Guidance for Voluntarily Obtaining Merchant Mariner Credential Endorsements for Basic and Advanced Operations on Vessels Subject to the International Code of Safety for Ships Using Gases or Low Flashpoint Fuels, 2425-2427 [2021-00372]
Download as PDF
<![CDATA[
Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 7 / Tuesday, January 12, 2021 / Notices
Collection; (3) ways to enhance the
quality, utility, and clarity of
information subject to the Collection;
and (4) ways to minimize the burden of
the Collection on respondents,
including the use of automated
collection techniques or other forms of
information technology. Consistent with
the requirements of Executive Order
13771, Reducing Regulation and
Controlling Regulatory Costs, and
Executive Order 13777, Enforcing the
Regulatory Reform Agenda, the Coast
Guard is also requesting comments on
the extent to which this request for
information could be modified to reduce
the burden on respondents. These
comments will help OIRA determine
whether to approve the ICR referred to
in this Notice.
We encourage you to respond to this
request by submitting comments and
related materials. Comments to Coast
Guard or OIRA must contain the OMB
Control Number of the ICR. They must
also contain the docket number of this
request, [USCG–2020–0664], and must
be received by February 11, 2021.
khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
Submitting Comments
We encourage you to submit
comments through the Federal
eRulemaking Portal at https://
www.regulations.gov. If your material
cannot be submitted using https://
www.regulations.gov, contact the person
in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT section of this document for
alternate instructions. Documents
mentioned in this notice, and all public
comments, are in our online docket at
https://www.regulations.gov and can be
viewed by following that website’s
instructions. Additionally, if you go to
the online docket and sign up for email
alerts, you will be notified when
comments are posted.
We accept anonymous comments. All
comments to the Coast Guard will be
posted without change to https://
www.regulations.gov and will include
any personal information you have
provided. For more about privacy and
submissions to the Coast Guard in
response to this document, see DHS’s
eRulemaking System of Records notice
(85 FR 14226, March 11, 2020). For
more about privacy and submissions to
OIRA in response to this document, see
the https://www.reginfo.gov, commentsubmission web page. OIRA posts its
decisions on ICRs online at https://
www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain
after the comment period for each ICR.
An OMB Notice of Action on each ICR
will become available via a hyperlink in
the OMB Control Number: 1625–0119.
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:09 Jan 11, 2021
Jkt 253001
Previous Request for Comments
This request provides a 30-day
comment period required by OIRA. The
Coast Guard published the 60-day
notice (85 FR 66574, October 20, 2020)
required by 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2). That
notice elicited no comments.
Accordingly, no changes have been
made to the Collection.
Information Collection Request
Title: Coast Guard Exchange System
Scholarship Application.
OMB Control Number: 1625–0119.
Summary: This information collected
on this form allows the Coast Guard
Exchange System Scholarship Program
Committee to evaluate and rank
scholarship applications in order to
award the annual scholarships.
Need: Community Services Command
Staff Instruction, CSCINST 1780 (series),
provides policy and procedure for the
award of annual scholarships from the
Coast Guard Exchange System to
dependents of Coast Guard members
and employees. The information
collected by this form allows for the
awarding of scholarships based upon
the criteria and procedures outlined in
the Instruction under the auspices of 5
U.S.C. 301.
Forms: CG–5687.
Respondents: Coast Guard
dependents.
Frequency: Annually.
Hour Burden Estimate: The estimated
burden remains 120 hours per year.
Authority: The Paperwork Reduction Act
of 1995; 44 U.S.C. chapter 35, as amended.
Dated: January 7, 2021.
Kathleen Claffie,
Chief, Office of Privacy Management, U.S.
Coast Guard.
[FR Doc. 2021–00429 Filed 1–11–21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9110–04–P
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND
SECURITY
Coast Guard
[Docket No. USCG–2020–0181]
Guidance for Voluntarily Obtaining
Merchant Mariner Credential
Endorsements for Basic and Advanced
Operations on Vessels Subject to the
International Code of Safety for Ships
Using Gases or Low Flashpoint Fuels
Coast Guard, DHS.
