The initial inspection is a prerequisite to the issuance of the original Certificate of Inspection.

(a) No initial inspection occurs until after receipt of the written application of the owner or builder of the vessel to the OCMI in whose zone the vessel is located. The application must be on Form CG-3752, “Application for Inspection of U.S. Vessel.”

(b) The initial inspection occurs at a time and place agreed to by the party requesting the inspection and by the cognizant OCMI. The owner or the builder, or a representative of either, must be present during the inspection.

Before construction starts, the owner, operator, or builder shall develop plans indicating the proposed arrangement and construction of the vessel. (The list of plans to be developed and the required disposition of these plans appears in part 127 of this subchapter.)

The initial inspection normally consists of a series of inspections conducted during the construction of the vessel. This inspection determines whether the vessel was built to comply with developed plans and in compliance with applicable law. Items normally included in this inspection are all the items listed in § 126.430 and in addition the marine inspector verifies that the arrangement of the vessel conforms to the approved plans, that acceptable material is used in the construction of the vessel, and that the workmanship meets required standards for marine construction. The owner or builder shall make the vessel available for inspection at each stage of construction specified by the cognizant OCMI.

(a) The applicable tests and inspections set forth in subpart D of this part must be made during the initial inspection.

(b) The following specific tests and inspections must also be conducted in the presence of the marine inspector:

(1) Installation of piping for gaseous fixed fire-extinguishing (see § 95.15-15 of this chapter).

(2) Hydraulic steering-systems. If fitted with manual operation, these systems must be tested in the manual mode, with the hydraulic pumps secured, for smooth, efficient operation by one person.