A U.S. organization that carries out statutorily mandated investigations
USCG Marine Investigators carry out all the statutorily mandated investigations of commercial vessel casualties and reports of violation that require a determination for apparent cause and culpability (fault). The findings of Coast Guard Marine Casualty Investigations are used to create safety recommendations to prevent future marine casualties. It is imperative that commercial vessel operators understand and follow the Marine Casualty reporting requirements as outlined in Title 46, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 4 (46 CFR 4). Without timely and truthful reporting, the Coast Guard is hampered in its ability to conduct an accurate investigation. Therefore, responsible parties that fail to report Marine Casualties as required by regulations are subject to civil penalties.
U.S. law, specifically Title 46, U.S. Code, Chapter 61 (Reporting Marine Casualties), Chapter 63 (Investigating Marine Casualties), and Chapter 77 (Suspension and Revocation) provide the core concepts governing the Coast Guard's responsibilities for Marine Casualties and Personnel Actions. The statutes, as written, are broad in nature and are supplemented by more extensive regulatory requirements set forth in Title 46, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 4 (Marine Casualties and Investigations) and Title 46, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 5 (Marine Investigation Regulations - Personnel Actions).
The primary purpose of an investigation is to ascertain the cause or causes of an accident, casualty, or personnel behaviors to determine if remedial measures should be taken and to determine whether any violation of Federal Law or Regulation has occurred. The U.S. Coast Guard does not conduct investigations to determine Civil Liability in disputes between private litigants. Rather, our investigations are a means to promote safety of life and property at sea and to protect the Marine Environment. The Investigations Division conducts investigations for Vessel Casualties or Accidents, Violations of Statutes the U.S. Coast Guard is authorized to enforce, incidents involving vessel personnel that may lead to Suspension and Revocation (S&R) proceedings or assessment of Civil and/or Criminal Penalties, boating accidents, Waterfront Facility Casualties and Incidents, deepwater port casualties and incidents, Marine Pollution Incidents, Accidents involving Aids to Navigation and Accidents involving structures on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). The results of such investigations play a major role in changing current and developing new laws and regulations, as well as implementing new technologies in areas of U.S. Coast Guard concern.
Marine Casualty or Incident reporting forms
Marine casualty or Incident Should be reported in the writing within 5days in the following form:
(CG-2692) Report of Marine Casualty, Commercial Diving Casualty, or OSC-Related Casualty
(CG-2692A) Barge Addendum
(CG-2692B) Report of Required Chemical Drug and Alcohol Testing Following a Serious Marine
(CG-2692C) Personnel Casualty Addendum
(CG-2692D) Involved Persons and Witnesses Addendum
In addition, USCG Marine Investigators are tasked with investigating reports of negligence, misconduct, or other violations of federal laws or regulations that occur in conjunction with the operation of commercial vessels. If a merchant mariner is found to be in violation the USCG Marine Investigator pursues enforcement action to prevent future deficiencies and non-compliance by issuing Letters of Warning and Notices of Violations, initiating Administrative Civil Penalty hearings, initiating suspension and revocation proceedings against Coast Guard issued credentials, and representing the Coast Guard at suspension and revocation hearings.
Marine Casualty and Pollution Data for Researchers
The Marine Casualty and Pollution Data files provide details about marine casualty and pollution incidents investigated by Coast Guard Offices throughout the United States. The database can be used to analyze marine accidents and pollution incidents by a variety of factors including vessel or facility type, injuries, fatalities, pollutant details, location, and date. The data collection period began in 1982 for marine casualties and 1973 for polluting incidents, and is ongoing. Documentation includes entity and attribute descriptions along with suggested solutions to general marine pollution, vessel casualty, and personnel injury and death questions.
The Office of Investigations & Casualty Analysis (CG-INV) reports to the Director of Inspections & Compliance (CG-5PC) and is located at the U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters building in Washington D.C. The office is divided into three divisions: Investigations Division (CG-INV-1), Compliance Analysis Division (CG-INV-2) and Data Administration & FOIA Division (CG-INV-3).
Mission
We lead Coast Guard's investigation program to promote safety, protect the environment, and to prevent future accidents.
Day-to-Day Activities and Key Processes
Manage marine casualty and pollution investigation programs.
Manage pollution notice of violation program.
Manage violation investigations; adjudicated by Hearing Officer.
Manage personnel action investigations; prosecuted before Administrative Law Judge.
Conduct administrative clemency boards.
Manage drug and alcohol testing program.
Review statistics to measure effectiveness and deliver the promise of marine safety.
The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the United States military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission with jurisdiction in both domestic and international waters and a federal regulatory agency mission as part of its duties. It is the largest coast guard in the world, rivaling the capabilities and size of most navies.
A coast guard or coastguard is a maritime security organization of a particular country. The term embraces wide range of responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with customs and security duties to being a volunteer organization tasked with search and rescue without law enforcement authority. In most countries, a typical coast guard's functions are distinct from those of the navy and the transit police, while in certain countries they have similarities to both.
The United States Coast Guard Auxiliary is the uniformed, non-military volunteer component of the United States Coast Guard. Congress established the unit on 23 June 1939, as the United States Coast Guard Reserve. On February 19, 1941, the entity was renamed the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary. The Auxiliary's purpose is to bolster all USCG undertakings both at sea and in the sky, with the exception of tasks necessitating "direct" law enforcement or military actions. As of 2022, the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary boasted around 21,000 members.
Coast Guard Intelligence (CGI) is the military intelligence branch of the United States Coast Guard, and a component of the Central Security Service of the United States Department of Defense.
