[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 218 (Monday, November 13, 1995)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 56968-56970]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-27866]



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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
33 CFR Part 165

[CGD01-95-141]
RIN 2115-AA97


Safety Zone: Sunken Vessel M/V EMPIRE KNIGHT, Boon Island, ME

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DOT.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking.

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SUMMARY: The Coast Guard proposes to establish a permanent safety zone 
encompassing those waters of the Atlantic Ocean within 1,000 yards of 
the approximate position 43 deg.06'19'' N, 70 deg.27'09'' W (datum NAD 
83) and from the water's surface to the seabed floor. This rulemaking 
is being undertaken to ensure that the stern portion of the sunken 
vessel M/V EMPIRE KNIGHT, and its cargo of mercury, is not disturbed by 
dredging, diving, salvage, anchoring, fishing, or other activity. This 
proposed rule is necessary to protect the environment, and the 
commercial fishery, and the general public from any adverse effects of 
contamination from mercury which could result from the disturbance of 
the stern section of the wreck.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before January 12, 1996.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be mailed to Chief, Response & Planning 
Department, U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Office, P.O. Box 108, 
Portland, ME 04112-0108. Comments may also be hand delivered to the 
Response & Planning Office at 312 Fore Street, Portland, Maine between 
7:30 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, except federal holidays. 
The telephone number is (207) 780-3251, extension 153.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lieutenant Al Echols, Response & 
Planning Department, U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Office, Portland, 
Maine at (207) 780-3251, extension 153.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Request for Comments

    The Coast Guard encourages interested persons to participate in 
this rulemaking by submitting written data, views, or arguments. 
Persons submitting comments should include their name and address, 
identify this rulemaking (CGD01-95-141) and the specific section of 
this proposal to which each comment applies, and give a reason for each 
comment. The Coast Guard requests that all comments and attachments be 
submitted in an 8\1/2\''  x  11'' unbound format suitable for copying 
and electronic filing. If that is not practical, a second copy of any 
bound material is requested. Persons wanting acknowledgment of receipt 
of comments should enclose a stamped, self-addressed postcard or 
envelope.
    The Coast Guard will consider all comments received during the 
comment period. It may change this proposal in view of the comments.
    The Coast Guard plans no public hearing. Persons may request a 
public hearing by writing to the Project Manager at the address under 
ADDRESSES. If it determines that the opportunity for oral presentations 
will aid this rulemaking, the Coast Guard will hold a public hearing at 
a time and place announced by a later notice in the Federal Register.

    Drafting Information. The principal persons involved in drafting 
this document are Lieutenant Al Echols, Project Manager, Marine 
Safety Office Portland, Maine, and Lieutenant Commander Sam Watkins, 
Project counsel, First Coast Guard District Legal Office, Boston, 
MA.

