[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 220 (Wednesday, November 14, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57150-57151]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-28514]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Maritime Administration

[Docket Number: MARAD-2001-10976]


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 Freelance.

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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

[[Page 57151]]

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 December 14, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Comments should refer to docket number MARAD-2001-10976. 
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., SW., Washington, DC 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: Freelance. Owner: Darrell and Jennifer Brand.
    (2) Size, capacity and tonnage of vessel. According to the 
applicant: Freelance is a 39 foot Kadey-Krogen Trawler, Beam 14'2", LOA 
38'11", LWL 36prime;8";, Draft 4'3", Displacement Weight 
35,000 * * * Approx. 25 net tons.
    (3) Intended use for vessel, including geographic region of 
intended operation and trade. According to the applicant:
    ``The intended use for the vessel will be coastal cruising in 
Florida, primarily in the Atlantic and Gulf Waters of the Florida Keys 
from Miami to the Dry Tortugas National Park.''
    (4) Date and Place of construction and (if applicable) rebuilding. 
Date of construction: July 1998. Place of construction: Kaohsiung, 
Taiwan.
    (5) A statement on the impact this waiver will have on other 
commercial passenger vessel operators. According to the applicant: ``I 
feel this waiver will not have any impact on other commercial passenger 
vessel operators. I only know of one operator in So. Florida with 
captained custom cruises and his vessel is much larger. There are many 
exclusive commercial fishing and dive charter boats in the area and 
Jennifer and I will not even attempt to duplicate the magnitude of 
their services. ``The other reason that we will not have a major impact 
on existing operators is that we will limit ourselves to the occasional 
charter. We both have other jobs * * *.''
    (6) A statement on the impact this waiver will have on U.S. 
shipyards. According to the applicant: ``US Shipyards will not have any 
impact by Freelance operating in the custom cruise business. This boat 
was previously built over three years ago for another recreational 
boater and will continue to be used for recreational purposes the 
majority of the time.''

    By Order of the Maritime Administrator.

    Dated: November 7, 2001.
Joel C. Richard,
Secretary, Maritime Administration.
[FR Doc. 01-28514 Filed 11-13-01; 8:45 am]
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