Title 33

SECTION 138.110

138.110 Master Certificates.

§ 138.110 Master Certificates.

(a) A contractor or other person who is responsible for a vessel in the capacity of a builder, scrapper, lessor, or seller (including a repairer who agrees to be responsible for a vessel under its custody) may apply for a Master Certificate instead of applying for an individual Certificate or Fleet Certificate for each vessel. A Master Certificate covers all of the vessels subject to this subpart held by the applicant solely for purposes of construction, repair, scrapping, lease, or sale. A vessel which is being operated commercially in any business venture, including the business of building, repairing, scrapping, leasing, or selling (e.g., a slop barge used by a shipyard) cannot be covered by a Master Certificate. Any vessel for which a Certificate is required, but which is not eligible for a Master Certificate, must be covered by either an individual Certificate or a Fleet Certificate.

(b) An applicant for a Master Certificate must submit an Application form in the manner prescribed by §§ 138.40 through 138.60. An applicant must establish evidence of financial responsibility in accordance with § 138.80, by submission, for example, of an acceptable Master Insurance Guaranty Form, Surety Bond Guaranty Form, Master Financial Guaranty Form, or acceptable self-insurance documentation. An Application for a Master Certificate must be completed in full, except for Item 5. The applicant must make the following statement in Item 5: “This is an application for a Master Certificate. The largest tank vessel to be covered by this application is [insert applicable gross tons] gross tons. The largest vessel other than a tank vessel is [insert applicable gross tons] gross tons.” The dollar amount of financial responsibility evidenced by the applicant must be sufficient to meet the amount required under this subpart.

(1) The name of the applicant (i.e., the builder, repairer, scrapper, lessor, or seller);

(2) The date of issuance and termination, encompassing a period of not more than 3 years; and

(3) The gross tons of the largest tank vessel and gross tons of the largest vessel other than a tank vessel eligible for coverage by that Master Certificate. (The Master Certificate does not identify the name of each vessel covered by the Certificate.)

(d) Each additional vessel which does not exceed the respective tonnages indicated on the Master Certificate and which is eligible for coverage by a Master Certificate is automatically covered by that Master Certificate. Before acquiring a vessel, by any means, including conversion of an existing vessel, that would have the effect of increasing the certificant's required applicable amount of financial responsibility (above that provided for issuance of the existing Master Certificate), the certificant must submit to the Director, NPFC, the following:

(1) Evidence of increased financial responsibility.

(2) A new certification fee.

(3) Either a new Application or a letter amending the existing Application to reflect the new gross tonnage which is to be indicated on a new Master Certificate.

(e) A person to whom a Master Certificate has been issued must submit to the Director, NPFC, every six months beginning the month after the month in which the Master Certificate is issued, a report indicating the name, previous name, type, and gross tonnage of each vessel covered by the Master Certificate during the preceding six-month reporting period and indicating which vessels, if any, are tank vessels.