Department of Homeland Security September 17, 2009 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Coast Guard will enforce the Navy Pier Southeast Safety Zone in Chicago Harbor from September 2, 2009, through September 26, 2009. This action is necessary and intended to ensure safety of life on the navigable waters immediately prior to, during, and immediately after fireworks events. This rule will establish restrictions upon and control movement of vessels in the specified area immediately prior to, during, and immediately after the fireworks events. During the enforcement period, no person or vessel may enter the safety zone without permission of the Captain of the Port Lake Michigan.

The Coast Guard announces that a Certificate of Alternative Compliance was issued for the offshore supply vessel Tyler Stephen as required by 33 U.S.C. 1605(c) and 33 CFR 81.18.

This rule finalizes, with minor non-substantive changes, the amendments to Coast Guard regulations on merchant mariner documentation which were published as an interim rule with request for comments on April 24, 2007. These amendments implement section 3509 of the John Warner National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007 (Warner Act), which allows for the issuance of merchant mariner's documents (MMDs), (which have since been consolidated by the Coast Guard into merchant mariner credentials (MMCs)), to certain non-resident aliens for service in the steward's departments of U.S. flag large passenger vessels endorsed for coastwise trade. Prior to publication of the interim rule, the regulations prohibited the Coast Guard from issuing MMDs, which are required for service on large passenger vessels, to non-resident aliens. Specifically, this rule finalizes the amendments to Coast Guard regulations allowing the Coast Guard to issue MMCs to qualified non-resident aliens who are authorized to be employed in the United States, the amendments setting the requirements these aliens must meet in order to qualify for MMCs, and the requirements for the large passenger vessels that may choose to hire these aliens. This rule only applies to large passenger vessels, as defined under the Warner Act.