The Director is responsible for managing the overall direction of major marine casualty investigations and provides program oversight and supervision of the Chief, Major Investigations Division, and the National Resource Specialist for Human Performance.
The Major Investigations Division is headed by a Supervisory Marine Accident Investigator (Division Chief), provides IICs and Group Chairmen for marine accident investigations to coordinate and supervise the efforts of the accident investigation technical specialists and participants [who are provided by industry, other government agencies, and foreign authorities (for investigations involving foreign-registered ships operating in U.S. territorial waters)]. The Group Chairmen are marine technical specialists in disciplines including navigation and ship handling, marine propulsion, naval architecture, safety, lifesaving and survival factors, emergency response and emergency management, marine inspection, and marine safety management systems. This division is responsible for all aspects of investigations assigned to it, including safety recommendation development. Responsibilities include the on-scene and follow-on collection of evidence, and the identification and development of safety issues, recommendations, and major investigation reports.
