46 CFR 144.140: Who may verify towing vessel design standards

Last reviewed: October 14, 2026

This section uses a table to say who may conduct a verification of compliance with the design standards required by § 144.135. Only a registered professional engineer, an authorized classification society, or the Coast Guard may do it. The first two must meet stated conditions.

Applies toThe individuals and entities listed in Table 144.140 that may conduct a verification of compliance with the design standards required by § 144.135.

What it says

  1. The table in this section determines who may conduct a verification of compliance with the design standards required by § 144.135.

    “Use the following table to determine the individual or entity that may conduct a verification of compliance with design standards required by § 144.135.”

  2. A registered professional engineer (P.E.) licensed by one of the states of the United States or the District of Columbia may perform the verification.

    46 CFR 144.140(a)“A registered professional engineer (P.E.) licensed by one of the states of the United States or the District of Columbia;”

  3. The P.E. must ensure he or she does not exceed the scope of his or her P.E. license.

    46 CFR 144.140(a)“The PE ensures he or she does not exceed the scope of his or her P.E. license.”

  4. An authorized classification society that has been delegated the authority to issue the SOLAS Cargo Ship Safety Construction Certificate under 46 CFR 8.320 may perform the verification.

    46 CFR 144.140(b)“An authorized classification society that has been delegated the authority to issue the SOLAS Cargo Ship Safety Construction Certificate under 46 CFR 8.320;”

  5. The authorized classification society must ensure that the employees who perform the verification hold proper qualifications for the type of verification performed.

    46 CFR 144.140(b)“The authorized classification society ensures that the employees that perform the verification of compliance holds proper qualifications for the type of verification performed.”

  6. The Coast Guard may also perform the verification.

    46 CFR 144.140(c)“(c) The Coast Guard”

Common questions

Who can verify compliance with towing vessel design standards?

Only the individuals or entities in the table may do so: a registered P.E. licensed by a state or the District of Columbia, an authorized classification society, or the Coast Guard. The first two must meet the conditions in the table.

“Use the following table to determine the individual or entity that may conduct a verification of compliance with design standards required by § 144.135.”

What limit applies to a professional engineer doing the verification?

The P.E. must ensure he or she does not exceed the scope of his or her P.E. license.

“The PE ensures he or she does not exceed the scope of his or her P.E. license.”

What must a classification society ensure about its employees?

It must ensure that the employees who perform the verification hold proper qualifications for the type of verification performed.

“The authorized classification society ensures that the employees that perform the verification of compliance holds proper qualifications for the type of verification performed.”

The text of 46 CFR 144.140

Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR), current as of April 16, 2026 · Read it on eCFR

Qualifications

Use the following table to determine the individual or entity that may conduct a verification of compliance with design standards required by § 144.135.

Table 144.140 Verification of compliance with design standards may be performed by— Provided that— (a) A registered professional engineer (P.E.) licensed by one of the states of the United States or the District of Columbia; The PE ensures he or she does not exceed the scope of his or her P.E. license. (b) An authorized classification society that has been delegated the authority to issue the SOLAS Cargo Ship Safety Construction Certificate under 46 CFR 8.320; The authorized classification society ensures that the employees that perform the verification of compliance holds proper qualifications for the type of verification performed. (c) The Coast Guard

Sections it refers to

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.