[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 39 (Friday, February 27, 2004)]
[Unknown Section]
[Pages 9206-9215]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-4210]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Coast Guard

33 CFR Parts 101 and 104

[USCG-2004-17086]


Continuous Synopsis Record (CSR)

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS.

ACTION: Notice of availability; Application for Continuous Synopsis 
Record (CG-6039); and request for public comments.

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SUMMARY: The Coast Guard announces the availability of the 
``Application for Continuous Synopsis Record'' (Application for CSR) 
form CG-6039. Certain vessels are required to carry onboard a 
Continuous Synopsis Record (CSR) by the International Convention for 
the Safety of Life at Sea, 1974 (SOLAS) Chapter XI-1. This document 
details the process of obtaining and amending the CSR. The Coast Guard 
also solicits public comments on the collection of information 
associated with the CSR.

DATES: Comments. Comments and related material must reach the Docket 
Management Facility on or before April 27, 2004. Comments sent to the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on collections of information 
must reach OMB on or before April 27, 2004.
    Availability. The Application for CSR form CG-6039 will be 
available at the locations listed in the ADDRESSES section below 
beginning February 25, 2004. The Coast Guard will begin issuing the 
``Continuous Synopsis Record'' (CSR) form CG-6038 on March 1, 2004. All 
applicable U.S. flag vessels shall have a Coast Guard issued CSR 
onboard and available for inspection no later than July 1, 2004.

ADDRESSES: Comments. To make sure that your comments and related 
material are not entered more than once in the docket, please submit 
them by only one of the following means:
    (1) Electronically through the web site for the Docket Management 
System at http://dms.dot.gov.
    (2) By mail to the Docket Management Facility, (USCG-2004-17086), 
U.S. Department of Transportation, room PL-401, 400 Seventh Street SW., 
Washington, DC 20590-0001.
    (3) By fax to the Docket Management Facility at (202) 493-2251.
    (4) 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.
    The Docket Management Facility maintains the public docket for this 
notice. Comments and material received from the public will become part 
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 find this docket on the Internet 
at http://dms.dot.gov.
    You must also mail comments on collection of information to the 
Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and 
Budget, 725 17th Street NW., Washington, DC 20503, ATTN: Desk Officer, 
U.S. Coast Guard.
    Availability. The Application for CSR form CG-6039, and the 
``Amendments to the CSR and Index of Amendments to the CSR'' 
(Amendments and Index to CSR) form CG-6038A, may be obtained by any of 
the following methods:
    (1) By downloading it from the Coast Guard Port Security 
Directorate Web site at http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g-m/mp/rules.shtml.
    (2) By requesting it, via mail, from the Continuous Synopsis Record 
Desk (CSR Desk) at P.O. Box 1750, Falling Waters, WV 25419-1750.
    (3) By calling the CSR Desk toll free number: 1-866-603-5476.
    (4) By requesting it, via e-mail, to [email protected].

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    Completed forms. A completed Application for CSR form CG-6039 or a 
completed Amendment and Index to CSR form CG-6038A may be submitted via 
e-mail to [email protected] or mailed to the CSR Desk, P.O. Box 
1750, Falling Waters, WV 25419-1750.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you have any questions regarding 
this notice or the CSR contact Lieutenant Commander Kirsten R. Martin, 
telephone (202) 267-0503, e-mail [email protected] or Chief 
Warrant Officer Jim Upthegrove, telephone (202) 267-0102, e-mail 
[email protected], U.S. Coast Guard Office of Compliance (G-
MOC-1). If you have questions on viewing or submitting material to the 
docket, call Andrea M. Jenkins, Program Manager, Docket Operations, 
telephone (202) 366-0271.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Request for Comments

    We encourage you to submit comments and related material on the 
collection of information updates included in this notice. If you do 
so, please include your name and address, identify the docket number 
for this notice (USCG-2004-17086) and give the reasons for each 
comment. You may submit your comments and material by mail, hand 
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. If you submit them by mail or hand 
delivery, submit them in an unbound format, no larger than 8\1/2\ by 11 
inches, suitable for copying and electronic filing. If you submit them 
by mail and would like to know they reached the Facility, please 
enclose a stamped, self-addressed postcard or envelope. We will 
consider all comments and material received during the comment period.
    Viewing comments and documents. To view comments go to http://dms.dot.gov at any time and conduct a simple search using the docket 
number. You may also visit the Docket Management Facility in 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.
    Privacy Act. Anyone can search the electronic form of all comments 
received into any of our dockets by the name of the individual 
submitting the comment (or signing the comment, if submitted on behalf 
of an association, business, labor union, etc.). You may review the 
Department of Transportation's Privacy Act Statement in the Federal 
Register published on April 11, 2000 (65 FR 19477), or you may visit 
http://dms.dot.gov.