Background and Purpose

    In February of 1944, the M/V EMPIRE KNIGHT, a 428 foot British 
freight ship ran aground on Boon Island Ledge, Maine, and later broke 
into two sections. The stern section, which includes the ship's cargo 
holds, sank in approximately 260 feet of water, one and one half miles 
from Boon Island Ledge. In August of 1990, the Coast Guard Captain of 
the Port, Portland, Maine (COTP) became aware of the existence of a 
``Proposed'' Plan of Stowage for the wreck of the M/V EMPIRE KNIGHT 
which indicated that 221 flasks containing mercury may have been loaded 
into cargo hold number 5. The COTP issued a Captain of the Port Order 
to a company then conducting salvage operations, requiring them to 
refrain from further salvage activity until the situation could be more 
thoroughly assessed.
    Over the next year, the COTP convened an Incident Specific Regional 
Response Team (RRT) consisting of representatives from the Maine 
Department of Environmental Protection, the New Hampshire Department of 
Environmental Services, the Maine Department of Marine Resources, the 
New Hampshire Department of Fish and Game, the U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration, and the U.S. Coast Guard to gather information about 
the M/V EMPIRE KNIGHT and its cargo, and to identify the possible 
courses of action.
    During the summer of 1992, the Maine Department of Marine Resources 
collected samples of bottom sediment around the stern portion of the 
EMPIRE KNIGHT to determine if mercury was present and, if so, to what 
extent. Laboratory analyses of the samples revealed levels of mercury 
consistent with the background levels with some exceptions, rendering 
them inconclusive on whether mercury had been on board the M/V EMPIRE 
KNIGHT at the time of its sinking.
    In the spring of 1993, the COTP, in consultation with the RRT, 
determined that the possible presence of mercury on board the M/V 
EMPIRE KNIGHT constituted an imminent and substantial threat to the 
environment. The RRT agreed that an on site assessment of the stern 
section of the M/V EMPIRE KNIGHT was necessary to determine the 
presence of the mercury, and to assess whether it would be necessary, 
feasible, and safe to remove it if on board.
    In August, 1993, the COTP, as the Federal On Scene Coordinator, 
initiated a $6.8 million emergency site assessment and removal 
operation. The presence of mercury on board was quickly confirmed. All 
221 manifested mercury flasks were located in cargo hold number 5 and 
were recovered, but were found in badly deteriorated condition and were 
nearly empty. Loose mercury was discovered throughout cargo hold number 
5, and approximately 1,230 pounds were recovered. Nearly 2,200 pounds 
of mercury-contaminated debris and cargo residue were also recovered.
    Extensive sampling and analysis was conducted throughout the 
operation. Samples included bottom sediments in the vicinity of the 
stern section of the wreck and various species of fish and shellfish 
from the area around the vessel. From within cargo hold number 5, 
samples of the sediment, scrapings off the cargo, and fish and 
shellfish were taken.
    In October, 1993, the operation was suspended due to deteriorating 
weather conditions. At that time, an estimated 16,000 pounds of mercury 
remained unaccounted for and is believed to be spread throughout the 
cargo residue of cargo hold number 5.
    In February, 1994, the RRT was reconvened by the COTP to consider 
the results of the sample analyses and to determine the best course of 
action. The sample analysis results showed that concentrations of 
mercury were elevated inside cargo hold number 5, but 

[[Page 56969]]
dropped off quickly to background levels in the bottom sediments 
outside the hold. No contamination of fish or shellfish was identified 
with the exception of those specimens collected from within cargo hold 
number 5. The key issue then became the long term fate of mercury in a 
marine environment. The RRT decided to submit the sample results to 
NOAA and an independent scientist with a request for an analysis of the 
available data and scientific literature and to develop a forecast of 
the long term behavior of the mercury on site.
    In August, 1994, a commercial salvage company that had remained 
prohibited from conducting salvage operations by the Captain of the 
Port Order, submitted to the COTP a request to lift the order. The 
company also submitted a proposal to conduct salvage operations on the 
wreck of the M/V EMPIRE KNIGHT.
    In September, 1994, the RRT was again reconvened to consider the 
reports submitted by NOAA and the independent scientist.
    While the reports differed in details, they concurred in concluding 
that the site was currently stable and that the mercury did not pose a 
substantial threat to the environment. Both reports were written, 
however, under the presumption that the wreck of the M/V EMPIRE KNIGHT 
would remain essentially undisturbed with the exception of its gradual 
decomposition from natural forces. Both reports further agreed that the 
probability of a catastrophic release of mercury to the environment as 
a result of activity on or near the M/V EMPIRE KNIGHT was low. The RRT 
reached the conclusion that the wreck of the M/V EMPIRE KNIGHT did not 
meet the condition of ``imminent and substantial'' threat under CERCLA 
and that additional emergency response operations would not be 
conducted. The RRT further agreed to develop a plan for long-term 
monitoring of the site with the intent of detecting any changing 
conditions.
    In August, 1995, the RRT reconvened to discuss the issue of 
allowing any type of activity on or near the wreck of the M/V EMPIRE 
KNIGHT. Consensus was reached that all information currently before the 
RRT indicated that the predictable risk of activity on the wreck 
resulting in mercury contamination of the environment was low. It was 
further agreed that, although the risk of a release was low, the 
foreseeable consequences of that release could be devastating to the 
local environment, the public health, and the economy of the region's 
fisheries. The unanimous recommendation of the RRT was to prohibit any 
activity on or near the stern section of the wreck of the M/V EMPIRE 
KNIGHT. This safety zone is being proposed as a result of that meeting.