Notice of availability.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
The Coast Guard announces
the availability of CG–MMC Policy
Letter 01–21, titled ‘‘Guidelines for
Obtaining STCW Endorsements for
SUMMARY:
PO 00000
Frm 00046
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
2425
Basic and Advanced IGF Code
Operations.’’ This policy provides
guidance for the issuance of Merchant
Mariner Credential endorsements in
accordance with the International
Convention on Standards of Training,
Certification and Watchkeeping for
Seafarers, 1978, as amended, and with
the Seafarers’ Training, Certification and
Watchkeeping Code, for Basic and
Advanced Operations on vessels subject
to the International Code of Safety for
Ships Using Gases or Low Flashpoint
Fuels.
DATES: CG–MMC Policy Letter 01–21
was issued January 4, 2021.
ADDRESSES: Policy Letter 01–21 is
available in docket number USCG–
2020–0181 on https://
www.regulations.gov, and also on the
National Maritime Center website at
https://www.dco.uscg.mil/nmc/policy_
regulations.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For
information about this policy, contact
James Cavo, U.S. Coast Guard Mariner
Credentialing Program Policy Division
(CG–MMC–2); telephone (202) 372–
1205, email James.D.Cavo@uscg,mil.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The International Maritime
Organization (IMO) adopted the
International Code of Safety for Ships
Using Gases or Other Low Flashpoint
Fuels (IGF Code). The IGF Code
addresses safety and environmental
requirements for vessels using gases or
other low flashpoint fuels as well as the
level of training required for personnel
serving on these vessels. Additionally,
in order to define the training
requirements supporting the IGF Code,
IMO developed amendments to the
International Convention on Standards
of Training, Certification and
Watchkeeping for Seafarers, 1978, as
amended (STCW Convention) and to the
Seafarers’ Training, Certification and
Watchkeeping Code, as amended
(STCW Code)—the instruments that
provide the international standards for
mariner training. These amendments
provide minimum standards of
competence, sea service, and training
for certification at the basic and
advanced levels in IGF Code
Operations.
The IGF Code and the associated
amendments to the STCW Convention
and to the STCW Code entered into
force on January 1, 2017. These
provisions set minimum standards of
competence, sea service, and training
for certification at the basic and
advanced levels in IGF Code
Operations. These minimum standards
E:\FR\FM\12JAN1.SGM
12JAN1
2426
Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 7 / Tuesday, January 12, 2021 / Notices
apply to personnel on vessels subject to
the IGF Code who have designated
safety duties associated with or
immediate responsibility for the care,
use, or emergency response to the fuels
on board a vessel using gases or low
flashpoint fuels.
On February 19, 2015, the Coast
Guard issued CG–OES Policy Letter 01–
15,1 ‘‘Guidelines for Liquefied Natural
Gas Fuel Transfer Operations and
Training of Personnel on Vessels Using
Natural Gas as Fuel,’’ to provide
voluntary guidance on fuel transfer
operations and the training of personnel
working on U.S. and foreign vessels that
use natural gas as fuel and conduct
liquefied natural gas (LNG) fuel transfer
operations in waters subject to U.S.
jurisdiction.2
On April 23, 2019, the Coast Guard
issued CG–MMC Policy Letter 02–19,3
‘‘Guidelines for Training of Personnel
on Vessels Using Natural Gas and Other
Low Flash Point Fuels.’’ This policy
republished the training guidance
provided in CG–OES Policy Letter 01–
15 without any change to the content,
but aligned the policy name with the
organizational structure of the Merchant
Mariner Credentialing program, which
was reorganized in 2016.
CG–OES Policy Letter 01–15 and CG–
MMC Policy Letter 02–19 were interim
measures to better ensure that U.S.
mariners were sufficiently trained to
work aboard vessels using natural gas
and other low flash point fuels. The
Coast Guard did not issue endorsements
to mariners who completed training in
accordance with either policy.
khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
Discussion of Policy Letter CG–MMC
Policy Letter 01–21
The Coast Guard will now begin
issuing STCW endorsements in Basic
and Advanced IGF Code Operations to
mariners who voluntarily meet the
STCW requirements for certification at
the basic and advanced levels in IGF
Code Operations. CG–MMC Policy
Letter 01–21 4 provides information on
how to qualify for and request the
endorsements. The Coast Guard is
1 This policy letter is available at https://
www.dco.uscg.mil/Portals/9/DCO%20Documents/
5p/5ps/MMC/CG-MMC-2%20Policies/
CG%20OES%20Policy%20Letter%200115%20signature%20with%20Enclosures.pdf?
ver=2018-06-07-131254-300.
