(a) Pursuant to the request of the Deputy Secretary of Defense, dated August 6, 1958, and to the request of the Assistant Secretary of Defense, Installations and Logistics, dated May 23, 1964, made under the provisions of section 1 of Pub. L. 891, 81st Congress, approved December 27, 1950 (64 Stat. 1120; 46 U.S.C., note preceding section 1), and their findings that a waiver is necessary in the interest of national defense, compliance with the provisions of the navigation and vessel inspection laws administered by the United States Coast Guard, as well as the regulations issued thereunder and contained in 33 CFR Chapter I, or in this chapter, is hereby waived to the extent and upon the terms and conditions as set forth in this section, in order to permit vessels operated by or chartered to the Military Sealift Command to carry out their assigned missions.

(b) An application requesting that this waiver be made effective with respect to a particular vessel may be made by the Commander, Military Sealift Command, or any one of his duly designated representatives. Except as provided in paragraph (e) of this section, the application shall be in writing. The application shall be delivered to the Coast Guard District Commander or to his designated representative at the port or place where the vessel is located. In the case of a vessel in any foreign port or place, the application shall be made to the designated representative of the Commandant at such port or place, or if the Coast Guard has not established facilities in such port or place, to the nearest designated representative of the Commandant at a port or place where such facilities have been established, or to the Commandant (CG-CVC), Attn: Office of Commercial Vessel Compliance, U.S. Coast Guard Stop 7501, 2703 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20593-7501. Every application shall:

(1) Describe the laws and/or regulations by appropriate references and/or subjects with respect to which the waiver of compliance is desired;

(2) Contain a certification that the waiver of compliance with such laws and/or regulations with respect to the vessel involved is necessary in the interest of national defense and is necessary for the Military Sealift Command to carry out an assigned mission;

(3) The name and official number of the vessel involved (including the names of master, agent, and owner of the vessel involved); and

(4) For how long the waiver is needed.

(c) The Coast Guard officer making the waiver in paragraph (a) of this section effective for a particular vessel shall immediately prepare, in quadruplicate, an order setting forth:

(1) The name and official number of the vessel involved;

(2) The laws and/or regulations with respect to which the waiver is effective;

(3) The extent to which compliance with such laws and/or regulations is waived; and

(4) The period for which the waiver shall be effective.

(d) If practicable, one copy of this waiver order shall be delivered to the master of the vessel involved before such vessel sails. In any case where the waiver order is not delivered to the master, it shall be delivered to the owner, operator, or agent of the vessel without delay. One copy of the waiver order shall be delivered to the Commander, Military Sealift Command, or his duly designated representative, who submitted the application. One copy of the waiver order shall be transmitted to the Commandant (CG-CVC) and the remaining copy kept on file.

(e) In any case of extreme urgency, the application for a waiver order may be made orally and if the Coast Guard District Commander (or his designated representative, or the designated representative of the Commandant, or the Commandant, as the case may be), determines that the conditions in this section have been met, the waiver order shall be made effective without further delay, subject to the condition that the application be reduced to writing and delivered within such period after the date of the oral request as the Coast Guard officer making the waiver effective shall specify in the confirming written waiver order.

(f) No penalty shall be imposed because of failure to comply with any provision of law and/or regulation, the waiver of which has been made effective pursuant to the requirements of this section.

(g) This waiver order shall remain in effect until terminated by proper authority and notice of cancellation is published in the Federal Register.