The U.S. Coast Guard has implemented new safety requirements under the Safer Seas Act (SSA) as of 23 December 2024. These requirements, which were part of the 2022 U.S. Defense Bill, focus on preventing and reporting sexual assault and harassment (SASH) on commercial vessels in U.S. waters.
The rules mainly apply to vessels that:
- Have sleeping quarters for 10 or more people
- Operate for at least 72 hours in U.S. continental shelf waters
- Are not passenger ships
Ships must comply with these rules by their first scheduled drydocking after December 2024, unless they already had drydock maintenance between December 2022 and December 2024. Important note: Underwater Inspection in Lieu of Dry-Docking (UWILD) doesn’t count as drydocking for this requirement.
IADC, along with other stakeholder groups, has been engaging Coast Guard officials to understand how these rules affect:
- Mobile offshore drilling units under the Outer Continental Lands Act
- Tank ships operating for more than 72 hours on the U.S. continental shelf
- Oil operations in the Gulf of Mexico, including the Louisiana Offshore Oil Platform (LOOP)
Currently, these requirements exist only as law, not as detailed regulations. The IADC is eager to participate in discussions if the Coast Guard decides to develop more specific regulations in the future.
