[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 65 (Wednesday, April 4, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Page 17997]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-8292]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Maritime Administration

[Docket Number MARAD-2001-9306]


Requested Administrative Waiver of the Coastwise Trade Laws

AGENCY: Maritime Administration, Department of Transportation.

ACTION: Invitation for public comments on a requested administrative 
waiver of the Coastwise Trade Laws for the vessel APOLONIA.

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SUMMARY: As authorized by Pub. L. 105-383, the Secretary of 
Transportation, as represented by the Maritime Administration (MARAD), 
is authorized to grant waivers of the U.S.-build requirement of the 
coastwise laws under certain circumstances. A request for such a waiver 
has been received by MARAD. The vessel, and a description of the 
proposed service, is listed below. Interested parties may comment on 
the effect this action may have on U.S. vessel builders or businesses 
in the U.S. that use U.S.-flag vessels. If MARAD determines that in 
accordance with Pub. L. 105-383 and MARAD's regulations at 46 CFR Part 
388 (65 FR 6905; February 11, 2000) that the issuance of the waiver 
will have an unduly adverse effect on a U.S.-vessel builder or a 
business that uses U.S.-flag vessels, a waiver will not be granted.

DATES: Submit comments on or before May 4, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Comments should refer to docket number MARAD-2001-9306. 
Written comments may be submitted by hand or by mail to the Docket 
Clerk, U.S. DOT Dockets, Room PL-401, Department of Transportation, 400 
7th St., S.W., Washington, D.C. 20590-0001. You may also send comments 
electronically via the Internet at http://dmses.dot.gov/submit/. All 
comments will become part of this docket and will be available for 
inspection and copying at the above address between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., 
E.T., Monday through Friday, except federal holidays. An electronic 
version of this document and all documents entered into this docket is 
available on the World Wide Web at http://dms.dot.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kathleen Dunn, U.S. Department of 
Transportation, Maritime Administration, MAR-832 Room 7201, 400 Seventh 
Street, S.W., Washington, DC 20590. Telephone 202-366-2307.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title V of Pub. L. 105-383 provides 
authority to the Secretary of Transportation to administratively waive 
the U.S.-build requirements of the Jones Act, and other statutes, for 
small commercial passenger vessels (no more than 12 passengers). This 
authority has been delegated to the Maritime Administration per 49 CFR 
Sec. 1.66, Delegations to the Maritime Administrator, as amended. By 
this notice, MARAD is publishing information on a vessel for which a 
request for a U.S.-build waiver has been received, and for which MARAD 
requests comments from interested parties. Comments should refer to the 
docket number of this notice and the vessel name in order for MARAD to 
properly consider the comments. Comments should also state the 
commenter's interest in the waiver application, and address the waiver 
criteria given in Sec. 388.4 of MARAD'S regulations at 46 CFR Part 388.

Vessel Proposed for Waiver of the U.S.-Build Requirement

    (1) Name of vessel and owner for which waiver is requested. Name of 
vessel: APOLONIA. Owner: Phil W. Bolin.
    (2) Size, capacity and tonnage of vessel. According to the 
applicant: ``Boat is 43 feet long, 15.5 feet wide and weighs 36,000 
pounds. Gross ton weight then is 18 tons.''
    (3) Intended use for vessel, including geographic region of 
intended operation and trade. According to the applicant: ``Vessel will 
be used to give evening cruises on Friday evenings, dinner cruises on 
Saturday evening and a few Potomac river cruises during the week. The 
vessel will be operated out of Colonial Beach Virginia on the Potomac 
River and on occasion in the Chesapeake Bay. The majority of the time 
the boat operation will be within 50 nautical miles of Colonial Beach. 
There is only one charter cruise business in the area and that boat 
operates 45 minute cruises during the day. Based on an extensive 
survey, there are no businesses providing evening and dinner cruise 
service and I would not be competing with any other service, American 
built or otherwise.'' ``The area of operation is the mid Potomac River 
(home ported in Colonial Beach Virginia) and on occasion the boat would 
travel into the Chesapeake Bay.
    (4) Date and Place of construction and (if applicable) rebuilding. 
Date of construction: 1987. Place of construction: Vista Yacht Company, 
(TAIWAN).
    (5) A statement on the impact this waiver will have on other 
commercial passenger vessel operators. According to the applicant: 
``This waiver application will have no effect on existing operators as 
there are no operators that provide the service we are describing. 
While there are such operators out of ports on the Chesapeake we will 
not compete with them. We only charter from Colonial Beach and only 
occasionally go into Chesapeake waters. We will not take charters out 
of Chesapeake water ports.''
    (6) A statement on the impact this waiver will have on U.S. 
shipyards. According to the applicant: ``This will not affect shipyards 
at all, except that use of our boat will necessitate maintenance that 
will be offered to local US shipyards (small ones) for work.''

    Dated: March 30, 2001.

    By Order of the Maritime Administrator.
 Joel C. Richard,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 01-8292 Filed 4-3-01; 8:45 am]
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