Background

    Definitions. For the purposes of this notice and this program:
    Administration means the government of the State whose flag the 
ship is authorized to fly.
    Cargo vessel means a vessel propelled by mechanical means, that is 
not a passenger vessel, and of 500 gross tons and over. This excludes 
ships of war, troopships, wooden ships of primitive build, pleasure 
yachts not engaged in trade, and fishing vessels.
    Contracting Government means a Nation-State that has become a party 
to the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, 1974 
(SOLAS), including Chapter XI as amended.
    Gross Tons means gross tonnage as measured by the Tonnage 
Convention of 1969.
    International voyage means a voyage between a country to which 
SOLAS applies and a port outside such country. This excludes vessels 
solely navigating the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River as far 
east as a straight line drawn from Cap des Rosiers to West Point, 
Anticosti Island and, on the north side of Anticosti Island, the 63rd 
meridian.
    Passenger vessel means a vessel which carries more than 12 
passengers.

About the CSR

    SOLAS Chapter XI-1 (adopted by the U.S. as part of the 
International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code) and 33 CFR 
Sec. Sec.  101.115(b) and 104.297(a) require that all U.S. flag cargo 
vessels of 500 gross tons and over on international voyages and all 
U.S. flag passenger vessels carrying 12 or more passengers on 
international voyages must be issued and carry onboard a CSR during 
operations on and after July 1, 2004. Specifically, 33 CFR Sec.  
101.115(b) incorporates by reference SOLAS Chapter XI-1, as amended, 
and 33 CFR Sec.  104.297(a) requires vessels on international voyages 
to comply with SOLAS Chapter XI-1, if applicable. Regulation 5 of SOLAS 
Chapter XI-1 prescribes the requirements of the CSR.
    The CSR provides an onboard record of the history of the vessel 
with respect to its flag, owner, operator, charterer, classification 
society, safety management and security activities.
    Key elements of Regulation 5 include the following:

--The CSR must be onboard the vessel and available for inspection at 
all times.
--Vessel masters, owners or operators are required to submit updated 
information to the vessel's flag state to amend the CSR when changes 
occur.
--Flag states are required to forward the administration's records of a 
vessel's CSR to the new flag state when a vessel changes flag.

    In U.S. waters, vessels not in compliance with SOLAS Chapter XI-1, 
Regulation 5, are subject to operational control and compliance 
measures, as well as the civil penalties described in 33 CFR Sec. Sec.  
101.400, 101.410, and 101.415. U.S. vessels operating in foreign waters 
can be detained by a port state for not meeting the SOLAS requirement 
to carry a valid CSR onboard on or after July 1, 2004, in accordance 
with the port state control measures allowed by SOLAS.
    The Coast Guard will administer the CSR program for the U.S. and 
will open a new CSR Desk at its National Vessel Documentation Center in 
Falling Waters, West Virginia, on February 25, 2004. Hours of operation 
will be Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern Time, except 
for Federal holidays. The toll free phone number for the CSR Desk is 1-
866-603-5476. The forms needed to apply for a CSR will be available on 
February 25, 2004, and may be obtained from the Coast Guard from any of 
the means identified under ADDRESSES. The Coast Guard will be able to 
issue CSRs on March 1, 2004.
    Copies of the Amendments and Index to CSR form CG-6038A, the 
Application for CSR form CG-6039, can be found as appendices at the end 
of this document. They may also be found in the docket for this notice 
(USCG-2004-17086) and at the Coast Guard's Port Security Directorate 
web site found under ADDRESSES.
    Detailed guidance on the CSR program will be published in a future 
policy notice by the Coast Guard and will receive the widest possible 
distribution to affected parties, including publication in the Federal 
Register.

