By
Rebecca Gibson |
Genting’s Bimini Superfast ferry has received its Initial Certificate of Compliance (ICOC) from the US Coast Guard (USCG), enabling the ship to embark passengers in US ports of call.
Focusing on the Panama-flagged ship’s compliance with the Safety of Life at Sea regulations, the USCG inspected the ferry’s navigational, lifesaving, security and firefighting equipment and systems, as well as crew proficiency with emergency procedures.
USCG identified several key issues during its initial inspection in June and has since worked with Genting to resolve these issues. The Bimini Superfast ferry now has a fully operational source of emergency power, operational lifeboat release mechanisms and proficient emergency response procedures for its crew.
“The Coast Guard is always involved in inspecting cruise ships and commercial vessels that call in US ports to ensure compliance with safety standards,” said Janet Espino-Young, chief of inspections at Miami’s Coast Guard Sector. “It is important to note these discrepancies were discovered during our initial inspections prior to the ferry embarking any passengers and we worked thoroughly with the owners of the ferry to bring them up to the standard to safely embark passengers in the US.”
The USCG requires all foreign-flag ships arriving, embarking or making initial calls in the US while carrying US citizens as passengers to participate in the ICOC examination process.