46 CFR Part 91 - INSPECTION AND CERTIFICATION

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 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 is issuing a final rule that makes non-substantive changes throughout titles 46 and 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations. The purpose of this rule is to make conforming amendments and technical corrections to Coast Guard shipping and transportation 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, 2013.

The Coast Guard is revising several vessel inspection and certification regulations to align them with a statutory definition of “seagoing barge” and with a statutory exemption from inspection and certification requirements for certain seagoing barges. The revisions are intended to eliminate ambiguity in existing regulations, to reduce the potential for confusion among the regulated public, and to help the Coast Guard perform its maritime safety and stewardship missions.

The Coast Guard is proposing to revise several vessel inspection and certification regulations to align them with a statutory definition of “seagoing barge” and with an exemption from inspection and certification requirements for certain seagoing barges. The proposed revisions are intended to eliminate ambiguity in existing regulations, to reduce the potential for confusion among the regulated public, and to help the Coast Guard perform its maritime safety and stewardship missions.

This final rule makes non-substantive changes throughout Titles 46 and 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations. The purpose of this rule is to make conforming amendments and technical corrections to Coast Guard shipping and transportation 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, 2012.

The Coast Guard is amending the current regulations for fire suppression systems on several classes of commercial vessels. The amendments clarify that approved alternatives to carbon dioxide systems may be used to protect some spaces on these vessels, and set general requirements for alternative systems. Additionally, certain new carbon dioxide systems must be equipped with lockout valves and odorizing units to protect persons after a carbon dioxide discharge. By requiring these features on carbon dioxide systems and by making a wider range of fire suppression systems available, the regulations advance the Coast Guard's strategic goals of promoting marine safety and maritime mobility.

The Coast Guard is withdrawing its correction published on March 29, 2012, to a direct final rule published on December 14, 2011 and withdrawn on April 6, 2012. The correction was published to correct an inadvertent transposition in the titles of two tables in our amendatory instructions and to publish vessel inspection tables in their entirety so that the format of the tables would be consistent with current Federal Register format requirements. The direct final rule was withdrawn on April 6, 2012, because we received two adverse comments and the direct final rule will not become effective as scheduled. Therefore, we must also withdraw the vessel inspection tables published as part of the correction because they are not consistent with the current regulatory text.

The Coast Guard is withdrawing its direct final rule published on December 14, 2011. The direct final rule notified the public of the Coast Guard's intent to revise regulations for the inspection and certification of seagoing barges to align with the language of the applicable statutes. We are withdrawing that rule because we received two adverse comments. That rule will not become effective as scheduled. Instead, we plan to consider these issues in a notice of proposed rulemaking.