You must have the original Certificate of Documentation (COD) or Temporary Certificate of Documentation (TCOD) on board the vessel when operating the vessel. If boarded, you are subject to fines and penalties. The final decision is up to the boarding officer.
Once the paperwork is received the current COD becomes invalid.
Once the COD is issued the vessel name and hailing port stated on the COD must match what is marked on the vessel.
Any further requests must be sent to:
NVDC.W.Webmaster@uscg.mil
Our guidance/advice is predicated only upon the information as submitted. If that information proves imprecise or incorrect or changes materially, our guidance/advice may change. We provide definitive guidance relative to vessel documentation only upon the presentation of materials in accordance with the regulations found in 46 CFR Subpart 67.
Barbara A. Dodson
Paralegal Specialist
USCG/National Vessel Documentation Center
1-800-799-8362
You can complain because roses have thorns or you can rejoice because thorns have roses.--Zig Ziglar
Please visit
USCG National Vessel Documentation Center, Home Page for the most recent vessel documentation information, forms, instructions and to subscribe to our list service.
-----Original Message-----
From: Roger Long [mailto:roger@cruisingonstrider.us]
Sent: Sunday, August 02, 2015 8:39 AM
To: Webmaster, NVDC W
Subject: Documentation Inquiry
Webmaster, please forward this email to the appropriate officer since your site no longer lists an email address for inquiries.
We have just purchased a documented vessel and will be filing for an exchange of documentation next week which will include a change of name and hailing port.
The broker told us that the NVDC is running “weeks to months” behind in issuing COD’s or even TCOD’s and that we should simply carry a copy of the existing COD and a copy of our application aboard the vessel to show a boarding officer until we receive our final document.
Was this advice accurate?
We need to plan for work to be done to the topsides of the vessel so it would be helpful to know the proper time to change the vessel’s markings.
May we change the vessel’s name and hailing port immediately according to the exchange application or do we need to wait until the NVDC has processed the paperwork and issued either a TCOD or COD?
Thank you,
Roger Long