Marine Surveyors Lexicon

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NVIC


A Navigation and Vessel Inspection Circular (NVIC) provides detailed guidance about the enforcement or compliance with a certain Federal marine safety regulations and Coast Guard marine safety programs. While NVIC's are non-directive, meaning that they do not have the force of law, they are important "tools" for complying with the law. Non-compliance with a NVIC is not a violation of the law in and of itself, however non-compliance with a NVIC may be an indication that there is non-compliance with a law, a regulation or a policy.

NVIC's are used internally by the Coast Guard to ensure that inspections and other regulatory actions conducted by our field personnel are adequate, complete and consistent. Likewise, mariners, the marine industry and the general public use NVIC's as means of determining how the Coast Guard will be enforcing certain regulations or conducting various marine safety programs. NVIC's are issued by the Assistant Commandant for Marine Safety, Security and Environmental Protection and address any of a wide variety of subjects, including vessel construction features; mariner training and licensing requirements; inspection methods and testing techniques; safety and security procedures; requirements for certain Coast Guard regulatory processes; manning requirements; equipment approval methods; and special hazards.

NVIC's are numbered consecutively by year, e.g., NVIC 7-02 would be the seventh NVIC issued in 2002. The "zero" NVIC, numbered 00, is always the index of NVIC's in force or still current at the beginning of the calendar year. Thus, NVIC 00-99 would be a list of all NVIC's that have not been cancelled before January 1, 1999.

How to find an active NVIC on a particular subject: Open the latest "Zero" NVIC http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g-m/nvic/0-03.pdf and look in Attachment 2, the alphabetical subject index of circulars for the topic you are interested in.

Selected NVIC's are included in this Lexicon.

Steel Hull Inspection Notes (NVIC 7-68)

Classification of Vessels as Self-Propelled (NVIC 8-68)

Z Nomograph Method for Calculating GM (NVIC 3-69)

Counter Flooding In Emergency Situations (NVIC 4-77)

Aluminum Bus Bars (NVIC 2-79)

Aluminum SPV Structural Guidelines (NVIC 11-80)

Polyurethane Foams Fire Hazards (NVIC 8-80)

High-Speed Vessel Operational Safety Guides (NVIC 5-01

Helicopter Facilities Guidance (NVIC 9-81)

Fixed Ballast (NVIC 5-82)

Load Line Assignment Bow Height (NVIC 10-86)

FRP Vessel Inspection Notes (NVIC 8-87)

FGP Fiberglass Pipe on Inspected Vessels (NVIC 11-86)

Underwater Survey Guidance (NVIC 1-89)

Cold Water Areas (NVIC 7-91)

Trip Termination Commercial Fishing Vessel (NVIC 12-91)

Stability Test Guidelines (NVIC 17-91)

Wire Rope Towing Hawsers Guidelines (NVIC 5-92)

Submersibles Carrying Passengers Cert. Guidelines (NVIC 5-93)

Tonnage Measurement Tables US Vessels (NVIC 11-93)

Passenger Vessel Safety Act Guidance (NVIC-7-94)

Wood Hull Inspection Guidance (NVIC 7-95)

Amphibious Passenger Carrying Vehicles Inspection (NVIC 1-01)

Riveted Construction Vessels Inspection Guide (NVIC 7-01)