2 See Federal Register Notice, ‘‘Policy Letters:
Guidance for the Use of Liquefied Natural Gas as
a Marine Fuel’’, which announced the availability
of CG–OES Policy Letter 01–15 (80 FR 10131).
3 https://www.dco.uscg.mil/Portals/9/DCO%20
Documents/5p/5ps/MMC/CG-MMC-2%20Policies/
CG-MMC%2002-19%20IGF%20
Vessels.pdf?ver=2019-04-23-131748-703.
4 CG–MMC Policy Letter 01–21 is available in the
docket where indicated under the ADDRESSES
portion of this notice.
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:09 Jan 11, 2021
Jkt 253001
issuing these endorsements in response
to industry requests and to facilitate
maritime commerce. These
endorsements are not currently
mandated by Coast Guard regulation.
However, because the United States is
signatory to the STCW Convention,
vessel owners and operators should be
aware that their vessels are subject to
foreign port state control actions,
including detention, if mariners are not
compliant with the STCW Convention
and the STCW Code.
CG–MMC Policy Letter 01–21 was
issued January 4, 2021. The National
Maritime Center will begin accepting
applications for IGF Code Operations
endorsements when this notice is
published.
The difference between CG–MMC
Policy Letter 02–19 and CG–MMC
Policy Letter 01–21 is that the Coast
Guard will now issue MMC
endorsements for Basic and Advanced
IGF Code Operations to mariners who
have voluntarily met the requirements
for the endorsements. The Coast Guard
expects that industry has already
incurred costs from attending training
for Basic and Advanced IGF Code
Operations. However, we do not have
data on how many mariners have
completed training in IGF Code
Operations, or how many would
ultimately complete training due to the
issuance of CG–MMC Policy Letter 01–
21. Therefore, we present here the total
costs that may have occurred or would
occur if our estimated population
completes training for either Basic or
Advanced IGF Code Operations.
The Coast Guard estimates this policy
will generate a total cost to industry and
the Federal Government of $11,068,608
($10,917,059 for costs to industry and
$151,549 for costs to the Federal
Government) in 2019 dollars discounted
at 7 percent over the next 10 years.
Table 1 presents the affected
population, costs, and benefits
associated with the implementation of
the CG–MMC Policy Letter 01–21. Table
1 below demonstrates these costs.
TABLE 1—SUMMARY OF AFFECTED
POPULATION, COSTS, AND BENEFITS
FOR ISSUING STCW ENDORSEMENTS FOR IGF CODE OPERATIONS
Annual
average of
508 mariners
and 4 STCW
training
providers
Affected population
(annual average)
Total Costs Annualized (7%
discount rate) ....................
Total 10-year (7% discount
rate) ...................................
PO 00000
Frm 00047
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
$1,575,921
11,068,608
TABLE 1—SUMMARY OF AFFECTED
POPULATION, COSTS, AND BENEFITS
FOR ISSUING STCW ENDORSEMENTS FOR IGF CODE OPERATIONS—Continued
Affected population
(annual average)
Total Costs to Industry
Annualized (7% discount
rate) ...................................
Total 10-year (7% discount
rate) ...................................
Total Costs to the Federal
Government Annualized
(7% discount rate) .............
Total 10-year (7% discount
rate) ...................................
Annual
average of
508 mariners
and 4 STCW
training
providers
1,554,344
10,917,059
21,577
151,549
The affected population may choose
to submit CG–719B Application for
Merchant Mariner Credential for an
MMC endorsement in Basic or
Advanced IGF Code Operations to the
U.S. Coast Guard. Applications are
submitted to a Coast Guard Regional
Examination Center in accordance with
46 CFR 10.209.5 6 There is no fee
associated with adding an STCW
endorsement to an MMC. We estimate
that 508 mariners would voluntarily
submit MMC applications to the U.S.
Coast Guard on an annual basis.7 The
Coast Guard further estimates that this
could lead to an increase of mariners’
annual hourly burden for submitting
documentation by approximately 42
hours (508 mariners × 0.083 hours).
