46 CFR 185.202: Notice of casualty reporting
Last reviewed: November 2, 2026
This section says who must notify the Coast Guard after a marine casualty and which events trigger notice. Notice goes to the nearest Sector Office, Marine Inspection Office, or Coast Guard Group Office, immediately after resultant safety concerns are addressed. It lists exclusions for some shipyard and harbor worker accidents and refers to § 185.203 for hazardous conditions.
Applies toThe owner, agent, master, or person in charge of a vessel involved in a marine casualty.
What it says
The owner, agent, master, or person in charge must notify the nearest Sector Office, Marine Inspection Office, or Coast Guard Group Office immediately after addressing resultant safety concerns when the vessel is involved in a listed marine casualty.
46 CFR 185.202(a)“the owner, agent, master, or person in charge of a vessel involved in a marine casualty shall notify the nearest Sector Office, Marine Inspection Office, or Coast Guard Group Office”
An unintended grounding, or an unintended strike of (allision with) a bridge, requires notice.
46 CFR 185.202(a)(1)“An unintended grounding, or an unintended strike of (allision with) a bridge;”
An intended grounding or intended bridge strike requires notice if it creates a hazard to navigation, the environment, or vessel safety, or meets any criterion of paragraphs (a)(3) through (a)(7) of this section.
46 CFR 185.202(a)(2)“An intended grounding, or an intended strike of a bridge, that creates a hazard to navigation, the environment, or the safety of a vessel”
Loss of main propulsion or primary steering, or an associated component or control system, requires notice if it reduces the vessel's maneuverability.
46 CFR 185.202(a)(3)“Loss of main propulsion or primary steering, or any associated component or control system, that reduces the maneuverability of the vessel;”
Loss of life requires notice, as does injury that requires professional medical treatment beyond first aid and, for a person engaged or employed on board a vessel in commercial service, renders the individual unfit for routine duties.
46 CFR 185.202(a)(6)“Injury that requires professional medical treatment (treatment beyond first aid) and, if the person is engaged or employed on board a vessel in commercial service”
An occurrence not meeting the other criteria requires notice if it causes property damage in excess of $25,000.
46 CFR 185.202(a)(7)“An occurrence not meeting any of the above criteria but causing property damage in excess of $25,000.”
A vessel is excluded from paragraphs (a)(5) and (a)(6) for death or injury of shipyard or harbor workers when the accident is not a vessel casualty or vessel equipment casualty and is subject to OSHA reporting in 29 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) part 1904.
46 CFR 185.202(b)“A vessel is excluded from the requirements of paragraphs (a)(5) and (a)(6) of this section with respect to the death or injury of shipyard or harbor workers”
Notice given as required by § 185.203 satisfies this section if the marine casualty involves a hazardous condition.
46 CFR 185.202(c)“Notice given as required by § 185.203 satisfies the requirement of this section if the marine casualty involves a hazardous condition.”
Common questions
When must I report a marine casualty to the Coast Guard?
Notice must be given immediately after the resultant safety concerns are addressed. It goes to the nearest Sector Office, Marine Inspection Office, or Coast Guard Group Office.
“Immediately after the addressing of resultant safety concerns, the owner, agent, master, or person in charge of a vessel involved in a marine casualty shall notify”
What property damage amount requires notice of a casualty?
An occurrence not meeting the other criteria requires notice if it causes property damage in excess of $25,000.
“An occurrence not meeting any of the above criteria but causing property damage in excess of $25,000.”
Does property damage include salvage or drydocking costs?
No. Damage includes the cost of labor and material to restore the property to its prior condition, but not the cost of salvage, cleaning, gas freeing, drydocking, or demurrage.
“but does not include the cost of salvage, cleaning, gas freeing, drydocking, or demurrage.”
The text of 46 CFR 185.202
Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR), current as of March 31, 2026 · Read it on eCFR
Notice of casualty
(a) Immediately after the addressing of resultant safety concerns, the owner, agent, master, or person in charge of a vessel involved in a marine casualty shall notify the nearest Sector Office, Marine Inspection Office, or Coast Guard Group Office whenever a vessel is involved in a marine casualty consisting of:
(1) An unintended grounding, or an unintended strike of (allision with) a bridge;
(2) An intended grounding, or an intended strike of a bridge, that creates a hazard to navigation, the environment, or the safety of a vessel, or that meets any criterion of paragraphs (a)(3) through (a)(7) of this section;
(3) Loss of main propulsion or primary steering, or any associated component or control system, that reduces the maneuverability of the vessel;
(4) An occurrence materially and adversely affecting the vessel's seaworthiness or fitness for service or route, including but not limited to fire, flooding, failure of or damage to fixed fire extinguishing systems, lifesaving equipment, auxiliary power generating equipment, or bilge pumping systems;
(5) Loss of life;
(6) Injury that requires professional medical treatment (treatment beyond first aid) and, if the person is engaged or employed on board a vessel in commercial service, which renders the individual unfit to perform his or her routine duties; or
(7) An occurrence not meeting any of the above criteria but causing property damage in excess of $25,000. This damage includes the cost of labor and material to restore the property to its condition before the occurrence, but does not include the cost of salvage, cleaning, gas freeing, drydocking, or demurrage.
(b) A vessel is excluded from the requirements of paragraphs (a)(5) and (a)(6) of this section with respect to the death or injury of shipyard or harbor workers when such accidents are not the result of either a vessel casualty (e.g., collision) or a vessel equipment casualty (e.g., cargo boom failure) and are subject to the reporting requirements of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in 29 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) part 1904.
(c) Notice given as required by § 185.203 satisfies the requirement of this section if the marine casualty involves a hazardous condition.
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 March 31, 2026. The regulation text governs. RegKnot is not affiliated with the U.S. Coast Guard.