(a) As the relative location of shipyards, design offices, and Coast Guard offices vary throughout the country, no specific routing will be required in the submittal of plans. In general, one of the following procedures would apply, but in a particular case, if a more expeditious procedure can be used, there will be no objection to its adoption:

(1) The plans may be submitted to the Officer in Charge, Marine Inspection, in the district in which the vessel is to be built. This procedure will be most expeditious in the case of those offices where personnel and facilities are available for examination and approval of the plans locally.

(2) The plans may be submitted by visitors directly to the Commanding Officer, Marine Safety Center, U.S. Coast Guard, 2703 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20593, or transmitted by mail to: Commanding Officer (MSC), Attn: Marine Safety Center, U.S. Coast Guard Stop 7430, 2703 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20593-7430, in a written or electronic format. Information for submitting the VSP electronically can be found at http://www.uscg.mil/HQ/MSC. In this case, the plans will be returned directly to the submitter, with a copy of the action being forwarded to the interested Officer in Charge, Marine Inspection.

(3) In the case of classed vessels, upon specific request by the submitter, the American Bureau of Shipping will arrange to forward the necessary plans to the Coast Guard indicating its action thereon. In this case, the plans will be returned as noted in paragraph (a)(2) of this section.

(b) [Reserved]