(a) The owner or managing operator of a towing vessel must notify the local OCMI at least 72 hours prior to an external audit being conducted under this part.
(b) The Coast Guard may require that a Coast Guard representative accompany the auditor during part, or all, of an external audit.
(c) The Coast Guard may conduct a separate audit of the owner or managing operator or its towing vessels, at its discretion.
(a) Submission of external management audits. The results of an external management audit as required by § 138.315 must be submitted to the Towing Vessel National Center of Expertise within 30 days of audit completion by the TPO conducting the external audit. The mailing address for the Coast Guard Towing Vessel National Center of Expertise is 504 Broadway Street, Suite 101, Paducah, Kentucky 42001.
(b) Submission of external vessel audits. The results of any external vessel audits required by § 138.315 must be submitted to the cognizant OCMI within 30 days of audit completion by the TPO conducting the external audit.
(c) Electronic submissions. The results of external audits required by this section may be submitted electronically so long as the means used allows the Coast Guard to reliably verify the person making the submission and the authenticity of the records submitted. For those seeking to submit external audit records to the Coast Guard electronically, the TSMS must address the means to be used to make these electronic submissions.
(a) The TPO and the owner or managing operator may be required to explain or otherwise demonstrate areas of the TSMS to the Coast Guard if there is evidence that a TSMS, for which a TSMS certificate was issued, is not in compliance with the provisions of this part. The Coast Guard may require a third party's attendance at the vessel or the office of the owner or managing operator for this purpose.
(b) The Coast Guard will not bear any of the costs for a third party's attendance at the vessel or the office of the owner or managing operator when complying with this provision.