As used in this subchapter:

Act means the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act of 1953 (43 U.S.C. 1331 et seq.), as amended by the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act Amendments of 1978 (Pub. L. 95-372).

Approved means approved by the Commandant, unless otherwise indicated.

Attending vessel means a vessel which is moored close to and readily accessible from an OCS facility for the purpose of providing power, fuel, or other services to the operation being conducted on the facility.

Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement inspector or BSEE inspector means an individual employed by the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement who inspects fixed OCS facilities on behalf of the Coast Guard to determine whether the requirements of this subchapter are met.

Commandant means Commandant of the Coast Guard or that person's authorized representative.

Constructed means the date—

(1) The vessel's keel was laid; or

(2) Construction identifiable with the vessel or facility began and assembly of that vessel or facility commenced comprising of 50 metric tons or at least 1 percent of the estimated mass of all structural material, whichever is less.

Development means those activities which take place following discovery of minerals in paying quantities, including, but not limited to, geophysical activity, drilling, and platform construction, and which are for the purpose of ultimately producing the minerals discovered.

District Commander means an officer who commands a Coast Guard District described in part 3 of this chapter or that person's authorized representative.

Exploration means the process of searching for minerals, including, but not limited to, (1) geophysical surveys where magnetic, gravity, seismic, or other systems are used to detect or imply the presence of such minerals, and (2) any drilling, whether on or off known geological structures, including the drilling of a well in which a discovery of oil or natural gas in paying quantities is made and the drilling of any additional delineation well after the discovery which is needed to delineate any reservoir and to enable the lessee to determine whether to proceed with development and production.

Fixed OCS facility means a bottom founded OCS facility permanently attached to the seabed or subsoil of the OCS, including platforms, guyed towers, articulated gravity platforms, and other structures.

Floating OCS facility means a buoyant OCS facility securely and substantially moored so that it cannot be moved without a special effort. This term includes tension leg platforms and permanently moored semisubmersibles or shipshape hulls but does not include mobile offshore drilling units and other vessels.

Investigating officer means a person assigned by the Commandant, a District Commander, or an Officer in Charge, Marine Inspection, to conduct an investigation of an accident, casualty, or other incident.

Manned facility means an OCS facility on which people are routinely accommodated for more than 12 hours in successive 24 hour periods.

Manned platform means a fixed OCS facility on which people are routinely accommodated for more than 12 hours in successive 24 hour periods.

Marine inspector means a person designated as such by an Officer in Charge, Marine Inspection, to perform inspections of units to determine whether or not the requirements of laws administered by the Coast Guard and of Coast Guard regulations are met.

Minerals includes oil, gas, sulphur, geopressured-geothermal and associated resources, and all other minerals which are authorized by an Act of Congress to be produced from “public lands” as defined in section 103 of the Federal Lands Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1702(e)).

Mobile offshore drilling unit or MODU means a vessel, other than a public vessel of the United States, capable of engaging in drilling operations for exploration or exploitation of subsea resources.

Officer in Charge, Marine Inspection means a person who commands a Marine Inspection Zone described in part 3 of this chapter and who is immediately responsible for the performance of duties with respect to inspections, enforcement, and administration of regulations governing units.

Operator means—(1) In the case of a vessel, a charterer by demise or any other person who is responsible for the operation, manning, victualing, and supplying of the vessel; or

(2) In the case of an OCS facility, the operator as defined in 30 CFR 250.2(gg).

Outer Continental Shelf or OCS means all submerged lands lying seaward and outside of the area of “lands beneath navigable waters” as defined in section 2(a) of the Submerged Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1301(a)) and of which the subsoil and seabed appertain to the United States and are subject to its jurisdiction and control.

OCS activity means any offshore activity associated with exploration for, or development or production of, the minerals of the Outer Continental Shelf.

OCS facility means any artificial island, installation, or other device permanently or temporarily attached to the subsoil or seabed of the Outer Continental Shelf, erected for the purpose of exploring for, developing, or producing resources therefrom, or any such installation or other device (other than a ship or vessel) for the purpose of transporting such resources. The term includes mobile offshore drilling units when in contact with the seabed of the OCS for exploration or exploitation of subsea resources. The term does not include any pipeline or deepwater port (as the term “deepwater port” is defined in section 3(10) of the Deepwater Port Act of 1974 (33 U.S.C. 1502)).

Owner means a person holding title to or, in the absence of title, other indicia of ownership of a unit; however, this does not include a person who holds indicia of ownership primarily to protect a security interest in the unit and does not participate in the management or operation of the unit.

Person means an individual, association, partnership, consortium, joint venture, private, public, or municipal firm or corporation, or a government entity.

Person in charge means the master or other individual designated as such by the owner or operator under § 146.5 of this subchapter or 46 CFR 109.107.

Personnel means individuals who are employed by leaseholders, permit holders, operators, owners, contractors, or subcontractors and who are on a unit by reason of their employment.

Production means those activities which take place after the successful completion of any means for the removal of minerals, including, but not limited to, such removal, field operations, transfer of minerals to shore, operation monitoring, maintenance, and workover.

Rebuilt means having had substantial alteration or reconstruction of the hull or principal structural component.

Standby vessel means a vessel meeting the requirements of part 143, subpart E, of this chapter and specifically designated in an Emergency Evacuation Plan under § 146.140 or § 146.210 of this chapter to provide rapid evacuation assistance in the event of an emergency.

Unit means any OCS facility, vessel, rig, platform, or other vehicle or structure, domestic or foreign.

Unmanned facility means an OCS facility, other than a floating facility or mobile offshore drilling unit, which is not a manned facility even though it may be continuously serviced by an attending vessel.

Unmanned platform means a fixed, bottom-founded OCS facility which is not a manned facility even though it may be continuously serviced by an attending vessel.

Vessel means every description of watercraft or other artificial contrivance used, or capable of being used, as a means of transportation on water.