🔍 Key Concepts

• Marine Sanitation Device (MSD) requirements under federal law • The role of the U.S. Coast Guard versus the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in vessel equipment approval • Where official certification and approval labels for equipment like MSDs, lifejackets, and fire extinguishers typically come from

💭 Think About

• Think about which agency is normally responsible for approving and certifying equipment that is installed on vessels for safety or pollution control. • Consider which organization among the choices sets regulations and standards versus which ones are industry societies that do design, research, or classification work. • Ask yourself: when you look for an approval stamp or label on required equipment onboard (PFDs, fire extinguishers, MSDs), whose approval mark are you trained to look for?

✅ Before You Answer

• Identify which of the four choices is actually a federal regulatory and certifying authority for vessel equipment, not just an advisory or classification body. • Confirm which agency’s approval label is legally required to appear on mandated shipboard equipment in U.S. waters. • Eliminate any organizations that are professional societies or classification societies, not government certifying authorities.