On Friday, January 15, 2021, the United Stated Coast Guard published an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking which seeks public comment on the “feasibility, applicability and nature” of a rule which would require all domestic passenger vessels to create, implement, and maintain a Safety Management System, or “SMS.” A SMS is a set of documented procedures used to effectively implement a company’s safety and environmental policies, which can include vessel management, operation, and maintenance, reporting of accidents, conducting internal audits, responding to incidents, and more.
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