U.S. Department of Commander 5 Cabo La Puntilla Homeland Security 3641i. : United States tth U S. Coast Guard Sector San Juan San Juan PR 1.1819 Pho Fax Coast Guard MARITIME SAFETY AND SECURITY BULLETIN 03-15 March 02, 2015 UNINSPECTED PASSENGER VESSEL OPERATIONS FOR VESSELS IN THE U. S. VIRGIN ISLANDS Section 319 of the recently enacted "Howard Coble Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2014" (Pub. L. No. 113-281 (S.2444); hereinafter "the Act") amended the law concerning Uninspected Passenger Vessel operations for vessels in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Under this amendment, vessels less than 24 meters (79 feet) in overall length may now have the option of carrying a maximum of twelve passengers, if the Coast Guard determines that the vessel complies with the requirements established by the United Kingdom (U.K.) Code of Practice for the Safety of Small Commercial Motor or Sailing Vessels (hereafter "Code(s)"), which is commonly known as the Yellow Code (for motor vessels) or the Blue Code (for sailing vessels). While the Coast Guard is actively evaluating the Act to determine how best to fully implement it, the Coast Guard has determined that the Section 319 amendments to Uninspected Passenger Vessel laws arc substantially self-implementing. Therefore, some U.S. Uninspected Passenger Vessels whose voyages originate from the U.S. Virgin Islands, upon meeting certain conditions, may now carry from 7 to 12 passengers within the U.S. Virgin Islands and on international voyages, but not to another U.S. port outside the U.S. Virgin Islands. As an owner or operator of a U.S. Uninspected Passenger Vessel operating from a port in the U.S. Virgin Islands, if you wish to carry between seven and twelve passengers, the following steps will be required pending the Coast Guard's further evaluation: 1) Your vessel must be in compliance with one of the Codes listed above; 2) To verify that compliance, your vessel must be examined by a Certif