CG–MMC Policy Letter 01–21 is not a
substitute for applicable legal
requirements, nor is it itself a rule. The
Coast Guard does not currently require
any mariner to obtain the endorsements
discussed in CG–MMC Policy Letter 01–
21. In other words, it is possible to
comply with U.S. domestic legal
obligations without undertaking the
specific trainings, or obtaining the
5 Due to the COVID–19 pandemic applications are
only being accepted via email. Under normal
conditions applications may be submited in person
at a Regional Examination Center or via email at the
mariner’s convenience.
6 https://www.dco.uscg.mil/nmc/merchant_
mariner_credential/ provides detailed instructions
on how to submit an MMC application to the
National Maritime Center.
7 According to the Liquefied Gas Carrier National
Center, an annual average of approximately 508
mariners would need STCW endorsements for Basic
or Advanced IGF Code Operations over the 10-year
period from 2020–2029. See Coast Guard ‘‘IGF Code
Policy Letter Cost Analysis,’’ which is available in
the docket where indicated under the ADDRESSES
portion of this notice. This can be found in the
docket USCG–2020–0181 under ‘‘IGF Code Policy
Letter Cost Analysis.’’
E:\FR\FM\12JAN1.SGM
12JAN1
Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 7 / Tuesday, January 12, 2021 / Notices
Dated: January 7, 2021.
Jeffrey G. Lantz,
Director of Commercial Regulations and
Standards.
30-day Review—Open for Public
Comments’’ or by using the search
function.
A copy of the ICR is available through
the docket on the internet at https://
www.regulations.gov. Additionally,
copies are available from:
COMMANDANT (CG–6P), Attn:
Paperwork Reduction Act Manager, U.S.
Coast Guard, 2703 Martin Luther King
Jr. Ave. SE, Stop 7710, Washington, DC
20593–7710.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: A.L.
Craig, Office of Privacy Management,
telephone 202–475–3528, or fax 202–
372–8405, for questions on these
documents.
[FR Doc. 2021–00372 Filed 1–11–21; 8:45 am]
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
BILLING CODE 9110–04–P
Public Participation and Request for
Comments
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND
SECURITY
This notice relies on the authority of
the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995;
44 U.S.C. chapter 35, as amended. An
ICR is an application to OIRA seeking
the approval, extension, or renewal of a
Coast Guard collection of information
(Collection). The ICR contains
information describing the Collection’s
purpose, the Collection’s likely burden
on the affected public, an explanation of
the necessity of the Collection, and
other important information describing
the Collection. There is one ICR for each
Collection.
The Coast Guard invites comments on
whether this ICR should be granted
based on the Collection being necessary
for the proper performance of
Departmental functions. In particular,
the Coast Guard would appreciate
comments addressing: (1) The practical
utility of the Collection; (2) the accuracy
of the estimated burden of the
Collection; (3) ways to enhance the
quality, utility, and clarity of
information subject to the Collection;
and (4) ways to minimize the burden of
the Collection on respondents,
including the use of automated
collection techniques or other forms of
information technology. Consistent with
the requirements of Executive Order
13771, Reducing Regulation and
Controlling Regulatory Costs, and
Executive Order 13777, Enforcing the
Regulatory Reform Agenda, the Coast
Guard is also requesting comments on
the extent to which this request for
information could be modified to reduce
the burden on respondents. These
comments will help OIRA determine
whether to approve the ICR referred to
in this Notice.
We encourage you to respond to this
request by submitting comments and
related materials. Comments to Coast
Guard or OIRA must contain the OMB
specific endorsements, described in CG–
MMC Policy Letter 01–21.
Before creating any such requirement,
the Coast Guard would undertake a
separate rulemaking.
We issue this notice of availability in
accordance with 5 U.S.C. 552(a) and
under the authority of 46 U.S.C. 7101.
If you have questions about the policy
letter, or believe that changes are
necessary, please contact the person in
the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
section of this notice.
Coast Guard
[Docket No. USCG–2020–0663]
Collection of Information Under
Review by Office of Management and
Budget; OMB Control Number 1625–
0109
Coast Guard, DHS.
