The U.S. Coast Guard has issued an interim rule requiring additional safety measures for DUKW amphibious passenger vessels, aka “duck boats,” in response to the sinking of the Stretch Duck 7 on Table Rock Lake at Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri on July 19, 2018, which resulted in the loss of 17 lives.

The interim rule requires the following:

• Removal of the canopies and any window coverings of such vessels for waterborne operations, or installation of a canopy that does not restrict horizontal or vertical escape by passengers in the event of flooding or sinking.
• If a canopy and window coverings are removed from any such vessel pursuant to paragraph (1), require that all passengers wear a personal flotation device approved by the Coast Guard before the onset of waterborne operations of such vessel.
• Reengineer such vessels to permanently close all unnecessary access plugs and reduce all through-hull penetrations to the minimum number and size necessary for operation.
• Install independently powered electric bilge pumps that can dewater such vessels at the volume of the largest remaining penetration in order to supplement an operable Higgins pump or a dewatering pump of equivalent or greater capacity.
• Install in such vessels not fewer than four independently powered bilge alarms.
• Conduct an in-water inspection of any such vessel after each time a through-hull penetration has been removed or uncovered.
• Verify the watertight integrity of any such vessel through an in-water inspection at the outset of each waterborne departure.
• Install underwater light emitting diode (LED) lights that activate automatically in an emergency.
• Otherwise comply with any other provisions of relevant Coast Guard guidance or instructions in the inspection, configuration, and operation of such vessels.

The interim rule is effective immediately and operators will have 120 days from the date of publication to comply with the requirements.

The interim rule is a positive step towards improving the safety of DUKW vessels. However, some advocates for safety have called for a more comprehensive rule that would require all DUKW vessels to be retrofitted with additional safety features, such as watertight bulkheads and enclosed cabins.

The Coast Guard is expected to issue a final rule on the safety of DUKW vessels in the coming months.