🔍 Key Concepts

• 46 CFR requirements for inspection and maintenance of firefighting equipment on inspected cargo vessels • Difference between shipboard routine inspections by crew and required periodic inspections by qualified shore side personnel • Meaning of "annual" in the context of CFR-required inspections (time interval and who must perform them)

💭 Think About

• Look at how often 46 CFR requires portable extinguishers and fixed fire systems to be inspected by qualified personnel and compare that with the 12‑month gap in the question. • Ask yourself whether a crew member, such as a mate, can fully replace a required shore side contractor inspection under 46 CFR, or whether both types of checks may be required. • Consider the risk and compliance implications: if it has already been 12 months, what action would best ensure the vessel clearly meets the annual shore side inspection requirement?

✅ Before You Answer

• Verify in 46 CFR whether annual inspections of firefighting equipment must be done by a qualified person or firm that is acceptable to the Coast Guard or the Administration. • Confirm whether an inspection conducted only by a ship’s officer (e.g., Third Mate) satisfies the CFR requirement for periodic inspections of firefighting systems. • Check whether waiting longer than 12 months (e.g., up to 18 months) is allowed anywhere in 46 CFR for firefighting equipment on a general cargo vessel.