46 CFR 136.115: Equivalents.

(a) The Coast Guard may approve any arrangement, fitting, appliance, apparatus, equipment, calculation, information, or test that provides a level of safety equivalent to that established by any specific provision of this subchapter. Submit requests for approval to the Coast Guard via the cognizant OCMI. The Marine Safety Center may require engineering evaluations and tests to verify the equivalence.

(b) The Coast Guard may accept compliance with the provisions of SOLAS applicable to the vessel's size and route (incorporated by reference, see § 136.112), as an equivalent to specific requirements of this subchapter. Submit requests for a determination of equivalency for a particular vessel to the Coast Guard via the cognizant OCMI.

(c) Alternative compliance arrangement provisions related to SMSs are contained in § 138.225 of this subchapter.

(d) Alternate compliance arrangements must be documented within the TSMS applicable to the vessel.