🔍 Key Concepts

• 46 CFR Subchapter H – Passenger vessels and machinery requirements • Difference between annual inspections and periodic pressure tests for boilers • Why hydrostatic tests are not performed too frequently on high‑pressure boilers

💭 Think About

• Think about how often the Coast Guard normally requires major pressure‑boundary tests compared to routine inspections. Is a hydrostatic test something you’d do every year? • Consider the service life and fatigue of a water‑tube boiler: would regulations likely match this test period to something like a certificate or drydock cycle? • Eliminate any time periods that are clearly too short or too long for a major, invasive test on a critical pressure vessel.

✅ Before You Answer

• Check in 46 CFR for the specific interval language for hydrostatic tests on water‑tube boilers on passenger vessels. • Verify whether the interval aligns with other periodic inspection cycles (e.g., drydock or internal structural examinations) rather than annual topside inspections. • Make sure you distinguish between a hydrostatic test requirement and a visual/operational inspection requirement; they are not on the same schedule.