(a) Your U.S. vessel engaged on a foreign voyage must hold a valid Safety Management Certificate if it carries more than 12 passengers, or if it is a tanker, bulk freight vessel, freight vessel, or a self-propelled mobile offshore drilling unit of 500 gross tons or more.

(b) Your U.S. vessel may voluntarily hold a valid Safety Management Certificate even if your vessel is not required to by paragraph (a) of this section.

(c) Your U.S. vessel may only be issued a Safety Management Certificate or have it renewed when your company holds a valid Document of Compliance certificate issued under § 96.330 of this part and the vessel has completed a satisfactory safety management audit of the vessel's safety management system set out in § 96.320 of this part.

(d) A copy of your vessel's valid Safety Management Certificate must be on board all U.S. and foreign vessels which carry more than 12 passengers, and must be on board a tanker, bulk freight vessel, freight vessel, or a self-propelled mobile offshore drilling unit of 500 gross tons or more, when engaged on foreign voyages or within U.S. waters.

(e) A Safety Management Certificate is valid for 60 months. The validity of the Safety Management Certificate is based on—

(1) A satisfactory initial safety management audit;

(2) A satisfactory intermediate verification audit requested by the vessel's responsible person, completed between the 24th and 36th month of the certificate's period of validity; and

(3) A vessel's company holding a valid Document of Compliance certificate. When a company's Document of Compliance certificate expires or is revoked, the Safety Management Certificate for the company-owned vessel(s) is invalid.

(f) Renewal of a Safety Management Certificate requires the completion of a satisfactory safety management system audit which meets all of the requirements of subpart B in this part. A renewal of a Safety Management Certificate cannot be started unless the company which owns the vessel holds a valid Document of Compliance certificate.

(g) Only the Coast Guard may revoke a Safety Management Certificate from a U.S. vessel. The Safety Management Certificate will be revoked if—

(1) The vessel's responsible person has not completed an intermediate safety management audit required by paragraph (e)(2) of this section; or

(2) Major non-conformities are found in the vessel's safety management system during a safety management audit or other related survey or inspection being completed by the Coast Guard or the recognized organization chosen by the vessel's responsible person.