The USCG has issued an interim rule requiring anchors and emergency retrieval systems on tank barges and the vessels towing them in coastal and Great Lakes service. In a significant change from the October 1997 notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM), the rule requires all single-hulled tank barges operating on the U.S. territorial sea, the Great Lakes, Long Island Sound, Strait of Juan de Fuca, and parts of Puget Sound, be equipped with an operable anchor system. In addition, both single- and double-hulled tank barges and the vessels towing them must be equipped with an emergency retrieval system, such as an emergency towline or an Orville Hook. The rule also requires equipment be maintained and inspected regularly, and crewmembers be trained and drilled in its use.