sufficient buoyant apparatus for not less than twenty per cent\nof all persons on board. Buoyant apparatus shall mean and include life\nrafts, or life floats, of a type approved by the commissioner. Such\napparatus shall be equipped with oars or paddles and other equipment as\nspecified by the inspector. All buoyant apparatus shall be stowed in\nsuch a manner that it is easily accessible and capable of being launched\ninto the waters in case of need.\n 2. Personal flotation devices. Every public vessel engaged in the\ntransportation of passengers shall have on board a wearable personal\nflotation device for each passenger the vessel is certified to carry,\nand one additional wearable personal flotation device for each member of\nthe crew. The personal flotation devices shall be of a type approved by\nthe United States coast guard for use on vessels carrying passengers for\nhire. The personal flotation devices shall be in serviceable condition\nand kept in readily accessible places, having the approval of the\ninspector, for immediate use in case of emergency. The location of the\npersonal flotation devices shall be indicated by legible printed\nnotices. It shall be the duty of the inspector to ascertain that every\npersonal flotation device is as herein required.\n 3. Ventilation. The inspector shall require that machinery and other\nenclosed spaces be adequately ventilated by means of free or forced air\nventilation. The inspector shall require that all installed fuel tanks\nbe properly vented.\n 4. Portable fire extinguishers. The inspector shall require that\npublic vessels carry such portable fire extinguishers as he deems\nnecessary and to specify their type, size and location on the vessel,\ndependent upon the type of vessel, the number of passengers and the\namount and character of freight carried and other fire hazards.\n 5. Fixed fire extinguishing systems. Fixed fire extinguishing systems,\nhereinafter termed "fixed systems", are considered to be total flooding\nsystems using carbon dioxide as the extinguishing agent and having\ncomponents fixed in position. The inspector shall require the\ninstallation of a fixed system on every passenger carrying public vessel\nwhich has enclosed engine and fuel tank compartments.\n 6. Communications and navigational equipment. Every public vessel\ncertified to carry more than ten passengers shall be equipped with\neither a very high frequency marine radio or operational cellular phone\nwhich, considering the location of the vessel's operations, the vessel's\nrange, the availability of persons or services to receive and respond to\nthe vessel's transmissions when the vessel is in use and other relevant\nfactors the inspector, in his or her discretion, determines to be a\nreliable means for such vessel to call for any necessary aid or\nassistance. Every public vessel certified to carry more than sixty-five\npassengers shall also be equipped with functional radar.\n 7. Marking of equipment. All equipment, unless otherwise directed by\nthe inspector, shall be legibly marked with the name or registration\nnumber of the public vessel on which it is carried.\n 8. The commissioner is hereby authorized to make rules and regulations\npertaining to equipment on public vessels. In framing such rules and\nregulations the commissioner shall, as far as practicable, be governed\nby the rules and regulations of the United States coast guard prescribed\nfor the regulation of commercial vessels.\n