(a) Amendments.
(1) Amendments to a Vessel Security Plan that are approved by the Marine Safety Center (MSC) may be initiated by:
(i) The vessel owner or operator; or
(ii) The Coast Guard upon a determination that an amendment is needed to maintain the vessel's security. The Coast Guard will give the vessel owner or operator written notice and request that the vessel owner or operator propose amendments addressing any matters specified in the notice. The company owner or operator will have at least 60 days to submit its proposed amendments. Until amendments are approved, the company owner or operator shall ensure temporary security measures are implemented to the satisfaction of the Coast Guard.
(2) Proposed amendments must be sent to the MSC at the address shown in § 104.400(b) of this part. If initiated by the company or vessel, owner or operator, the proposed amendment must be submitted at least 30 days before the amendment is to take effect unless the MSC allows a shorter period. The MSC will approve or disapprove the proposed amendment in accordance with § 104.410 of this part.
(3) Nothing in this section should be construed as limiting the vessel owner or operator from the timely implementation of such additional security measures not enumerated in the approved VSP as necessary to address exigent security situations. In such cases, the owner or operator must notify the MSC by the most rapid means practicable as to the nature of the additional measures, the circumstances that prompted these additional measures, and the period of time these additional measures are expected to be in place.
(4) If the owner or operator has changed, the Vessel Security Officer (VSO) must amend the Vessel Security Plan (VSP) to include the name and contact information of the new vessel owner or operator and submit the affected portion of the VSP for review and approval in accordance with § 104.410 of this part.
(b) Audits.
(1) The CSO or VSO must ensure an audit of the VSP is performed annually, beginning no later than one year from the initial date of approval and attach a letter to the VSP certifying that the VSP meets the applicable requirements of this part.
(2) The VSP must be audited if there is a change in the company's or vessel's ownership or operator, or if there have been modifications to the vessel, including but not limited to physical structure, emergency response procedures, security measures, or operations.
(3) Auditing the VSP as a result of modifications to the vessel may be limited to those sections of the VSP affected by the vessel modifications.
(4) Unless impracticable due to the size and nature of the company or the vessel, personnel conducting internal audits of the security measures specified in the VSP or evaluating its implementation must:
(i) Have knowledge of methods of conducting audits and inspections, and control and monitoring techniques;
(ii) Not have regularly assigned security duties; and
(iii) Be independent of any security measures being audited.
(5) If the results of an audit require amendment of either the VSA or VSP, the VSO or CSO must submit, in accordance with § 104.410 of this part, the amendments to the MSC for review and approval no later than 30 days after completion of the audit and a letter certifying that the amended VSP meets the applicable requirements of this part.
[USCG-2003-14749, 68 FR 39302, July 1, 2003; 68 FR 41915, July 16, 2003, as amended at 68 FR 60515, Oct. 22, 2003]