Thirty-day notice requesting
comments.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
In compliance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 the
U.S. Coast Guard is forwarding an
Information Collection Request (ICR),
abstracted below, to the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB), Office
of Information and Regulatory Affairs
(OIRA), requesting an extension of its
approval for the following collection of
information: 1625–0109, Drawbridge
Operation Regulations; without change.
Our ICR describes the information we
seek to collect from the public. Review
and comments by OIRA ensure we only
impose paperwork burdens
commensurate with our performance of
duties.
DATES: You may submit comments to
the Coast Guard and OIRA on or before
February 11, 2021.
ADDRESSES: Comments to the Coast
Guard should be submitted using the
Federal eRulemaking Portal at https://
www.regulations.gov. Search for docket
number [USCG–2020–0663. Written
comments and recommendations to
OIRA for the proposed information
collection should be sent within 30 days
of publication of this notice to https://
www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain.
Find this particular information
collection by selecting ‘‘Currently under
khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
SUMMARY:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:09 Jan 11, 2021
Jkt 253001
PO 00000
Frm 00048
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
2427
Control Number of the ICR. They must
also contain the docket number of this
request, [USCG–2020–0663], and must
be received by February 11, 2021.
Submitting Comments
We encourage you to submit
comments through the Federal
eRulemaking Portal at https://
www.regulations.gov. If your material
cannot be submitted using https://
www.regulations.gov, contact the person
in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT section of this document for
alternate instructions. Documents
mentioned in this notice, and all public
comments, are in our online docket at
https://www.regulations.gov and can be
viewed by following that website’s
instructions. Additionally, if you go to
the online docket and sign up for email
alerts, you will be notified when
comments are posted.
We accept anonymous comments. All
comments to the Coast Guard will be
posted without change to https://
www.regulations.gov and will include
any personal information you have
provided. For more about privacy and
submissions to the Coast Guard in
response to this document, see DHS’s
eRulemaking System of Records notice
(85 FR 14226, March 11, 2020). For
more about privacy and submissions to
OIRA in response to this document, see
the https://www.reginfo.gov, commentsubmission web page. OIRA posts its
decisions on ICRs online at https://
www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain
after the comment period for each ICR.
An OMB Notice of Action on each ICR
will become available via a hyperlink in
the OMB Control Number: 1625–0109.
Previous Request for Comments
This request provides a 30-day
comment period required by OIRA. The
Coast Guard published the 60-day
notice (85 FR 66572, October 20, 2020)
required by 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2). That
notice elicited no comments.
Accordingly, no changes have been
made to the Collection.
Information Collection Request
Title: Drawbridge Operation
Regulations.
OMB Control Number: 1625–0109.
Summary: The Bridge Program
receives approximately 412 requests
from bridge owners per year to change
the operating schedule of various
drawbridges across the navigable waters
of the United States. The information
needed for the change to the operating
schedule can only be obtained from the
bridge owner and is generally provided
to the Coast Guard in either written or
electronic format.
E:\FR\FM\12JAN1.SGM
12JAN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 7 (Tuesday, January 12, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2425-2427]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-00372]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
Coast Guard
[Docket No. USCG-2020-0181]
Guidance for Voluntarily Obtaining Merchant Mariner Credential
Endorsements for Basic and Advanced Operations on Vessels Subject to
the International Code of Safety for Ships Using Gases or Low
Flashpoint Fuels
AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Coast Guard announces the availability of CG-MMC Policy
Letter 01-21, titled ``Guidelines for Obtaining STCW Endorsements for
Basic and Advanced IGF Code Operations.'' This policy provides guidance
for the issuance of Merchant Mariner Credential endorsements in
accordance with the International Convention on Standards of Training,
Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers, 1978, as amended, and
with the Seafarers' Training, Certification and Watchkeeping Code, for
Basic and Advanced Operations on vessels subject to the International
Code of Safety for Ships Using Gases or Low Flashpoint Fuels.
DATES: CG-MMC Policy Letter 01-21 was issued January 4, 2021.