Who Must Apply for a CSR

    All U.S. flag cargo vessels of 500 gross tons and over on 
international voyages and all U.S. flag passenger vessels carrying 12 
or more passengers on international voyages.

How To Apply for a CSR

    1. Obtain an Application for CSR form CG-6039. You may obtain an 
Application for CSR form CG-6039 from the Coast Guard by one of the 
means specified under ADDRESSES.
    2. Submit completed application. You may submit a completed 
application to the CSR Desk by one of the means specified under 
ADDRESSES.

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    3. Once application data is reviewed and validated, the Coast Guard 
will mail a valid CSR form CG-6038 accompanied by a blank Amendments 
and Index to CSR form CG-6038A, to the applicant for placement on his 
or her vessel. Valid CSR documents will not be sent by email.

How To Amend a CSR

    The vessel owner or operator is responsible for maintaining the CSR 
form CG-6038 onboard their vessel. SOLAS Chapter XI-1, Regulation 5 
requires that the vessel owner or operator, without delay, amend the 
CSR whenever a change occurs to any of the vessel's data elements 
outlined in paragraphs 3.4 thru 3.12. The Coast Guard considers the 
vessel master to be the authorized representative of the owner or 
operator for the purposes of updating and maintaining the CSR. To amend 
the CSR:
    1. Complete the Amendments and Index to CSR form CG-6038A. The 
Coast Guard will include a blank Amendments and Index to CSR form CG-
6038A with a valid CSR. Also, you may obtain the Amendments and Index 
to CSR form CG-6038A from the Coast Guard by one of the means specified 
under ADDRESSES.
    2. Attach original completed Amendments and Index to CSR form CG-
6038A to the current CSR being carried onboard the vessel.
    3. Send a copy of the Amendments and Index to CSR form CG-6038A, 
without delay, to the Coast Guard CSR Desk at one of its addresses 
listed under ADDRESSES.
    4. Once amendment data is received and validated, the Coast Guard 
will issue a revised updated CSR form CG-6038 accompanied by a blank 
Amendments and Index to CSR form CG-6038A. Valid CSR documents will not 
be sent by email. Do not destroy old CSRs; they must be maintained 
onboard the vessel.

Maintenance of the CSR

    The CSR provides an onboard record of the history of the ship 
comprised of the chronological file of all copies of the CSR form CG-
6038 issued and all completed Amendments and Index to CSR form CG-
6038A. Owners and operators are required by SOLAS Chapter XI-1, 
Regulation 5 to retain this complete historic record onboard the vessel 
permanently, and to ensure that it is available for inspection at all 
times.

