Marine Casualty Reporting (CG-2692)

TL;DR — When a vessel is involved in a reportable marine casualty, the owner, master, agent, or person in charge must give immediate notice to the nearest Sector Office and file Form CG-2692 within five days. 46 CFR §185.202 46 CFR §185.206

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What the Rule Says

Immediate Notice Requirement

Immediately after addressing resultant safety concerns, the owner, agent, master, or person in charge of a vessel involved in a marine casualty must notify the nearest Sector Office, Marine Inspection Office, or Coast Guard Group Office. 46 CFR §185.202 This notice is required whenever the casualty involves any of the following:

1. An unintended grounding, or an unintended strike of (allision with) a bridge. 46 CFR §185.202 2. An intended grounding or intended bridge strike that creates a hazard to navigation, the environment, or the safety of a vessel, or that meets any criterion of items 3 through 7 below. 46 CFR §185.202 3. Loss of main propulsion or primary steering, or any associated component or control system, that reduces the maneuverability of the vessel. 46 CFR §185.202 4. An occurrence materially and adversely affecting the vessel's seaworthiness or fitness for service or route — including but not limited to fire, flooding, failure of or damage to fixed fire extinguishing systems, lifesaving equipment, auxiliary power generating equipment, or bilge pumping systems. 46 CFR §185.202 5. Loss of life. 46 CFR §185.202 6. Injury requiring professional medical treatment (beyond first aid) that, if the person is employed on a vessel in commercial service, renders the individual unfit to perform routine duties. 46 CFR §185.202 7. Property damage in excess of $25,000 — calculated as the cost of labor and material to restore the property to its pre-occurrence condition, but excluding the cost of salvage, cleaning, gas freeing, drydocking, or demurrage. 46 CFR §185.202

Important exclusion: The death or injury of shipyard or harbor workers is excluded from items 5 and 6 above when such accidents are not the result of a vessel casualty or vessel equipment casualty and are subject to OSHA reporting requirements under 29 CFR part 1904. 46 CFR §185.202

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Written Report — Form CG-2692

In addition to the immediate notice, the owner, master, agent, or person in charge must file a written report within five days of the casualty. 46 CFR §185.206 This report is submitted to a Coast Guard Sector Office or Marine Inspection Office on Form CG-2692 (Report of Marine Accident, Injury, or Death). 46 CFR §185.206

The CG-2692 is supplemented as necessary by:

• Form CG-2692A — Barge Addendum
• Form CG-2692B — Report of Required Chemical Drug and Alcohol Testing Following a Serious Marine Incident 46 CFR §185.206

One important shortcut: if the CG-2692 is filed without delay after the occurrence, that filing satisfies the immediate notice requirement of §185.202 as well. 46 CFR §185.206

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Alcohol and Drug Evidence

For every casualty required to be reported under §185.202, the owner, agent, master, or person in charge must determine whether there is any evidence of alcohol or drug use by individuals directly involved in the casualty. 46 CFR §185.210

The written CG-2692 report must identify those individuals for whom evidence of drug or alcohol use or intoxication has been obtained, and must specify the method used to obtain that evidence — such as personal observation or chemical testing. 46 CFR §185.210

If evidence of intoxication is obtained, an entry must be made in the Official Logbook (if carried). The individual must be informed of the entry, and the entry must be witnessed by a second person. 46 CFR §185.210

If an individual directly involved in a casualty refuses to submit to or cooperate in the administration of a timely chemical test — when directed by a Coast Guard commissioned, warrant, or petty officer, any other authorized law enforcement officer, or by the owner, agent, master, or person in charge — that refusal must be noted in the Official Logbook (if carried) and in the CG-2692 report, and it will be admissible as evidence in any administrative proceeding. 46 CFR §185.210

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Voyage Record Retention

The owner, agent, master, or person in charge of any vessel involved in a reportable marine casualty must retain all voyage records maintained by the vessel. 46 CFR §185.220 These records include, but are not limited to:

• Rough and smooth deck and engine room logs
• Bell books
• Navigation charts and workbooks
• Compass deviation cards and gyrocompass records
• Stowage plans and records of draft
• Night order books
• Radiograms sent and received, and radio logs
• Crew and passenger lists and counts
• Articles of shipment and official logs 46 CFR §185.220

All such records must be made available upon request to a duly authorized investigating officer, administrative law judge, or officer or employee of the Coast Guard. 46 CFR §185.220

Under the vessel navigation safety regulations, voyage records must be retained for 30 days after the casualty if the vessel remains in U.S. navigable waters, or for 30 days after the vessel's return to a U.S. port if it departs U.S. navigable waters within 30 days of the casualty. 33 CFR §164.61

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Aid to Navigation Collisions

Whenever a vessel collides with a buoy or other Coast Guard aid to navigation, or is connected with any such collision, the person in charge must report the accident to the nearest OCMI. No CG-2692 is required for this report unless the casualty independently meets the criteria of §185.202. 46 CFR §185.230

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Commercial Fishing Vessel Casualty Reporting

