Coast Guard April 14, 2014 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Coast Guard will enforce a safety zone for the Pittsburgh Pirates Fireworks on the Allegheny River, from mile 0.4 to 0.6, extending the entire width of the river. This zone will be in effect on April 5, April 19, May 10, June 26, July 19, August 9, and September 20, 2014 from 9 p.m. until 11 p.m. This zone is needed to protect vessels transiting the area and event spectators from the hazards associated with the Pittsburgh Pirates Barge-based Fireworks. During the enforcement period, entry into, transiting, or anchoring in the safety zone is prohibited to all vessels not registered with the sponsor as participants or official patrol vessels, unless specifically authorized by the Captain of the Port (COTP) Pittsburgh or a designated representative.

The National Boating Safety Advisory Council (NBSAC) will meet on May 8-9, 2014, in Arlington, VA, to discuss issues relating to recreational boating safety. The meetings will be open to the public.

The Coast Guard is considering expanding its maritime safety training requirements to cover all persons other than crew working on offshore supply vessels (OSVs) and mobile offshore units (MOUs) engaged in activities on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), regardless of flag. This is necessary to enhance personnel preparedness for responding to emergencies such as fire, personal injury, and abandon ship situations in hazardous environments. We seek comments on the following topics: the sufficiency of existing maritime safety training and the value of additional maritime safety training for maritime crew and persons other than crew on OSVs and MOUs; an MOU's safety organizational structure (defining levels of authority and lines of communication); the professional education and service requirements for industrial officers on MOUs; the sufficiency of manning regulations on MOUs and OSVs; and any available economic data on current labor market trends and conditions as well as the current costs, benefits, and effectiveness of mandated maritime safety training courses and programs for maritime crew and persons other than crew.

The Coast Guard is establishing a permanent safety zone within the waters of the Raritan River upstream of the Perth Amboy Railroad Bridge. This safety zone is necessary to provide for the protection of the maritime public and safety of navigation during removal of underwater explosive hazards in the Raritan River. This action will protect the public from the dangers posed by underwater explosives by restricting unauthorized persons and vessels from traveling through or conducting underwater activities within a portion of the Raritan River while military munitions are rendered safe, detonated, and/or removed from the area. Entry into this zone (as well as a broad array of other actions) will be prohibited within the safety zone unless authorized by the Captain of the Port New York or the designated on-scene representative.

The Coast Guard has issued a temporary deviation from the schedule governing the operation of the Blynman (SR127) Bridge across the Annisquam River and Blynman Canal, mile 0.0, at Gloucester, Massachusetts. The deviation is necessary to facilitate public safety during a public event, the annual Saint Peter's Fiesta 5K Road Race. This temporary deviation authorizes the bridge to remain in the closed position for thirty minutes to facilitate public safety.

The Coast Guard has issued a temporary deviation from the operating schedule that governs the Blynman (SR127) Bridge across the Annisquam River and Blynman Canal, mile 0.0, at Gloucester, Massachusetts. The deviation is necessary to facilitate emergency structural repairs at the bridge. This temporary deviation authorizes the bridge to require a two hour advance notice for bridge openings for six weeks to facilitate emergency repairs at the bridge.

The Coast Guard is proposing to establish a Regulated Navigation Area (RNA) on the navigable waters of the Arthur Kill in New York and New Jersey from December 2014 through October 2018. This proposed rule would allow the Coast Guard to enforce speed and wake restrictions and prohibit vessel traffic through the RNA during bridge replacement operations on the Goethals Bridge, both planned and unforeseen, that could pose an imminent hazard to persons and vessels operating in the area. This proposed rule would also allow the Coast Guard to enforce navigation restrictions and prohibit vessel traffic during drilling, blasting, and dredging operations in support of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers channel deepening project. This proposed rule is necessary to provide for the safety of life in the regulated area during construction on the Goethals Bridge and the channel deepening project.

The Coast Guard is extending the Regulated Navigation Area promulgated for the navigable waters of the Arthur Kill in New York and New Jersey. This rule extends the Regulated Navigation Area until June 1, 2014, due to project delays.