This rule hit us at our workplace. I operate a ferry that holds up to 9 cars and has a 100,000 pound limit. Our previous limit was XX passengers, our new limit is XX passengers. This new limit has nothing to do with the weight capacity of the ferry, it is simply a beaurocratic interpretation based on the prior number of life jackets we carried.
Some government drone said “this vessel has XX life jackets which multiplied times 185 pounds equals this weight. Now divide by the new weight equals how many passengers you can carry.”
9 cars and XX passengers can never get over 100,000 pounds! It’s impossible on our ferry we tell the drones.
No problem they say, for the low price of $4,000 you can request a variance in your stability letter.
Do any of you still wonder why American jobs continue to go overseas?
Get rid of some of the life jackets? Sounds insane but it looks like that’s what the burro-crats are hinting at.
You are absolutely correct. Government regulations will put a whole lot of small fishing, sightseeing,ferry’s out of business by this ridiculous mandate.
I can imagine it will hurt larger vessels as well including aircraft.
As you said pay $$$ to get a variance.
Shameful.