For commercial fishing industry vessels, there is a parallel reporting track that runs to the vessel's underwriter of primary insurance (or a Commandant-accepted organization), not to the Coast Guard on CG-2692. 46 CFR §28.80 This report is required whenever the casualty involves loss of life, injury requiring professional medical treatment that renders the individual unfit for duty, loss of the vessel, or damage initially estimated at $2,500 or more. 46 CFR §28.80 The underwriter of primary insurance must then submit a report to a Commandant-accepted organization within 90 days of receiving notice of the casualty. 46 CFR §28.80

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Why It Matters on the Exam

Exam questions on this topic test whether you know the triggering events, the timeline, the form number, and the destination of each required report. The examiners frequently mix up these details to create plausible wrong answers. Key numbers to lock in:

• Immediate — oral/telephone notice to nearest Sector Office after safety concerns are addressed 46 CFR §185.202
• 5 days — deadline for written CG-2692 report 46 CFR §185.206
• $25,000 — property damage threshold for a reportable casualty under §185.202 (excluding salvage, drydocking, demurrage, etc.) 46 CFR §185.202
• $2,500 — damage threshold for commercial fishing vessel casualty reports to the insurer 46 CFR §28.80
• 30 days — voyage record retention period after a casualty 33 CFR §164.61

The exam also tests the drug and alcohol evidence requirement. Know that the obligation to determine whether evidence of drug or alcohol use exists applies to every casualty that triggers §185.202, and that a refusal to test is itself reportable and admissible. 46 CFR §185.210

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Common Pitfalls

Pitfall 1 — Confusing the $25,000 and $2,500 thresholds. The $25,000 property damage threshold applies to the general marine casualty reporting requirement for vessels subject to 46 CFR Part 185. 46 CFR §185.202 The $2,500 threshold applies specifically to commercial fishing industry vessel casualty reports to the insurer. 46 CFR §28.80 These are different regulatory schemes with different recipients.

Pitfall 2 — Thinking the CG-2692 replaces the immediate notice. The written CG-2692 is in addition to the immediate notice, not a substitute for it — unless it is filed without delay immediately after the occurrence. 46 CFR §185.206

Pitfall 3 — Forgetting what is excluded from the $25,000 damage calculation. Salvage costs, cleaning, gas freeing, drydocking, and demurrage are all excluded from the property damage calculation. Only the cost of labor and material to restore the property to its pre-occurrence condition counts. 46 CFR §185.202

Pitfall 4 — Misidentifying who must report. The obligation falls on the owner, agent, master, or person in charge — not exclusively the master. 46 CFR §185.202 46 CFR §185.206

Pitfall 5 — Overlooking the AtoN collision report. A collision with a Coast Guard buoy or aid to navigation requires a separate report to the nearest OCMI, but does not automatically require a CG-2692 unless the event independently meets §185.202 criteria. 46 CFR §185.230

Pitfall 6 — Assuming an intended grounding is never reportable. An intended grounding is reportable if it creates a hazard to navigation, the environment, or vessel safety, or if it meets any of the other criteria in §185.202(a)(3) through (a)(7). 46 CFR §185.202

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Quick Check

Q1 — Within how many days must a written CG-2692 be filed after a reportable marine casualty?

Five days. The owner, master, agent, or person in charge must file the written report within five days of the casualty, delivered to a Coast Guard Sector Office or Marine Inspection Office. 46 CFR §185.206

Q2 — What is the property damage threshold that triggers the immediate notice requirement, and what costs are excluded from that calculation?

Property damage in excess of $25,000 triggers the requirement. The calculation includes the cost of labor and material to restore the property to its pre-occurrence condition, but excludes the cost of salvage, cleaning, gas freeing, drydocking, and demurrage. 46 CFR §185.202

Q3 — Your vessel grounds unintentionally. After addressing safety concerns, what is your first reporting obligation?

Immediately notify the nearest Sector Office, Marine Inspection Office, or Coast Guard Group Office. An unintended grounding is a reportable marine casualty regardless of damage amount. 46 CFR §185.202

Q4 — A crewmember directly involved in a casualty refuses to submit to a chemical test when directed by the master. What must you do?

Note the refusal in the Official Logbook (if carried) and in the written CG-2692 report. That refusal is admissible as evidence in any administrative proceeding. 46 CFR §185.210

Q5 — Your vessel is involved in a casualty and remains in U.S. navigable waters. How long must you retain voyage records?

30 days after the casualty. If the vessel departs U.S. navigable waters within 30 days of the casualty, records must be retained for 30 days after the vessel's return to a U.S. port. 33 CFR §164.61

Q6 — Your vessel strikes a Coast Guard buoy. Is a CG-2692 required?

Not automatically. The person in charge must report the collision to the nearest OCMI, but a CG-2692 is required only if the event independently meets the criteria of §185.202. 46 CFR §185.230

Q7 — What supplemental forms may be appended to the CG-2692?

Form CG-2692A (Barge Addendum) and Form CG-2692B (Report of Required Chemical Drug and Alcohol Testing Following a Serious Marine Incident). 46 CFR §185.206