Coast Guard January 6, 2010 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Coast Guard proposes a temporary safety zone around the DRILLSHIP FRONTIER DISCOVERER, while anchored on location in order to drill exploratory wells at various prospects located in the Chukchi and Beaufort Sea Outer Continental Shelf, Alaska, from 12:01 a.m. on July 1, 2010 through 11:59 p.m. on October 31, 2010. The purpose of the temporary safety zone is to protect the DRILLSHIP from vessels operating outside normal shipping channels and fairways. Placing a temporary safety zone around the DRILLSHIP will significantly reduce the threat of allisions, oil spills, and releases of natural gas, and thereby protect the safety of life, property, and the environment.

The Coast Guard is adopting, as a final rule, without change, an interim rule published on July 1, 2009. The interim rule increased the limits of liability that apply under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA 90) to vessels and to deepwater ports subject to the Deepwater Port Act of 1974, to reflect significant increases in the Consumer Price Index (CPI). The interim rule also established the methodology the Coast Guard uses to adjust the OPA 90 limits of liability for inflation, and made minor regulatory amendments to clarify applicability of the OPA 90 single-hull tank vessel limits of liability.