[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 14 (Monday, January 22, 2001)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 6514-6516]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-1847]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Coast Guard

33 CFR Part 167

[USCG-1999-4974]


Port Access Routes; Strait of Juan de Fuca and Adjacent Waters

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DOT.

ACTION: Notice of study results.

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SUMMARY: The Coast Guard announces the completion of a Port Access 
Route Study which evaluated the need for modifications to current 
vessel routing and traffic management measures for the Strait of Juan 
de Fuca, Haro Strait, Boundary Pass, Rosario Strait, the Strait of 
Georgia, and adjacent waters. The study was completed in November, 
2000. This notice summarizes the study recommendations, which include 
enhancements to existing vessel routing measures, the addition of new 
vessel routing measures, and the creation of several new operational 
procedures.

ADDRESSES: Comments and material received from the public, as well as 
the actual study and other documents mentioned in this notice, are part 
of docket USCG-1999-4974 and are available for inspection or copying at 
the Docket Management Facility, U.S. Department of Transportation, room 
PL-401, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC, 20590-0001, between 9 
a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. You 
may also find this docket on the Internet at http://dms.dot.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information on this 
notice, contact Lieutenant Junior Grade Aaron Meadow-Hills, Thirteenth 
Coast Guard District, telephone 206-220-7215, e-mail [email protected]; or George Detweiler, Office of Vessel 
Traffic Management, Coast Guard, telephone 202-267-0416, e-mail 
[email protected]. For questions on viewing the docket, contact 
Dorothy Beard, Chief, Dockets, Department of Transportation, telephone 
202-366-9329.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: You may obtain a copy of the Port Access 
Route Study by contacting either person listed under FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT section. A copy is also available in the public 
docket at the address listed under the ADDRESSES section and 
electronically on the DMS Web Site at http://dms.dot.gov.

Definitions

    The following definitions should help you review this notice:
    Area to be avoided (ATBA) means a routing measure comprising an 
area within defined limits in which either navigation is particularly 
hazardous or it is exceptionally important to avoid casualties and 
which should be avoided by all ships, or certain classes of ships.
    Cooperative Vessel Traffic Service (CVTS) means the system of 
vessel traffic management established and jointly operated by the 
United States and Canada within adjoining waters. In addition, CVTS 
facilitates traffic movement and anchorages, avoids jurisdictional 
disputes, and renders assistance in emergencies in adjoining United 
States and Canadian waters.
    Precautionary area means a routing measure comprising an area 
within defined limits where ships must navigate with particular caution 
and

[[Page 6515]]

within which the direction of traffic flow may be recommended.
    Recommended route means a route of undefined width, for the 
convenience of ships in transit, which is often marked by centerline 
buoys.
    Regulated Navigation Area (RNA) is a water area within a defined 
boundary for which regulations for vessels navigating within the area 
have been established under 33 CFR part 165.
    Traffic lane means an area of defined width in which one-way 
traffic is established. Natural obstacles, including those forming 
separation zones, may constitute a boundary.
    Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) means a routing measure aimed at 
the separation of opposing streams of traffic by appropriate means and 
by the establishment of traffic lanes.

Background and Purpose

    When did the Coast Guard Conduct this Port Access Route Study 
(PARS)?
    We announced the PARS in a notice published in the Federal Register 
on January 20, 1999 (64 FR 3145) and completed the PARS in November, 
2000.
    What is the study area?
    The study area encompasses waters in and around the Strait of Juan 
de Fuca, approximately between longitudes 126 deg.W and 122 deg.40'W, 
including Admiralty Inlet, Rosario Strait and adjacent waterways, Haro 
Strait, Boundary Pass and the Strait of Georgia. The study area also 
includes both U.S. and Canadian TSS's and an ATBA. Portions of the 
study area are managed jointly by United States and Canadian Coast 
Guards pursuant to the CVTS agreement.
    Why did the Coast Guard conduct this PARS?
    The latest Waterways Analysis and Management System (WAMS) report 
for the Strait of Juan de Fuca, dated June 1995, identified potential 
measures to improve navigational safety and traffic management 
efficiency. In 1997, on behalf of the Coast Guard, the Volpe National 
Transportation Systems Center conducted a broad assessment of the 
probabilities and consequences of marine accidents in the Puget Sound-
area, including Puget Sound, the Strait of Juan de Fuca, passages 
around and through the San Juan Islands, and the offshore waters of the 
Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary. This assessment, formally 
titled ``Scoping Risk Assessment: Protection Against Oil Spills in the 
Marine Waters of Northwest Washington State'', also known as the 
``Puget Sound Additional Hazards Study'' or ``Volpe Study,'' 
recommended several vessel routing measures for further study, 
including changes to the offshore approaches to the Strait of Juan de 
Fuca. Implementation of the changes recommended in these documents 
requires IMO approval. This is contingent on the completion of a port 
access route study.
    How did the Coast Guard conduct this PARS?
    First, we announced the start of the study through a Notice of 
Study published in the Federal Register (64 FR 3145, January 20, 1999). 
Second, we extended the comment period of the Notice of Study and 
announced that we would conduct a public meeting through a Notice of 
Meeting; Extension of Comment Period published in the Federal Register 
(64 FR 18651, April 15, 1999). The public meeting was held on May 12, 
1999 as announced. Because of the lack of a substantive number of 
comments to the original notice and our strong desire to engage the 
public in the study process, we asked for comments on a number of 
issues and recommendations. These issues and recommendations were 
presented in a Notice of Preliminary Study Recommendations with Request 
for Comments. The notice was published in the Federal Register on 
February 23, 2000 (65 FR 8917). During the comment period we and our 
Canadian counterparts embarked on a vigorous outreach program that 
presented the recommendations and solicited comments from a variety of 
waterway users and other potentially affected/interested groups. We 
offered to meet with them to explain the PARS Study and solicit their 
input. Over 300 copies of this Federal Register notice (65 FR 8917), 
with chartlets, were distributed by mail and direct handout.
    The recommendations of the PARS are based in large part on comments 
received to the docket, extensive public outreach meetings, and recent 
studies such as the Puget Sound Additional Hazards Study, and the North 
Puget Sound Long-Term Oil Spill Risk Management Study. Heavy reliance 
was also placed on the expert opinions of the U.S. and Canadian VTS 
operators and managers.