Collection of Information

    This notice contains a collection of information under the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520). As defined in 5 
CFR 1320.3(c), ``collection of information'' comprises reporting, 
recordkeeping, monitoring, posting, labeling, and other, similar 
actions. The title and description of the information collections, a 
description of those who must collect the information, and an estimate 
of the total annual burden follow. The estimate covers the time for 
reviewing instructions, searching existing sources of data, gathering 
and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the 
collection.
    The notice modifies two existing OMB-approved collections--1625-
0002 [formerly 2115-0007] and 1625-0017 [formerly 2115-0056]. Summaries 
of the revised collections follow.
    OMB Control Number: 1625-0002 [formerly 2115-0007].
    Title: Application for Vessel Inspection and Waiver.
    Summary of the Collection of Information: The collection of 
information requires the owner, operator, agent, or master of a vessel 
to apply in writing to the Coast Guard before the commencement of the 
inspection for certification, when a waiver is desired from the 
requirements of navigation and vessel inspection, or to request a 
Continuous Synopsis Record.
    Need for Information: As required in SOLAS Chapter XI-1 and 33 CFR 
Sec. Sec.  101.115(b) and 104.297(a), U.S. flag vessels subject to 
SOLAS must carry onboard a Continuous Synopsis Record (CSR). The 
Application for CSR form CG-6039 is needed for processing and creating 
a CSR for each vessel.
    Proposed Use of Information: The information contained in the 
Application for CSR form CG-6039 will be used to review and validate 
the status of the vessel being described in the form.
    Description of the Respondents: Vessel owners or operators whose 
vessels are subject to SOLAS Chapter XI-1; U.S. flag cargo vessels of 
500 gross tons and over, and U.S. flag passenger vessels carrying 12 or 
more passengers on international voyages.
    Number of Respondents: We estimate that 603 vessels currently have 
SOLAS certificates and all need to apply in 2004 for CSRs.
    Frequency of Response: Whenever a vessel becomes subject to SOLAS, 
once to obtain the vessel's first CSR.
    Burden of Response: 30 minutes (.5 hours) per application.
    Estimate of Total Annual Burden: The burden attributed to 
completing and submitting form CG-6039 in 2004 is 302 hours. The 
estimated total annual burden for OMB 1625-0002 is adjusted to be 1,280 
hours.
    OMB Control Number: 1625-0017 [formerly 2115-0056].
    Title: Various International Agreement Safety Certificates and 
Documents.
    Summary of the Collection of Information: Required by the adoption 
of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, 1974. 
The 13 forms are evidence of compliance with this convention for U.S. 
vessels on international voyages. Without the proper certificates or 
documents, a U.S. vessel could be detained in foreign ports.
    Need for Information: As required in SOLAS Chapter XI-1 and 33 CFR 
Sec. Sec.  101.115(b) and 104.297(a), U.S. flag vessels subject to 
SOLAS must carry onboard a CSR form CG-6038. SOLAS Chapter XI-1, 
Regulation 5 requires that the vessel owner or operator, without delay, 
amend the CSR whenever a change occurs to any of the vessel's data 
elements outlined in paragraphs 3.4 thru 3.12 and submit an Amendments 
and Index to CSR form CG-6038A to the Coast Guard.
    Proposed Use of Information: The CSR form CG-6038 provides an 
onboard record of the history of the vessel needed. The information 
contained in the Amendments and Index to CSR form CG-6038A will be used 
to update the validity of the vessel being described in the form.
    Description of the Respondents: Vessel owners or operators whose 
vessels are subject to SOLAS Chapter XI-1; U.S. flag cargo vessels of 
500 gross tons and over, and U.S. flag passenger vessels carrying 12 or 
more passengers on international voyages.
    Number of Respondents: We estimate that 603 vessels currently have 
SOLAS certificates and all need to carry onboard a CSR form CG-6038. 
Assuming that 10 percent of these amend their CSRs, we estimate that 60 
vessels will submit the Amendments and Index to CSR form CG-6038A in 
2004.
    Frequency of Response: Carrying onboard the vessel a CSR form CG-
6038 is an annual burden. Submitting the Amendments and Index to CSR 
form CG-6038A occurs when there are any changes to the vessel's data 
elements listed in SOLAS Chapter XI-1, Regulation 5, paragraphs 3.4 
thru 3.12.
    Burden of Response: 5 minutes (.083 hours) per CSR form CG-6038 and 
30 minutes (.5 hours) per Amendments and Index to CSR form CG-6038A.
    Estimate of Total Annual Burden: The burden attributed to 
maintaining form CG-6038 in 2004 is 50 hours. The

[[Page 9209]]

burden of completing and submitting form CG-6038A in 2004 is 30 hours. 
The estimated total annual burden for OMB 1625-0017 is adjusted to be 
96 hours.
    As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 
3507(d)), we submitted a copy of this notice to the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) for its review of the collections of 
information. Due to the circumstances surrounding this notice, we asked 
for ``emergency processing'' of our request. Before the changes these 
collections of information become effective, we will publish notice in 
the Federal Register of OMB's decision to approve, modify, or 
disapprove the collections.
    We ask for public comment on the collections of information to help 
us determine how useful the information is; whether it can help us 
perform our functions better; whether it is readily available 
elsewhere; how accurate our estimate of the burden of collection is; 
how valid our methods for determining burden are; how we can improve 
the quality, usefulness, and clarity of the information; and how we can 
minimize the burden of collection.
    If you submit comments on the collection of information, submit 
them both to OMB and to the Docket Management Facility where indicated 
under ADDRESSES, by the date under DATES.
    You need not respond to a collection of information unless it 
displays a currently valid control number from OMB.

    Dated: February 18, 2004.
Joseph J. Angelo,
Director of Standards, Marine Safety, Security & Environmental 
Protection.
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[FR Doc. 04-4210 Filed 2-26-04; 8:45 am]
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