33 CFR Part 140, Subpart A - General

The Coast Guard is issuing a final rule for certain design and approval standards for fire protection, detection, extinguishing equipment, and materials on inspected and uninspected vessels, outer continental shelf facilities, deepwater ports, and mobile offshore drilling units. This rule harmonizes Coast Guard approval processes for fire detection and alarm systems, and revises Coast Guard regulations for other types of equipment, materials, and components, such as spanner wrenches, non-metallic pipes, and sprinkler systems. This rule ensures Coast Guard regulations remain current and addresses advances in technology.

The Coast Guard is issuing regulations applicable to newly constructed mobile offshore drilling units (MODUs), floating outer continental shelf (OCS) facilities, and vessels other than offshore supply vessels (OSVs) that engage in OCS activities. The regulations expand the list of acceptable national and international explosion protection standards and add the internationally accepted independent third-party certification system, the International Electrotechnical Commission System for Certification to Standards relating to Equipment for use in Explosive Atmospheres (IECEx), as an accepted method of testing and certifying electrical equipment intended for use in hazardous locations. The regulations also provide owners and operators of existing U.S. MODUs, floating OCS facilities, vessels other than OSVs, and U.S. tank vessels that carry flammable or combustible cargoes, the option of following this compliance regime as an alternative to the requirements contained in existing regulations.

The Coast Guard announces a public meeting to receive comments on a notice of proposed rulemaking entitled, “Requirements for MODUs and Other Vessels Conducting Outer Continental Shelf Activities With Dynamic Positioning Systems.” The proposed regulations would establish minimum design, operation, training, and manning standards for mobile offshore drilling units (MODUs) and other vessels using dynamic positioning systems to engage in Outer Continental Shelf activities.

The Coast Guard is extending for 90 days the comment period for the notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) entitled “Requirements for MODUs and Other Vessels Conducting Outer Continental Shelf Activities With Dynamic Positioning Systems” published on November 28, 2014. This extension is necessary to allow sufficient time for the Coast Guard to hold a public meeting and receive any subsequent public comments on the NPRM.

The Coast Guard proposes to establish minimum design, operation, training, and manning standards for mobile offshore drilling units (MODUs) and other vessels using dynamic positioning systems to engage in Outer Continental Shelf activities. Establishing these minimum standards is necessary to improve the safety of people and property involved in such operations, and the protection of the environment in which they operate. This notice of proposed rulemaking would decrease the risk of a loss of position by a dynamically-positioned MODU or other vessel that could result in a fire, explosion, or subsea spill, and supports the Coast Guard's strategic goals of maritime safety and protection of natural resources.

The Coast Guard is extending the comment period on the advance notice of proposed rulemaking titled, “Training of Personnel and Manning on Mobile Offshore Units and Offshore Supply Vessels Engaged in U.S. Outer Continental Shelf Activities,” published on April 14, 2014. We are extending the comment period at the request of industry to ensure stakeholders have adequate time to submit complete responses.

This final rule makes non-substantive changes throughout Title 33 of the Code of Federal Regulations. The purpose of this final rule is to make conforming amendments and technical corrections to Coast Guard navigation and navigable waters regulations. These changes will have no substantive effect on the regulated public.

The Coast Guard is amending its regulations to implement a statutory change, enacted under section 704 of the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2012, exempting U.S. mobile offshore drilling units and other U.S. vessels from submitting a Notice of Arrival when moving directly from one Outer Continental Shelf block area to another.

The Coast Guard seeks public comment on a petition that requests the Coast Guard to initiate a rulemaking to address mariner occupational health and safety. In the attachments to its petition, which asserts that the Coast Guard has failed to provide adequate workplace safety and health measures to protect limited tonnage merchant mariners, the National Mariner's Association has identified several safety and occupational health issues that are not currently addressed under the jurisdiction of the Coast Guard. The Coast Guard will consider all comments received in response to this notice in determining whether or not to initiate the requested rulemaking.

The Coast Guard is considering expanding its maritime safety training requirements to cover all persons other than crew working on offshore supply vessels (OSVs) and mobile offshore units (MOUs) engaged in activities on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), regardless of flag. This is necessary to enhance personnel preparedness for responding to emergencies such as fire, personal injury, and abandon ship situations in hazardous environments. We seek comments on the following topics: the sufficiency of existing maritime safety training and the value of additional maritime safety training for maritime crew and persons other than crew on OSVs and MOUs; an MOU's safety organizational structure (defining levels of authority and lines of communication); the professional education and service requirements for industrial officers on MOUs; the sufficiency of manning regulations on MOUs and OSVs; and any available economic data on current labor market trends and conditions as well as the current costs, benefits, and effectiveness of mandated maritime safety training courses and programs for maritime crew and persons other than crew.

The Coast Guard proposes to amend its regulations for certain design and approval standards for fire protection, detection, and extinguishing equipment on inspected and uninspected vessels, outer continental shelf facilities, deepwater ports, and mobile offshore drilling units. The proposed amendments would harmonize Coast Guard regulations with appropriate national and international consensus standards; address advances in fire protection technologies and standards; update Coast Guard approval processes for fire detection and alarm systems; and revise Coast Guard regulations for other types of equipment or components, such as spanner wrenches, non-metallic pipes, and sprinkler systems. These proposed changes are necessary to ensure Coast Guard regulations remain current and address advances in technology.

The Coast Guard proposes broadening the regulatory requirements for reporting marine casualties that occur on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). The limited reporting requirements currently applicable to foreign-flag OCS units in those waters would be replaced with the broader requirements currently applicable to U.S.-flag OCS units and to marine casualties occurring elsewhere in U.S. waters. The proposed changes would improve the Coast Guard's ability to collect and analyze casualty data for incidents on the OCS, in the interest of maintaining and improving safety on the OCS. This proposed rule would support the Coast Guard's maritime safety and stewardship missions.

The Coast Guard is extending the comment period for the advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) entitled “Safety and Environmental Management System Requirements for Vessels on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf,” published on September 10, 2013, until January 23, 2014. We are extending the comment period at the request of industry to ensure stakeholders have adequate time to submit complete responses.