Harmonization of Fire Protection Equipment Standards for Towing Vessels

The Coast Guard is finalizing an interim final rule that applied the changes made by the 2016 final rule, ``Harmonization of Standards for Fire Protection, Detection, and Extinguishing Equipment,'' to inspected towing vessels. The interim final rule, published February 26, 2018 in the Federal Register, aligned fire protection and equipment regulations for inspected towing vessels with other commercial vessel regulations. The Coast Guard received no comments on the interim rule, and adopts the interim final rule with one clarification.