[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 4 (Thursday, January 6, 1994)]
[Notices]
[Pages 792-793]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-262]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: January 6, 1994]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Coast Guard
[CGD 93-092]

 

Passenger Vessel Safety Act of 1993

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DOT.

ACTION: Notice of eligibility.

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SUMMARY: The Passenger Vessel Safety Act of 1993 (the Act) clarifies 
the criteria which determine when vessels are required to be 
certificated by the Coast Guard for passenger carriage. To accomplish 
this, the Act, among other things, redefines the terms ``passenger,'' 
``passenger vessel,'' ``small passenger vessel,'' and ``uninspected 
passenger vessel.'' The Act also provides definitions for the terms 
``passenger for hire'' and ``consideration.'' The Act establishes an 
extension period for its applicability to charter vessels that will 
operate as charters with no crew provided. The extension period is only 
available to those vessels whose owners make application to the Coast 
Guard by June 21, 1994. The Act further calls for the possible 
modification of existing requirements for certain charter vessels of 
over 100 gross tons, and the establishment of new requirements for 
uninspected passenger vessels of at least 100 gross tons carrying not 
more than 12 passengers.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
LT. Brian Poskaitis, Project Manager, Merchant Vessel Inspection and 
Documentation Division (G-MVI-1), U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters, 2100 
Second Street SW., Washington, DC 20593-0001, telephone (202) 267-1464.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Applicability

    Although most of the Act is effective immediately, it does not 
apply to passenger and small passenger vessels chartered without a crew 
until six months after enactment. An additional 30 months extension of 
inapplicability is also available for these vessels only. To receive 
this extension the vessel owner must:
    (a) Make application for inspection with the local Coast Guard 
Officer in Charge, Marine Inspection (OCMI) by June 21, 1994;
    (b) Make the vessel available for examination by the Coast Guard 
prior to the carriage of passengers;
    (c) Correct especially any hazardous conditions involving the 
vessel's structure, electrical system, and machinery installation such 
as: (i) Grossly inadequate, missing, unsound, or severely deteriorated 
frames or major structural members; (ii) wiring systems or electrical 
appliances without proper grounding or overcurrent protection; and 
(iii) significant fuel or exhaust system leaks;
    (d) Equip the vessel with lifesaving and firefighting equipment, or 
the portable equivalent, required for the route and number of persons 
carried;
    (e) Verify through stability tests, calculations, or other 
practical means (which may include a history of safe operations) that 
the vessel's stability is satisfactory for the size, route and number 
of passengers; and
    (f) Develop a work plan approved by the Coast Guard to complete in 
a good faith effort all requirements necessary for issuance of a 
Certificate of Inspection as soon as practicable. If a vessel qualifies 
for an extension, the Coast Guard will issue a letter to the owner 
which establishes the conditions of operation for the vessel during the 
extension period. The letter will specifically indicate the conditions 
of route, service, number of passengers, manning, and equipment.
    Depending on the condition and outfitting of these vessels, the 
process to receive a Coast Guard extension letter may take several 
weeks or months. Therefore, vessel owners desiring extensions are 
encouraged to apply early. Under the Act, vessels chartered without a 
crew that carry more than 12 passengers, as defined by the Act, must 
have an extension letter from the Coast Guard or have obtained a 
Certificate of Inspection to continue operations after June 21, 1994.

Possible Modified Regulations for Certain Existing Passenger 
Vessels

    The Act also permits the establishment of different structural fire 
protection, manning, operating and equipment requirements for certain 
existing charter vessels if they are not necessary for safe operation. 
Such requirements would apply to existing charter vessels carrying not 
more than 150 passengers on domestic voyages that are:
    (a) At least 100 gross tons but less than 300 gross tons, and;
    (b) Former public vessels of at least 100 gross tons but less than 
500 gross tons.
    These modified requirements will seek to ensure an equivalent 
degree of safety is achieved for those existing vessels that cannot 
come into full compliance with the current passenger vessel regulations 
because of their construction. To be eligible for these modified 
requirements, the owner of the vessel must:
    (1) Make application for inspection with the local Coast Guard OCMI 
before June 21, 1994; and
    (2) Provide satisfactory documentation that the vessel was 
chartered at least once within the period December 20, 1992 to December 
20, 1993.

New Regulations for Uninspected Passenger Vessels

    The new definition of the term ``uninspected passenger vessel'' 
will now include vessels of at least 100 gross tons, that are: carrying 
not more than 12 passengers, including at least one passenger for hire; 
or, that is chartered with the crew provided or specified by the owner 
or the owner's representative and is carrying not more than 12 
passengers. New regulations will be developed for these vessels within 
24 months.

    Dated: December 30, 1993.
R.C. North,
Captain, U.S. Coast Guard, Acting Chief, Office of Marine Safety, 
Security and Environmental Protection.
[FR Doc. 94-262 Filed 1-5-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-14-M