ADDRESSES: Policy Letter 01-21 is available in docket number USCG-2020-
0181 on https://www.regulations.gov, and also on the National Maritime
Center website at https://www.dco.uscg.mil/nmc/policy_regulations.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information about this policy,
contact James Cavo, U.S. Coast Guard Mariner Credentialing Program
Policy Division (CG-MMC-2); telephone (202) 372-1205, email
[email protected],mil.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) adopted the
International Code of Safety for Ships Using Gases or Other Low
Flashpoint Fuels (IGF Code). The IGF Code addresses safety and
environmental requirements for vessels using gases or other low
flashpoint fuels as well as the level of training required for
personnel serving on these vessels. Additionally, in order to define
the training requirements supporting the IGF Code, IMO developed
amendments to the International Convention on Standards of Training,
Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers, 1978, as amended (STCW
Convention) and to the Seafarers' Training, Certification and
Watchkeeping Code, as amended (STCW Code)--the instruments that provide
the international standards for mariner training. These amendments
provide minimum standards of competence, sea service, and training for
certification at the basic and advanced levels in IGF Code Operations.
The IGF Code and the associated amendments to the STCW Convention
and to the STCW Code entered into force on January 1, 2017. These
provisions set minimum standards of competence, sea service, and
training for certification at the basic and advanced levels in IGF Code
Operations. These minimum standards
[[Page 2426]]
apply to personnel on vessels subject to the IGF Code who have
designated safety duties associated with or immediate responsibility
for the care, use, or emergency response to the fuels on board a vessel
using gases or low flashpoint fuels.
On February 19, 2015, the Coast Guard issued CG-OES Policy Letter
01-15,\1\ ``Guidelines for Liquefied Natural Gas Fuel Transfer
Operations and Training of Personnel on Vessels Using Natural Gas as
Fuel,'' to provide voluntary guidance on fuel transfer operations and
the training of personnel working on U.S. and foreign vessels that use
natural gas as fuel and conduct liquefied natural gas (LNG) fuel
transfer operations in waters subject to U.S. jurisdiction.\2\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ This policy letter is available at https://www.dco.uscg.mil/Portals/9/DCO%20Documents/5p/5ps/MMC/CG-MMC-2%20Policies/CG%20OES%20Policy%20Letter%2001-15%20signature%20with%20Enclosures.pdf?ver=2018-06-07-131254-300.
\2\ See Federal Register Notice, ``Policy Letters: Guidance for
the Use of Liquefied Natural Gas as a Marine Fuel'', which announced
the availability of CG-OES Policy Letter 01-15 (80 FR 10131).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
On April 23, 2019, the Coast Guard issued CG-MMC Policy Letter 02-
19,\3\ ``Guidelines for Training of Personnel on Vessels Using Natural
Gas and Other Low Flash Point Fuels.'' This policy republished the
training guidance provided in CG-OES Policy Letter 01-15 without any
change to the content, but aligned the policy name with the
organizational structure of the Merchant Mariner Credentialing program,
which was reorganized in 2016.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\3\ https://www.dco.uscg.mil/Portals/9/DCO%20Documents/5p/5ps/MMC/CG-MMC-2%20Policies/CG-MMC%2002-19%20IGF%20Vessels.pdf?ver=2019-04-23-131748-703.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
CG-OES Policy Letter 01-15 and CG-MMC Policy Letter 02-19 were
interim measures to better ensure that U.S. mariners were sufficiently
trained to work aboard vessels using natural gas and other low flash
point fuels. The Coast Guard did not issue endorsements to mariners who
completed training in accordance with either policy.
Discussion of Policy Letter CG-MMC Policy Letter 01-21
The Coast Guard will now begin issuing STCW endorsements in Basic
and Advanced IGF Code Operations to mariners who voluntarily meet the
STCW requirements for certification at the basic and advanced levels in
IGF Code Operations. CG-MMC Policy Letter 01-21 \4\ provides
information on how to qualify for and request the endorsements. The
Coast Guard is issuing these endorsements in response to industry
requests and to facilitate maritime commerce. These endorsements are
not currently mandated by Coast Guard regulation. However, because the
United States is signatory to the STCW Convention, vessel owners and
operators should be aware that their vessels are subject to foreign
port state control actions, including detention, if mariners are not
compliant with the STCW Convention and the STCW Code.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\4\ CG-MMC Policy Letter 01-21 is available in the docket where
indicated under the ADDRESSES portion of this notice.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
CG-MMC Policy Letter 01-21 was issued January 4, 2021. The National
Maritime Center will begin accepting applications for IGF Code
Operations endorsements when this notice is published.