Study Recommendations

    The PARS evaluated 13 separate issues resulting in 28 specific 
final recommendations intended to improve the safety of vessel traffic 
in the study area. For the purposes of this notice, we condensed the 28 
recommendations into the following list. The actual PARS should be 
consulted for a detailed explanation of each recommendation. The PARS 
also contains chartlets of the proposed changes/additions to the TSS. 
It can be accessed as described in the ADDRESSES section of this 
notice. The PARS recommendations include:
     Mandate use of the TSS for certain classes of vessels.
     Expand the applicability of certain provisions of Rule 10 
of the International Regulations for Prevention of Collision at Sea, 
1972 (72 COLREGS) along with development of a CVTS reporting system for 
violations of Rule 10.
     Expand the use of VTS radio frequencies to facilitate 
passing arrangements.
     Expand the geographic boundaries and the applicability of 
the existing ATBA located in the vicinity of the Olympic Coast Marine 
Sanctuary. Retain the voluntary nature of the ATBA.
     Reconfigure and extend the TSS seaward at the entrance to 
the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
     Modify the location, orientation, and dimensions of the 
existing TSS in the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
     Create a recommended route south of the TSS in the Strait 
of Juan de Fuca for smaller, slower moving traffic.
     Relocate the Pilot Area and reconfigure the traffic lanes 
and precautionary area off Port Angeles to improve traffic flow and 
reduce risks.
     Establish new vessel operating procedures to improve 
safety in the U.S. waters off Port Angeles, WA, through an RNA or other 
appropriate method.
     Change the vessel traffic lanes and precautionary area 
east of Victoria, British Columbia.
     Establish precautionary areas off Discovery Island and 
around the Victoria Pilot Station; and reconfigure the TSS connecting 
the two precautionary areas.
     Create a new two-way traffic lane in Haro Strait and 
Boundary Pass and establish a precautionary area off Turn Point.
     Create new vessel operating procedures to improve safety 
in the vicinity of Turn Point through the creation of a Turn Point CVTS 
Special Operating Area and its rules and procedures.
     Expand Precautionary Area ``RB'' at the south end of 
Rosario Strait.
     Expand the geographic applicability of the existing 
Rosario Strait VTS Special Area regulations contained in 33 CFR 161.55 
to include Bellingham Channel and other adjacent waters.
     Create a new TSS to link the existing TSS in Georgia 
Strait, with the exiting TSS north of Rosario Strait and to the east of 
Succia Island.
     Create new precautionary areas in Georgia Strait off East 
Point and west of

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Delta Port and the Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal.
     Expand the U.S. VMRS requirements to match those of Canada 
which include all vessels 20 meters or more in length.

Next Steps

    The PARS contains a number of recommendations, which will be 
implemented in various ways by U.S. and Canadian Authorities. A brief 
synopsis of how the various proposals will proceed towards 
implementation follows:
    1. Changes to the TSS, ATBA, and adding recommended routes will 
require approval by the International Maritime Organization (IMO). Any 
changes to the TSS will be accomplished through the rulemaking process.
    2. Changes to the U.S. VTS Regulations, including the designation 
of a VTS Special Area with associated rules, will be accomplished 
through the rulemaking process.
    3. The designation of an RNA with associated rules will be 
accomplished through the rulemaking process.
    4. Changes to aids to navigation resulting from the above actions 
will be accomplished through standard established procedures, i.e., 
notification of proposed changes in the Local Notice to Mariners with 
an opportunity for comment and notification of the final changes.
    5. Revisions to the operating procedures for the CVTS will be 
developed by the Joint Coordinating Group and published in the CVTS 
Users Manual.
    6. Canadian authorities will follow their own, but similar 
implementation process.

Conclusion

    We appreciate the comments we received concerning the PARS. We will 
provide ample opportunity for additional comments on any recommended 
changes to existing routing or operational measures that require 
codification through notices of proposed rulemakings (NPRM's) published 
in the Federal Register.

    Dated: January 16, 2001.
R.C. North,
U.S. Coast Guard, Assistant Commandant for Marine, Safety and 
Environmental Protection.
[FR Doc. 01-1847 Filed 1-19-01; 8:45 am]
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