Discussion of Proposed Amendments

    This Safety Zone is proposed to protect the environment, the local 
economy, and the public health and welfare from the possible adverse 
consequences associated with the voluminous mercury cargo that remains 
on board the M/V EMPIRE KNIGHT. The United States Coast Guard, in 
consultation with the Incident Specific Regional Response Team, has 
determined that, although the current level of threat from the mercury 
cargo is low, any disturbance of the wreck site, whether intentional or 
unintentional, poses an unacceptable risk to the environment and to 
human health. The safety zone will prohibit all vessels and persons 
from anchoring, diving, dredging, dumping, fishing, trawling, laying 
cable, or conducting salvage operations within 1000 yards of the stern 
portion of the wreck of the M/V EMPIRE KNIGHT from the water's surface 
to the seabed floor except as authorized by the Captain of the Port, 
Portland, Maine.

Regulatory Evaluation

    This proposal is not a significant regulatory action under section 
3(f) of Executive Order 12866 and does not require an assessment of 
potential costs and benefits under section 6(a)(3) of that order. It 
has been exempted from review by the Office of Management and Budget 
under that order. It is not significant under the regulatory policies 
and procedures of the Department of Transportation (DOT) (44 FR 11040; 
February 26, 1979). The Coast Guard expects the economic impact of this 
proposal to be so minimal that a full Regulatory Evaluation under 
paragraph 10(e) of the regulatory policies and procedures of DOT is 
unnecessary. This conclusion is based on the fact that the proposal has 
no significant effect on shipping, and its impact on fishing is minimal 
as it removes a small portion (less than one square mile) of the 
available fishing grounds from active fishing.

Small Entities

    Under the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.), the 
Coast Guard must consider whether this proposal will have a significant 
economic impact on a substantial number of small entities. ``Small 
entities'' include independently owned and operated small businesses 
that are not dominant in their field and that otherwise qualify as 
``small business concerns'' under section 3 of the Small Business Act 
(15 U.S.C. 632). For reasons set forth in the above Regulatory 
Evaluation, the Coast Guard certifies under 5 U.S.C. 605(b) that this 
proposal, if adopted, will not have a significant impact on a 
substantial number of small entities.

Collection of Information

    This proposal contains no collection of information requirements 
under the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.).

Federalism

    The Coast Guard has analyzed this proposal in accordance with the 
principles and criteria contained in Executive Order 12612 and has 
determined that this proposal does not have sufficient federalism 
implications to warrant the preparation of a Federalism Assessment.

Environment

    The Coast Guard considered the environmental impact of this 
proposal and concluded that, under section 2.B.2.(e) of the Coast 
Guard's procedures for implementing the National Environmental Policy 
Act (Commandant Instruction M16474.1B), this action is categorically 
excluded from further environmental documentation. A Categorical 
Exclusion Determination will be made available in the docket.

List of Subjects in 33 CFR Part 165

    Harbors, Marine safety, Navigation (water), Reporting and 
recordkeeping requirements, Security measures, Waterways.

    For the reasons set out in the preamble, the Coast Guard proposes 
to amend 33 CFR Part 165 as follows:

PART 165--[AMENDED]

    1. The authority citation for Part 165 continues to read as 
follows:

    Authority: 33 U.S.C. 1231; 50 U.S.C. 191; 33 CFR 1.05-1(g), 
6.04-1, 6.04-6 and 160.5; 49 CFR 1.46.

    2. Section 165.141 is added to read as follows:


Sec. 165.141   Safety Zone; Sunken vessel M/V EMPIRE KNIGHT, Boon 
Island, ME.

    (a) Location. The following area is a safety zone: All waters of 
the Atlantic Ocean within 1,000 yards of the stern section of the 
sunken vessel EMPIRE KNIGHT, in approximate position 43 deg.06'19'' N, 
70 deg.27'09'' W, and extending from the water's surface to the seabed 
floor. (Datum: NAD 83)
    (b) Regulations. In accordance with the general regulations 
governing safety zones contained in Sec. 165.23, all vessels 

[[Page 56970]]
and persons are prohibited from anchoring, diving, dredging, dumping, 
fishing, trawling, laying cable, or conducting salvage operations in 
this zone except as authorized by the Captain of the Port, Portland, 
Maine. Innocent transit through the area within the safety zone is not 
affected by this section and does not require the authorization of the 
Captain of the Port.

    Dated: September 15, 1995.
Burton S. Russell,
Commander, U.S. Coast Guard, Captain of the Port, Portland, Maine.
[FR Doc. 95-27866 Filed 11-9-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-14-M