Jeff Carie and Petty Officer 2nd Class Christopher Payne, both from Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Chicago, review the tall ship Madeline’s certificate of inspection during the initial safety and security inspection in Chicago July 27, 2016. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Lt. Lindsay Cook)
CHICAGO — Marine inspectors from the U.S. Coast Guard welcomed 15 tall ships participating in the 2016 Tall Ships Chicago event at Navy Pier Wednesday and Thursday.
Prior to hosting tours or carrying passengers, each vessel was required to have a safety and security inspection conducted by the U.S. Coast Guard.
The inspections were conducted over the course of two days.
“Our job is to ensure the vessels are safe to take passengers onboard,” said Jeff Carie, a marine inspector from Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Chicago. “We check for safety hazards and verify the crews’ proficiency and knowledge of emergency procedures.”
During an inspection, the material condition of the vessel’s navigation, engineering, lifesaving and firefighting equipment is evaluated, as well as the crew’s execution of emergency procedures.
In addition, each vessel is required to maintain the security of the vessel while moored to Navy Pier. Once the vessel meets all of the inspection requirements, a certificate of inspection is issued and the vessel is allowed to conduct tours and take passengers aboard.
All of the tall ships moored to Navy Pier successfully passed their safety and security inspections in preparation for the 450,000 people expected to visit Navy Pier during the weekend.
