Enclosure (2) to COMDTINST 16711.1
PROGRAM OBJECTIVES
The objective of the program is to enable the response community, which includes the Coast
Guard, other Federal, State, and local government agencies, industry and other stake holders, to
establish processes and procedures to prevent, and if necessary, to respond to and mitigate a
passenger vessel emergency. The two major program elements are:
A. Incident Prevention
1. HQ Program Managers shall work with the International Maritime Organization (IMO),
the passenger vessel industry, other federal, and state regulatory agencies to promote,
establish and maintain effective standards for passenger and crew evacuation, lifesaving,
fire prevention and fire fighting, vessel construction, inspection, crew training and
qualifications, vessel security and vessel movement control.
2. HQ Program Managers and District Passenger Vessel Safety Specialists shall ensure Coast
Guard field personnel are fully aware of and equipped to execute prevention programs in
cooperation with industry and the public.
3. Personnel at all levels shall promote risk-based decision-making throughout the industry
regarding company and vessel management, operations, and maintenance.
4. District and field level personnel shall conduct outreach, education, and awareness
training with local community and other stakeholders.
B. Incident Response Preparedness and Mitigation
1. Personnel at all levels, in cooperation with the response community, shall use risk-based
methodology to identify realistic passenger vessel casualty scenarios, including people,
property and environment put at risk by those scenarios, develop preparedness and
contingency plans, strategies and tactics that can be practicably applied to mitigate those
risks, and define a clear delineation of roles and responsibilities in executing those
strategies and tactics. A unit's need for and level of plan development and exercises will
be dependent upon the use of a risk-based assessment of the unit's AOR. As a rule of
thumb, and at a minimum, organizations down to the Group and Marine Safety Office (or
equivalent) level would be expected to develop and maintain an MRO contingency plan.
2. HQ Program Managers and District Passenger Vessel Safety Specialists shall involve and
garner consensus of the entire response community to the extent practicable, including
Coast Guard "M" & "O" units. District Passenger Vessel Safety Specialists are strongly
encouraged to coordinate with district and other contingency planners in overseeing and
coordinating the MRO exercise program. Exercise frequency will be as directed in the
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