[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 236 (Thursday, December 9, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 76742-76744]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-30929]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Coast Guard

[Docket No. USCG-2010-1085]


Detecting Oil Leaks From Vessels Into the Water

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS.

ACTION: Notice and request for information.

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SUMMARY: In section 707 of the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2010, 
Congress directs the Secretary of the Department in which the Coast 
Guard is operating to report on the availability, feasibility, and 
potential cost of technology to detect the loss of oil carried as cargo 
or as fuel on tank and non-tank vessels greater than 400 gross

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tons. Through this Notice, the Coast Guard seeks information about the 
current state of technology to detect loss of oil into the water.

DATES: Comments and related material must either be submitted to our 
online docket via http://www.regulations.gov on or before January 24, 
2011 or reach the Docket Management Facility by that date.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by docket number USCG-
2010-1085 using any one of the following methods:
    (1) Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov.
    (2) Fax: 202-493-2251.
    (3) Mail: Docket Management Facility (M-30), U.S. Department of 
Transportation, West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New 
Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 20590-0001.
    (4) Hand delivery: Same as mail address above, between 9 a.m. and 5 
p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. The telephone 
number is 202-366-9329.
    To avoid duplication, please use only one of these four methods. 
See the ``Public Participation and Request for Comments'' portion of 
the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section below for instructions on 
submitting comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you have questions on this notice, 
call or e-mail Mrs. Dolores Mercier, U.S. Coast Guard Office of Design 
and Engineering Standards; telephone 202-372-1485, e-mail 
[email protected]. If you have questions on viewing or 
submitting material to the docket, call Renee V. Wright, Program 
Manager, Docket Operations, telephone 202-366-9826.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Public Participation and Request for Comments

    We encourage you to submit information about the current state of 
technology to detect loss of oil into the water. All information 
received will be posted, without change, to http://www.regulations.gov 
and will include any personal information you have provided.
    Submitting comments: If you submit material, please include the 
docket number for this notice (USCG-2010-1085). You may submit your 
material online, or by fax, mail or hand delivery, but please use only 
one of these means. We recommend that you include your name and a 
mailing address, an e-mail address, or a telephone number in the body 
of your document so that we can contact you if we have questions 
regarding your submission.
    To submit your material online, go to http://www.regulations.gov, 
click on the ``submit a comment'' box, which will then become 
highlighted in blue. In the ``Document Type'' drop down menu select 
``Notices'' and insert ``USCG-2010-1085'' in the ``Keyword'' box. Click 
``Search'' then click on the balloon shape in the ``Actions'' column. 
If you submit information by mail or hand delivery, submit them in an 
unbound format, no larger than 8[frac12] by 11 inches, suitable for 
copying and electronic filing. If you submit them by mail and would 
like to know that they reached the Facility, please enclose a stamped, 
self-addressed postcard or envelope.
    Viewing the comments: To view the comments, go to http://www.regulations.gov, click on the ``read comments'' box, which will 
then become highlighted in blue. In the ``Keyword'' box insert ``USCG-
2010-1085'' and click ``Search.'' Click the ``Open Docket Folder'' in 
the ``Actions'' column. If you do not have access to the internet, you 
may view the docket online by visiting the Docket Management Facility 
in Room W12-140 on the ground floor of the Department of Transportation 
West Building, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 20590, 
between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal 
holidays. We have an agreement with the Department of Transportation to 
use the Docket Management Facility.
    Privacy Act: Anyone can search the electronic form of 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 a 
Privacy Act system of records notice regarding our public dockets in 
the January 17, 2008, issue of the Federal Register (73 FR 3316).

Background and Purpose

    The purpose of a device to detect loss of oil from a vessel into 
the water is to reduce the size and impact of an oil spill by alerting 
the vessel's crew to take action to minimize the impact. However, these 
devices will not stop the outflow of oil into the water.
    Between October 2004 and October 2005, the Coast Guard conducted a 
study of technology used to detect the loss of oil from oil cargo tanks 
into the water. As part of this study, we reviewed technologies used to 
monitor the level of oil from inside the cargo tank and to detect 
pollution from outside the tank. Devices inside the tank include liquid 
level gauges typically employed for monitoring cargo during transfer 
operations. Devices outside the tank include oil/water interface 
sensors that, theoretically, would be deployed around a vessel or towed 
astern to detect oil in the water. In both cases, we found that 
existing technologies did not fit the performance expectations of a 
device that could detect the loss of oil from a vessel underway in a 
dynamic marine environment. This study can be found in docket number 
USCG-2001-9046.
    The Coast Guard seeks information about new technology that was not 
considered in the 2005 study. We are particularly interested in 
information that includes details about the:

--Physical principles of operation of the device;
--Degree of experience with actual usage of the device;
--Performance and limitations of the device;
--Power requirements for the device; and
--Capacity to operate in a dynamic environment, including an explosive 
atmosphere.

    Please consider the following questions when responding to this 
notice and request for information:
    (A) What new technology exists to detect the loss of oil into the 
water?
    (B) What is the availability of such technology?
    (C) What are the costs of installation and maintenance of such 
technology?
    (D) What methods or equipment are currently under development that 
may be able to detect leaks from oil tanks into the water?
    (E) What is the threshold for detection, accuracy, sensitivity, and 
reliability in both the static and dynamic conditions found on moving 
vessels?
    (F) How is the crew alerted?
    (G) Do the methods or types of equipment discussed in this 
rulemaking have uses other than leak detection from oil cargo tanks 
into the water?
    (H) Are methods or equipment being applied for similar purposes in 
other industries (e.g., the aerospace, rail, military, or over-the-road 
truck industries) that merit investigation for use aboard vessels?
    We will review and analyze all information received in preparation 
for the development of the required report on the availability of 
technology to detect the loss of oil carried as cargo or as fuel on 
tank and non-tank vessels greater than 400 gross tons.

Authority

    This notice is issued under authority of 5 U.S.C. 552(a).


[[Page 76744]]


    Dated: December 2, 2010.
F.J. Sturm,
U.S. Coast Guard, Deputy Director of Commercial Regulations and 
Standards.
[FR Doc. 2010-30929 Filed 12-8-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9110-04-P