[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 71 (Wednesday, April 12, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19806-19807]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-9116]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Coast Guard

[USCG-2000-7205]


Management of High-Speed Commercial Vessel Traffic

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DOT.

ACTION: Notice of public meeting and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Coast Guard is holding a public meeting to solicit 
comments on the impact of high-speed commercial vessels, both ferries 
and cargo vessels, on the users of the navigable waters of the United 
States. The growth of fast ferries in some metropolitan areas is 
increasing because these ferries appear to be viable options to highway 
commuting. Likewise, the logistical preference for ``just in time'' 
supply increases the likelihood that operation of fast cargo vessels 
will grow. By their speed and potential numbers, high-speed commercial 
vessels introduce another dimension into the conventional mix of slower 
commercial vessels, fishing vessels, and recreational vessels.
    Some mariners already believe the waterways to be too congested 
with existing vessels. The Coast Guard hopes to receive input from all 
stakeholders on this issue so it can determine if there is a need for 
regulatory and other policy action that will enhance waterways safety 
for all vessels. It is particularly interested in which options should 
be dealt with locally, and which have regional or national 
implications. It will consider all comments received from this meeting 
and those submitted to the docket to formulate policy on the management 
of national waterways.

DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, May 2, 2000, from 
8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.; but will conclude before 4 p.m. if we finish 
early. Comments and related material must reach the Docket Management 
Facility on or before July 2, 2000.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will take place at the Executive Inn, 
Bayside Room, 1755 Embarcadero, Oakland, CA.
    To make sure your comments and related materials enter the docket 
just once, please submit them by just one of the following means:
    (1) By mail to the Docket Management Facility [USCG-2000-7205], 
U.S. Department of Transportation, room PL-401, 400 Seventh Street SW., 
Washington, DC 20590-0001.
    (2) By delivery to room PL-401 on the Plaza level of the Nassif 
Building, 400 Seventh Street SW., Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 
p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. The telephone 
number is 202-366-9329.
    (3) By fax to the Docket Management Facility at 202-493-2251.
    (4) Electronically through the Web Site for the Docket Management 
System at http://dms.dot.gov.
    The Docket Management Facility maintains the public docket for this 
notice. Comments and material received from the public will become 
parts of this docket and will be available for inspection or copying at 
room PL-401 on the Plaza level of the Nassif Building, 400 Seventh 
Street SW., Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through 
Friday, except Federal holidays. You may also access the public docket 
on the Internet at http://dms.dot.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For questions on this public meeting, 
contact Lieutenant Commander George H. Burns III, Office of Waterways 
Management Safety and Security (G-MWP-2), Coast Guard, telephone 202-
267-0550, e-mail [email protected]. We request that those attending 
the meeting contact LCDR Burns to ensure that adequate space is 
available. For questions on viewing or submitting material to the 
docket, call Dorothy Walker, Chief, Dockets, Department of 
Transportation, phone 202-366-9329.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Request for Comments

    We encourage your participation by attending the meeting or by 
submitting comments and related material on this subject or in response 
to the questions in this notice. If you submit written comments, please 
include your name and address, and identify this notice [USCG-2000-
7205] and the reason for each comment. You may submit your comments and 
material by mail, delivery, fax, or electronic means to the Docket 
Management Facility at the address under ADDRESSES; but please submit 
your comments and material by only one means. Please submit all 
comments and attachments in an unbound format, no larger than 8\1/2\ by 
11 inches, suitable for copying and electronic filing to the Facility 
at the address under ADDRESSES. If you want acknowledgement of receipt 
of your comments, please enclose a stamped, self-addressed postcard or 
envelope. We will consider all comments and material received whether 
submitted in writing to the docket or presented during the meeting.

