46 CFR Part 13 - CERTIFICATION OF TANKERMEN

This final rule makes non-substantive technical, organizational, and conforming amendments to existing regulations throughout title 46 of the Code of Federal Regulations to reorganize Coast Guard offices responsible for administering the Mariner Credentialing Program. This rule will have no substantive effect on the regulated public.

The Coast Guard announces the availability of five Navigation and Vessel Inspection Circulars (NVICs), which are the third set of a series of NVICs to implement the Final Rule that aligned Coast Guard regulations with amendments to the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers and made changes to national endorsements. These NVICs will provide guidance to mariners concerning new regulations governing merchant mariner certificates and endorsements to Merchant Mariner Credentials (MMC).

The Coast Guard is issuing a final rule that makes non-substantive changes throughout Title 46 of the Code of Federal Regulations. The purpose of this rule is to make conforming amendments and technical corrections to Coast Guard regulations. This rule will have no substantive effect on the regulated public. These changes are provided to coincide with the annual recodification of Titles 46 and 49 on October 1, 2014.

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.

The Coast Guard announces the availability of ten Navigation and Vessel Inspection Circulars (NVICs), which are the second set of a series of NVICs to implement the Final Rule that aligned Coast Guard regulations with amendments to the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers and made changes to national endorsements. These NVICs will provide guidance to mariners concerning new regulations governing merchant mariner certificates and endorsements to Merchant Mariner Credentials (MMC).

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 announces the availability of nine Navigation and Vessel Inspection Circulars (NVICs), which are the first set of a series of NVICs to implement the final rule that aligned Coast Guard regulations with amendments to the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers, and made changes to national endorsements. These NVICs will provide guidance to mariners concerning new regulations governing merchant mariner certificates and endorsements to Merchant Mariner Credentials (MMC).

The Coast Guard issues this final rule to implement the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers, 1978, as amended (STCW Convention), as well as the Seafarers' Training, Certification and Watchkeeping Code (STCW Code), to address the comments received from the public in response to the supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking (SNPRM), and to incorporate the 2010 amendments to the STCW Convention that came into force on January 1, 2012. In addition, this final rule makes other changes not required by the STCW Convention or Code, but necessary to reorganize, clarify, and update these regulations.