The difference between CG-MMC Policy Letter 02-19 and CG-MMC Policy
Letter 01-21 is that the Coast Guard will now issue MMC endorsements
for Basic and Advanced IGF Code Operations to mariners who have
voluntarily met the requirements for the endorsements. The Coast Guard
expects that industry has already incurred costs from attending
training for Basic and Advanced IGF Code Operations. However, we do not
have data on how many mariners have completed training in IGF Code
Operations, or how many would ultimately complete training due to the
issuance of CG-MMC Policy Letter 01-21. Therefore, we present here the
total costs that may have occurred or would occur if our estimated
population completes training for either Basic or Advanced IGF Code
Operations.
The Coast Guard estimates this policy will generate a total cost to
industry and the Federal Government of $11,068,608 ($10,917,059 for
costs to industry and $151,549 for costs to the Federal Government) in
2019 dollars discounted at 7 percent over the next 10 years. Table 1
presents the affected population, costs, and benefits associated with
the implementation of the CG-MMC Policy Letter 01-21. Table 1 below
demonstrates these costs.
Table 1--Summary of Affected Population, Costs, and Benefits for Issuing
STCW Endorsements for IGF Code Operations
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Annual
average of
508 mariners
Affected population (annual average) and 4 STCW
training
providers
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total Costs Annualized (7% discount rate)............... $1,575,921
Total 10-year (7% discount rate)........................ 11,068,608
Total Costs to Industry Annualized (7% discount rate)... 1,554,344
Total 10-year (7% discount rate)........................ 10,917,059
Total Costs to the Federal Government Annualized (7% 21,577
discount rate).........................................
Total 10-year (7% discount rate)........................ 151,549
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The affected population may choose to submit CG-719B Application
for Merchant Mariner Credential for an MMC endorsement in Basic or
Advanced IGF Code Operations to the U.S. Coast Guard. Applications are
submitted to a Coast Guard Regional Examination Center in accordance
with 46 CFR 10.209.5 6 There is no fee associated with
adding an STCW endorsement to an MMC. We estimate that 508 mariners
would voluntarily submit MMC applications to the U.S. Coast Guard on an
annual basis.\7\ The Coast Guard further estimates that this could lead
to an increase of mariners' annual hourly burden for submitting
documentation by approximately 42 hours (508 mariners x 0.083 hours).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\5\ Due to the COVID-19 pandemic applications are only being
accepted via email. Under normal conditions applications may be
submited in person at a Regional Examination Center or via email at
the mariner's convenience.
\6\ https://www.dco.uscg.mil/nmc/merchant_mariner_credential/
provides detailed instructions on how to submit an MMC application
to the National Maritime Center.
\7\ According to the Liquefied Gas Carrier National Center, an
annual average of approximately 508 mariners would need STCW
endorsements for Basic or Advanced IGF Code Operations over the 10-
year period from 2020-2029. See Coast Guard ``IGF Code Policy Letter
Cost Analysis,'' which is available in the docket where indicated
under the ADDRESSES portion of this notice. This can be found in the
docket USCG-2020-0181 under ``IGF Code Policy Letter Cost
Analysis.''
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
CG-MMC Policy Letter 01-21 is not a substitute for applicable legal
requirements, nor is it itself a rule. The Coast Guard does not
currently require any mariner to obtain the endorsements discussed in
CG-MMC Policy Letter 01-21. In other words, it is possible to comply
with U.S. domestic legal obligations without undertaking the specific
trainings, or obtaining the
[[Page 2427]]
specific endorsements, described in CG-MMC Policy Letter 01-21.
Before creating any such requirement, the Coast Guard would
undertake a separate rulemaking.
We issue this notice of availability in accordance with 5 U.S.C.
552(a) and under the authority of 46 U.S.C. 7101. If you have questions
about the policy letter, or believe that changes are necessary, please
contact the person in the For Further Information Contact section of
this notice.
Dated: January 7, 2021.
Jeffrey G. Lantz,
Director of Commercial Regulations and Standards.
[FR Doc. 2021-00372 Filed 1-11-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9110-04-P
