46 CFR 140.400: Personnel records on towing vessels
Last reviewed: October 14, 2026
This section covers personnel records on towing vessels. The master must keep accurate lists of crewmembers and of other individuals carried aboard. Watch times for navigation watchstanders must be recorded, and comparable records are required if an engineering watch is maintained.
Applies toThe master of each towing vessel.
What it says
The master of each towing vessel must keep an accurate list of crewmembers and their assigned positions and responsibilities aboard the vessel.
46 CFR 140.400(a)“The master of each towing vessel must keep an accurate list of crewmembers and their assigned positions and responsibilities aboard the vessel.”
The master must keep an accurate list of individuals to be carried as persons in addition to the crew and any passengers.
46 CFR 140.400(b)“The master must keep an accurate list of individuals to be carried as persons in addition to the crew and any passengers.”
The date and time that a navigation watchstander assumes a watch and is relieved of a watch must be recorded in the towing vessel record (TVR), official logbook, or in accordance with the TSMS applicable to the vessel. Navigation watchstanders include the master, officer in charge of a navigational watch, and lookout.
46 CFR 140.400(c)“The date and time that a navigation watchstander, including master, officer in charge of a navigational watch, and lookout assumes a watch and is relieved of a watch must be recorded”
If an engineering watch is maintained, comparable records documenting the engineering watch are required.
46 CFR 140.400(c)“If an engineering watch is maintained, comparable records documenting the engineering watch are required.”
Common questions
Who must keep the crew list on a towing vessel?
The master of each towing vessel must keep an accurate list of crewmembers and their assigned positions and responsibilities aboard the vessel.
“The master of each towing vessel must keep an accurate list of crewmembers and their assigned positions and responsibilities aboard the vessel.”
Where must towing vessel watch times be recorded?
The date and time a navigation watchstander assumes and is relieved of a watch must be recorded in the towing vessel record (TVR), official logbook, or in accordance with the TSMS applicable to the vessel.
“must be recorded in the towing vessel record (TVR), official logbook, or in accordance with the TSMS applicable to the vessel.”
Are engineering watches recorded on towing vessels?
If an engineering watch is maintained, comparable records documenting the engineering watch are required.
“If an engineering watch is maintained, comparable records documenting the engineering watch are required.”
The text of 46 CFR 140.400
Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR), current as of April 16, 2026 · Read it on eCFR
Personnel records
(a) The master of each towing vessel must keep an accurate list of crewmembers and their assigned positions and responsibilities aboard the vessel.
(b) The master must keep an accurate list of individuals to be carried as persons in addition to the crew and any passengers.
(c) The date and time that a navigation watchstander, including master, officer in charge of a navigational watch, and lookout assumes a watch and is relieved of a watch must be recorded in the towing vessel record (TVR), official logbook, or in accordance with the TSMS applicable to the vessel. If an engineering watch is maintained, comparable records documenting the engineering watch are required.
The plain-English explanation on this page was written with AI from the regulation text above and checked automatically before publishing: every quote appears in the text, every number comes from it, and a second model confirmed each statement adds nothing the text doesn't say. Regulation text current as of April 16, 2026. The regulation text governs. RegKnot is not affiliated with the U.S. Coast Guard.