When you apply for a Guarantee, the Vessel for which you intend to receive financing for construction, reconstruction, or reconditioning must meet the following criteria:
(a) United States Construction. A Vessel, including an Eligible Export Vessel, financed by an Obligation Guarantee must be constructed in the United States. United States construction means that the Vessel is assembled in a shipyard geographically located within the United States.
(1) A U.S.-flag Vessel must meet the applicable United States Coast Guard requirements.
(2) An Eligible Export Vessel must be constructed in accordance with the requirements of the International Maritime Organization and must meet the applicable:
(i) Laws, rules, and regulations of its country of documentation,
(ii) Treaties, conventions on international agreements to which that country is a signatory, and
(iii) Laws of the ports it serves.
(b) Actual Cost. We must approve your estimated Actual Cost for the construction, reconstruction, or reconditioning of a Vessel as a condition for issuance of the Letter Commitment. The estimated cost of the Vessel may include escalation for the anticipated construction period of the Vessel. We may contact the shipyard directly and may require you to have the shipyard that has contracted to build the Vessel to submit additional technical data, backup cost details, and other evidence if we have insufficient data.
(c) Class, condition, and operation. The Vessel must be constructed, maintained, and operated so as to meet the highest classification, certification, rating, and inspection standards for vessels of the same age and type imposed by:
(1) The American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), or
(2) Another classification society that also meets the inspection standards of the United States Coast Guard with respect to the documentation of U.S.-flag vessels, or
(3) In the case of an Eligible Export Vessel, such standards as may be imposed by a member of the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS), classification societies to be ISO 9000 series registered or Quality Systems Certificate Scheme qualified IACS members who have been recognized by the United States Coast Guard as meeting acceptable standards with such recognition including, at a minimum, that the society meets the requirements of IMO Resolution A.739(18) with appropriate certificates required at delivery, so long as the home country of the IACS member accords equal reciprocity, as determined by us, to United States classification societies.
(4) Except in the case of an Eligible Export Vessel, the Vessel must be in compliance with all applicable laws, rules, and regulations as to condition and operation, including, but not limited to, those administered by the:
(i) United States Coast Guard,
(ii) Environmental Protection Agency,
(iii) Federal Communications Commission,
(iv) Public Health Service, or
(v) Their respective successor agencies, and
(vi) All applicable treaties and conventions to which the United States is a signatory, including, but not limited to, the International Convention for Safety of Life at Sea.
(d) Documentation.
(1) An Eligible Export Vessel must be documented in a country that is party to the International Convention for Safety of Life at Sea, or other treaty, convention, or international agreement governing vessel inspection to which the United States is a signatory, and must comply with the applicable laws, rules, and regulations of its country of documentation, all applicable treaties, conventions on international agreements to which that country is a signatory, and the laws of the ports it serves.
(2) All other Eligible Vessels must be documented under U.S. registry.
(e) Reconstruction or reconditioning. Repairs necessary for the Vessel to meet the classification standards approved by us, or any regulatory body, or for previous inadequate maintenance and repair, will not constitute reconstruction or reconditioning within the meaning of this paragraph.
(f) Condition survey. If your application involves a reconstructed or reconditioned Vessel, you must make the Vessel available at a time and place acceptable to us so that we may conduct a condition survey. You must:
(1) Pay the cost of the condition survey.
(2) Ensure that the scope and extent of the condition survey will not be less effective than that required by the last ABS special survey completed (if the Vessel is classified), next due or overdue, whichever date is nearest in accordance with the Vessel's age.
(3) Ensure that the Vessel meets the standard of the survey necessary for retention of class (if the Vessel is classified), and
(4) Ensure that the operating records of the Vessel reflect normal operation of the Vessel's main propulsion and other machinery and equipment, consistent with accepted commercial experience and practice.
(g) Metric Usage. Our preferred system of measurement and weights for Vessels and Shipyard Projects is the metric system.