46 C.F.R. § 202.11
Oral or written communications with the Department concerning a matter subject to Secretarial review under section 6.01 of Department Order 117-A, unless otherwise provided by law or by order, rule, or regulation of the Department, shall be deemed ex parte communications and shall not be part of the record and shall not be considered in making any recommendation, decision or action; Provided, however, That this rule shall not apply to customary informal communications with Department counsel, including discussions directed toward the development of a stipulation or settlement between parties; communications of a nature deemed proper in proceedings in U.S. Federal courts; and communications with Department counsel which merely inquire as to procedures or the status of a proceeding without discussing issues or expressing points of view. Any written communication subject to the above stated rule received by the Department shall be placed in the correspondence file of the case, which is available for public inspection. If an oral communication subject to the above stated rule is received, a memorandum setting for the substance of the conversation shall be made and placed in the correspondence file.
46 C.F.R. § 202.11