Before a vessel receives an initial or reissued Certificate of Compliance endorsed with the name of a cargo from Table 4 of this part, the vessel must call at a United States port for an examination, during which the Officer in Charge, Marine Inspection, determines whether or not the vessel meets the requirements of this chapter.

To have the Coast Guard examine the vessel for a Certificate of Compliance, as required in § 154.150, the owner of a foreign flag vessel must proceed as follows:

(a) After submitting an application under § 154.22, await notification by the Commanding Officer, Marine Safety Center that review of the vessel's plans or IMO Certificate and supporting documents is complete.

(b) Except when paragraph (c) of this section applies,

(1) After receiving notification from Commanding Officer, Marine Safety Center that review is complete and the application is acceptable, dispatch the vessel to a United States port;

(2) Notify the Officer in Charge, Marine Inspection, for the port where the vessel is to be inspected at least seven days before the vessel arrives and arrange the exact time and other details of the examination. This notification is in addition to any other pre-arrival notice to the Coast Guard required by other regulations and must include:

(i) The name of the vessel's first U.S. port of call;

(ii) The date the vessel is scheduled to arrive;

(iii) The name and telephone number of the owner's local agent; and

(iv) The names of all cargoes listed in Table 4 of this part that are on board the vessel;

(3) Make sure that the following items are available on board the vessel for the use of the Marine Inspector before beginning the examination required by § 154.150:

(i) A general arrangement (including the location of firefighting, safety, and lifesaving gear); and

(ii) The cargo manual required by § 154.1810.

(c) If the vessel was accepted for U.S. service on the basis of Coast Guard plan review under § 154.22(b), the vessel owner must notify Commanding Officer, Marine Safety Center 14 days prior to the vessel's arrival at a U.S. port. This notification must include:

(1) The name of the vessel's first U.S. port of call;

(2) The date the vessel is scheduled to arrive;

(3) The name and telephone number of the owner's local agent; and

(4) The names of all cargoes listed in Table 4 of this part that are on board the vessel.