Alaska Independent Tendermans Association

Buyer Beware  -

Counterfeit Portable Fire Extinguishers

The US Coast Guard has recently become aware of counterfeits of fire extinguishers manufactured by Amerex Corporation and Buckeye Fire Equipment. Both companies are major producers of genuine approved fire extinguishing equipment and serve a worldwide market. These counterfeit extinguishers present a significant safety hazard. Their capability to extinguish a fire is unproven; they may be charged with a powdery substance that is not a fire extinguishing agent, the pressure cylinder is not DOT approved, and the pressure gauge may not function or give false read.

USCG - Notice of Mandatory Safety Examination - 2013

Modification of Requirement Mandated in the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2010

The USCG has issued a notice to all Commercial Fishing Industry Vessel Owners and Operators that modifies the Notice of Mandatory Safety Examination of August 15, 2012, in a letter dated January 16, 2013.

The examination requirement applied to State-registered or Federally-documented vessels, to vessels with more than 16 individuals on board operated anywhere, and to fish tender vessels engaged in the Aleutian Trade. Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2012, which was signed into law by the President on December 20, 2012, modified the law to require that dockside safety examinations must be completed at least once every 5 years (instead of 2 years), and that the first dockside exam of a vessel must be completed no later than October 15, 2015. Please note, however, that depending on the type and area of vessel operations, other examination requirements may still apply (such as for Distant Water Tuna Fleet manning exemptions, District-granted equipment exemptions, post-SAR boarding and safety checks, post-voyage termination compliance checks, etc.).