The Coast Guard Judge Advocate General oversees the delivery of legal services to the United States Coast Guard, through the Office of the Judge Advocate General in Washington, the Legal Service Command, offices in the Atlantic and Pacific Areas, nine Coast Guard Districts, the Coast Guard Academy, three training centers, and a number of other activities and commands. Legal services are delivered by Coast Guard judge advocates and civilian counsel in ten legal practice areas: criminal law/military justice, operations, international activities, civil advocacy, environmental law, procurement law, internal organizational law, regulations and administrative law, legislative support and legal assistance.
The United States Coast Guard is the coastal defense, search and rescue, and maritime law enforcement branch of the United States Armed Forces and is one of the country's eight uniformed services. It carries out three basic roles, which are further subdivided into eleven statutory missions. The three roles are:
Marine safety is one of the eleven missions of the United States Coast Guard.
The National Cargo Bureau (NCB) a not-for-profit marine surveying organization charged with assisting the U.S. Coast Guard with carrying out the provisions of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea. The NCB was formed by a group of marine underwriters and the Coast Guard for the purpose of reducing losses of grain ships. Any ship loading grain in the US sailing for a foreign port must have a certificate issued by the NCB in order to sail( See U.S. Coast Guard Navigation and Vessel Inspection Circular No. 5-94 - NVIC 05-94 ). The NCB acts with and enforces the regulations of the Coast Guard in this area. Grain ships have unique stability issues and are prone to capsize if loaded improperly. Headquartered in New York City, the NCB has offices throughout United States.
Sector Commander is the position title of the commanding officer of a United States Coast Guard Sector, usually of the rank of Captain (O-6). The Sector Commander's second-in-command is the Deputy Sector Commander. Also reporting directly to the Sector Commander are the Command Master Chief (CMC), the Senior Reserve Officer, and the Sector's Auxiliary Coordinator.
A Sector is a shore-based operational unit of the United States Coast Guard. Each Sector is responsible for the execution of all Coast Guard missions within its Area of Responsibility (AOR), with operational support from Coast Guard Cutters and Air Stations. Subordinate commands within a Sector typically include Stations and Aids-to-Navigation (ATON) Teams. Some Sector commands also have subordinate units such as Sector Field Offices and Marine Safety Units that are responsible for mission execution in parts of the Sector's AOR. There are 37 sectors within the Coast Guard.
United States Coast Guard activities Europe (ACTEUR) is a Coast Guard Marine Safety unit located in Schinnen, The Netherlands.
Cruise ships carrying several thousand passengers and crew have been compared to “floating cities,” and the volume of wastes that they produce is comparably large, consisting of sewage; wastewater from sinks, showers, and galleys (graywater); hazardous wastes; solid waste; oily bilge water; ballast water; and air pollution. The waste streams generated by cruise ships are governed by a number of international protocols and U.S. domestic laws, regulations, and standards, but there is no single law or rule. Some cruise ship waste streams appear to be well regulated, such as solid wastes and bilge water. But there is overlap of some areas, and there are gaps in others.
Ballast water discharge typically contains a variety of biological materials, including plants, animals, viruses, and bacteria. These materials often include non-native, nuisance, exotic species that can cause extensive ecological and economic damage to aquatic ecosystems. Ballast water discharges are believed to be the leading source of invasive species in U.S. marine waters, thus posing public health and environmental risks, as well as significant economic cost to industries such as water and power utilities, commercial and recreational fisheries, agriculture, and tourism. Studies suggest that the economic cost just from introduction of pest mollusks to U.S. aquatic ecosystems is more than $6 billion per year.
In the United States, several federal agencies and laws have some jurisdiction over pollution from ships in U.S. waters. States and local government agencies also have responsibilities for ship-related pollution in some situations.
The Cosco Busan oil spill occurred at 08:30 UTC-8 on 7 November 2007 between San Francisco and Oakland, California, in which 53,569 US gal (202,780 L) of IFO-380 heavy fuel oil, sometimes referred to as "bunker fuel", spilled into San Francisco Bay after the container ship Cosco Busan, operated by Fleet Management Limited struck Delta Tower of the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge in thick fog.
The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement is an agency under the United States Department of the Interior. Established in 2011, BSEE is the lead agency in charge of improving safety and ensuring environmental protection relating to the offshore energy industry, mainly natural gas and oil, on the United States Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). The agency exercises the safety and environmental enforcement functions formerly under the Minerals Management Service, including the authority to inspect; investigate; summon witnesses and produce evidence; levy penalties; cancel or suspend activities; and oversee safety, response, and removal preparedness.
Oil spill governance in the United States is governed by federal law.
Marine Science Technician (MST) is an enlisted rate in the United States Coast Guard. They are specialists in enforcing Federal Maritime Laws for Marine Safety, Marine Security, and Environmental Protection.
The history of the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary began in 1939. From its formation, the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary has been supporting the United States Coast Guard. The Auxiliary works within the Coast Guard in carrying out its noncombatant and non-law enforcement missions.
The sinking of MV Conception occurred on September 2, 2019, when the 75-foot (23 m) dive boat caught fire and eventually sank off the coast of Santa Cruz Island, California, United States. The boat was anchored overnight at Platts Harbor, a small undeveloped bay on the island's north shore, with 33 passengers and 1 crew member asleep below decks when a fire broke out shortly after 3 a.m. Five crew members, whose sleeping quarters were on the top deck, survived while everyone else on board died. The crew members were forced by the fire to jump overboard but not before placing an initial mayday call to the Coast Guard and attempting to alert the passengers. The crew retrieved the Conception's skiff and motored to a nearby boat where a second radio dispatch was made. The rescue and recovery operations were coordinated by the United States Coast Guard.
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