NASBLA News

NASBLA Publishes Vessel Type Classification Guide

Several years ago, the United States Coast Guard (USCG) amended its regulations regarding the Standard Numbering System, the Vessel Identification System and the Boating Accident Reporting Database. These changes went into effect January 1, 2017. One of the objectives of this effort was to both modernize and standardize the information recorded in these various systems across U.S. states and territories.

 

This included, among other things, a requirement to more consistently record vessel types, which is important for everything from boating incident analysis to search-and-rescue. As such, the USCG established twelve authorized vessel types that must be recorded on every Certificate of Number.

 

With this in mind, the NASBLA Vessel Identification, Registration & Titling (VIRT) Committee, with assistance from the Engineering, Reporting & Analysis (ERAC) Committee, developed a guide to provide more clarification about each of these vessels. The Vessel Type Classification guide includes sample photos in addition to the definitions provided to the public in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). The purpose of this guide is to help ensure vessel types are recorded in a consistent fashion on certificates, numbers and Manufacturer's Statements of Origin (MSO).

Click here to download the Vessel Type Classification Guide.