[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 60 (Friday, March 28, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17556-17557]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-06975]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Coast Guard

[Docket No. USCG-2013-1049]


Lifeboat Release Mechanisms

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS.

ACTION: Notice of availability; request for public comments.

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SUMMARY: The Coast Guard announces the availability of a policy letter 
regarding a recent International Maritime Organization amendment to 
Chapter III of the International Convention for the Safety of Life At 
Sea, 1974 (SOLAS). The amendment requires all SOLAS ships, regardless 
of build date, to identify and replace existing lifeboat on-load 
release mechanisms that do not comply with certain provisions of the 
International Life-Saving Appliance (LSA) Code. Compliance is required 
no later than the next scheduled dry-docking after July 1, 2014, but in 
any case before July 1, 2019. The amendment does not apply to the 
release mechanisms on free-fall lifeboats. Any U.S. ship subject to 
SOLAS that operates on international voyages without complying with the 
amendment past the applicable compliance date may be subject to 
detention by foreign port state officials and other administrative 
action by foreign authorities.

DATES: The amendment to SOLAS Chapter III promulgated as IMO Resolution 
MSC.317(89) became effective on January 1, 2013. Comments and related 
material must either be submitted to our online docket via http://www.regulations.gov on or before April 28, 2014 or reach the Docket 
Management Facility by that date.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by docket number USCG-
2013-1049 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'' portion of the 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section below for instructions on submitting 
comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you have questions on this notice 
or the policy, contact Mr. George Grills, Commercial Regulations and 
Standards Directorate, Office of Design and Engineering Standards, 
Lifesaving and Fire Safety Division (CG-ENG-4), Coast Guard, telephone 
202-372-1385, or email [email protected]. If you have questions on 
viewing material in the docket, call Ms. Barbara Hairston, Docket 
Operations, telephone 202-366-9826.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Public Participation

    You may submit comments and related materials regarding this 
proposed policy. All comments 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 a comment, please include the 
docket number for this notice (USCG-2013-1049) and provide a reason for 
each suggestion or recommendation. You may submit your comments and 
materials 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 email 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 comment online, go to http://www.regulations.gov and use ``USCG-2013-1049'' as your search term. 
Locate this notice in the results and click the corresponding ``Comment 
Now'' box to submit your comment. If you submit your comments 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 comments by mail and would like to know that 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 the comments: To view comments, as well as documents 
mentioned in this notice as being available in the docket, go to http://www.regulations.gov and use ``USCG-2013-1049'' as your search term. 
Use the filters on the left side of the page to highlight ``Public 
Submissions'' or other document types. 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

[[Page 17557]]

January 17, 2008 issue of the Federal Register (73 FR 3316).

Background and Purpose

SOLAS Regulation III/1.5

    On May 20, 2011, the IMO's Maritime Safety Committee adopted 
Resolution MSC.317(89). This resolution promulgated new SOLAS 
Regulation III/1.5, which entered into force on January 1, 2013. 
Regulation III/1.5 requires all SOLAS ships, regardless of build date, 
to identify and replace existing on-load release mechanisms that do not 
comply with paragraphs 4.4.7.6.4 to 4.4.7.6.6 of the IMO LSA Code with 
compliant release mechanisms, no later than the next scheduled dry-
docking after July 1, 2014, but in any case before July 1, 2019. 
Regulation III/1.5 does not apply to the release mechanisms on free-
fall lifeboats. This SOLAS amendment potentially affects the release 
mechanisms for any existing SOLAS lifeboats, and some SOLAS rescue 
boats, installed on U.S. ships subject to SOLAS.

IMO MSC.1/Circ.1392

    In support of new SOLAS regulation III/1.5, IMO's Maritime Safety 
Committee, at the same session it approved Resolution MSC.317(89), 
promulgated IMO Circular MSC.1/Circ.1392 (Circular 1392) under the 
title, ``Guidelines for Evaluation and Replacement of Lifeboat Release 
and Retrieval Systems.'' The purpose of Circular 1392 is to provide 
flag administrations, ship owners, and manufacturers of lifeboat 
release and retrieval systems a detailed process to achieve compliance 
with Regulation III/1.5. Circular 1392 outlines five major steps in 
evaluating existing lifeboat release and retrieval systems: (1) A 
design review; (2) a performance test; (3) a process for flag states to 
report to the IMO compliant and non-compliant systems; (4) procedures 
for replacement of non-compliant lifeboat release and retrieval 
systems; and (5) a one-time follow-up overhaul examination for existing 
systems.
    A copy of Circular 1392 is available for viewing in the public 
docket for this notice. You may also download Circular 1392 from http://www.imo.org by clicking the following succession of links: ``Our 
Work,'' ``Circulars,'' and ``Browse Circulars available at IMODOCS.'' 
Public users will need to establish a user name and password to access 
the Circular.

CG-ENG Policy Letter

    The Coast Guard has not adopted domestic regulations to implement 
Regulation III/1.5. The Coast Guard strongly urges voluntary compliance 
on the part of U.S. ships subject to SOLAS because any such ship that 
operates on international voyages without complying with Regulation 
III/1.5 past the applicable compliance date may be subject to detention 
or other administrative action by foreign port state officials.
    A new CG-ENG policy letter is available in the docket for this 
notice. It provides guidance to enable U.S. ships subject to SOLAS to 
remain in compliance with SOLAS as amended by Resolution MSC.317(89), 
including detailed procedures to comply with the new requirements in 
Resolution MSC.317(89) and the guidance in Circular 1392.
    The Coast Guard recognizes that Circular 1392 contains valuable 
safety improvements. Therefore, the Coast Guard recommends voluntary 
compliance with the guidelines in Circular 1392 for U.S. non-SOLAS 
ships, MODUs, and offshore facilities that carry lifeboats and rescue 
boats fitted with certain release mechanisms, as described in the 
Circular. We seek comments from the public on the application of 
Circular 1392 to U.S. vessels not subject to SOLAS.
    The guidance contained in this notice is not a substitute for 
applicable legal requirements, nor is it itself a rule. It is not 
intended to nor does it impose legally binding requirements on any 
party. It represents the Coast Guard's current thinking on this topic 
and provides the public with an indication of current and future action 
being considered by the Coast Guard.

Authority

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

    Dated: March 13, 2014.
Jeffrey G. Lantz,
Director, Commercial Regulations and Standards.
[FR Doc. 2014-06975 Filed 3-27-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9110-04-P