Coast Guard January 13, 2014 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Coast Guard announces the additional delay of the effective date of this interim rule from January 16, 2014, to January 16, 2015. The delay until 2015 will allow the Coast Guard to investigate and, if necessary, correct technical errors that were brought to the Coast Guard's attention by public comments on the interim rule.

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.