Do AIS Class B devices meet current USCG AIS carriage requirements?
Although the Coast Guard encourages the wide use of AIS, we advise mandated AIS users that Class B devices do not meet current International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS V/19.2.4) or U.S. domestic AIS carriage requirements (33 CFR 164.46). The Coast Guard is in the process of expanding the current carriage requirements (to most self-propelled commercial vessels which navigate U.S. waters) and Class B devices will be permissible on some commercial vessels, however, not for all of them. Thus, we take this opportunity to inform prospective buyers, particularly commercial vessels that are highly maneuverable, travel at high speed, or routinely transit congested waters or in close-quarter situations with other AIS equipped vessels, that AIS Class A devices, albeit more expensive, are a better option and will meet any future requirements we may impose.
Although the Coast Guard encourages the wide use of AIS, we advise mandated AIS users that Class B devices do not meet current International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS V/19.2.4) or U.S. domestic AIS carriage requirements (33 CFR 164.46). The Coast Guard is in the process of expanding the current carriage requirements (to most self-propelled commercial vessels which navigate U.S. waters) and Class B devices will be permissible on some commercial vessels, however, not for all of them. Thus, we take this opportunity to inform prospective buyers, particularly commercial vessels that are highly maneuverable, travel at high speed, or routinely transit congested waters or in close-quarter situations with other AIS equipped vessels, that AIS Class A devices, albeit more expensive, are a better option and will meet any future requirements we may impose. See a comparison of Class A and Class B/CS AIS.
