(a) Offshore workers may be carried aboard an OSV in compliance with this subchapter. The maximum number of offshore workers authorized for carriage will be endorsed on the vessel's Certificate of Inspection; but in no case will the number of offshore workers authorized for carriage exceed 36, unless the vessel meets the applicability and construction requirements of subpart F of part 127 of this subchapter.

(b) No more than 12 offshore workers may be carried aboard an OSV certificated under this subchapter when on an international voyage, unless the vessel holds a valid passenger-ship-safety certificate (Form CG-968) issued in compliance with the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, 1974, as amended (SOLAS 74/83).