[[Page 19807]]

Background and Purpose

    The number of users competing for space on navigable waterways of 
the U.S. has increased. Commercial vessels have grown in size and 
number of transits; the inshore fishing fleet continues to be strong; 
and confidence in our economy has prompted more people to buy 
recreational craft. Operations of high-speed commercial vessels are 
also gaining in popularity nationwide. By all accounts, the market in 
the U.S. for fast ferries is active and growing. San Francisco Bay, 
Seattle, New York, Boston, and Washington, D.C., all have growing or 
planned operations of such ferries. The use of these ferries, 
especially in the nation's coastal metropolitan areas, is likely to be 
the next attempted solution for traffic gridlock shore-side. Further, 
fast cargo vessels are under construction for intra-port, coastal, and 
transoceanic routes.
    Detailed Coast Guard policy to address issues of waterway 
management associated with high-speed commercial vessels is in its 
formative stages. The Coast Guard wants to work with our partners in 
industry, our advisory committees, and other stakeholders in the use of 
waterways to frame our policy. High-speed commercial vessels will pose 
great challenges, but the Coast Guard views the development and 
financial success of these vessels as a genuine benefit of new 
technology. Operation of these vessels may enhance the quality of life 
for the general public, as well as ensure the continued development of 
the nation's maritime transportation system.
    Obvious issues of safety, waterway capacity, and congestion will 
need to be properly addressed. In addition to policy made at the 
national level, we expect the active participation by local Harbor 
Safety Committees in the achievement of appropriate management controls 
for risks due to operation of high-speed commercial vessels. Coast 
Guard field units will work closely with local industry and other 
waterway users to deal effectively with these vessels. In general, 
well-trained, -equipped and -crewed vessels, whose operators engage in 
a participatory partnership with the Coast Guard and other waterway 
users, may benefit from less governmental supervision. We envision 
local Harbor Safety Committees as ideal linchpins in the coordination 
of national and local approaches to managing risks due to operation of 
these vessels.

Questions

    1. What are the most practical, immediate navigational and other 
operational challenges faced by operators of high-speed commercial 
vessels? What measures (public, private, local, national) would have 
the most impact on meeting those challenges?
    2. What are the likely impacts of wakes of high-speed commercial 
vessels?
    3. How many high-speed commercial vessels are passenger ferries 
that need to operate on reliable schedules? How does reduced 
visibility, such as fog, affect them?
    4. Taking account of your vessel's characteristics, what do you, as 
an operator of a high-speed commercial vessel, believe to be a safe 
speed relative to stopping-distance in clear or restricted visibility, 
or during darkness?
    5. Has the operation of high-speed commercial vessels improved the 
competitiveness or the financial well-being of your company?
    6. What is your projection for growth in the number of high-speed 
commercial vessels where your vessel operates?
    7. While operating a conventional commercial vessel, have you 
experienced any navigational problems when encountering high-speed 
commercial vessels? What problems?
    8. What are the most critical issues for recreational boating 
raised by high-speed commercial vessels? Have you, as a recreational 
boater, encountered any navigational problems when encountering such 
vessels?
    9. Would you change any Inland Rules of the Road to account for the 
operation of high-speed commercial vessels? For example, would you 
change the Rules on steering and sailing or those on lights or shapes? 
Would a distinctive light or system of lights be helpful? Which of 
these would be best?
    10. Is there a need for special policies or rules on waterway 
management for high-speed commercial vessels? If so, which should the 
policies or rules be--local, regional, or national?
    11. Does the safe operation of high-speed commercial vessels call 
for consistency of treatment at the regional or national level? If so, 
which issues of waterway management in particular call for it?
    12. Is there a role for local coordinating bodies (such as Harbor 
Safety Committees) of the marine transportation system in developing 
policy or in managing waterways for the operation of high-speed 
commercial vessels? If so, what role do you envision?
    13. What operational measures would enhance the safety of high-
speed commercial vessels, while facilitating their use? These measures 
could entail--
    a. Fewer restrictions rather than more;
    b. Voluntary or mandatory traffic lanes;
    c. Controls based on traffic load at certain periods of the day;
    d. Controls based on port-specific traffic conditions or patterns;
    e. Slow-down zones for high-speed cargo vessels entering port from 
sea; or
    f. Participation in Vessel Traffic Management.

Information on Services for Individuals with Disabilities

    For information on facilities or services for people with 
disabilities, or to request special assistance at the meeting, contact 
Lieutenant Commander George H. Burns III, Office of Waterways 
Management Safety and Security (G-MWP-2), Coast Guard, telephone 202-
267-0550, e-mail [email protected] as soon as possible.

    Dated: April 7, 2000.
Joseph J. Angelo,
Director of Standard, Marine Safety and Environmental Protection.
[FR Doc. 00-9116 Filed 4-7-00; 4:16 pm]
BILLING CODE 4910-15-U