In an emergency, any person may deviate from any requirement in this subchapter, or any procedure in the operations manual, to ensure the safety of life, property, or the environment. Each deviation must be reported to the Sector Commander, or MSU Commander, with COTP and OCMI authority, at the earliest possible time. [USCG-1998-3884, 71 FR 57651, Sept. 29, 2006, as amended by USCG-2013-0397, 78 FR 39181, July 1, 2013]