[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 33 (Thursday, February 19, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8892-8894]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-03332]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Coast Guard

[USCG-2014-0941]


Port Access Route Study: In the Chukchi Sea, Bering Strait and 
Bering Sea

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS.

ACTION: Notice of study; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: This study is a continuation of and an expansion of scope to 
the Port Access Route Study (PARS) the Coast Guard announced in 2010. 
Based on comments received from the 2010 notice the Coast Guard has 
developed a potential vessel routing system for the area. The Coast 
Guard requests comments on how consolidating vessel traffic into a 
defined vessel routing system may impact or benefit the region. The 
goal of the study is to help reduce the risk of marine casualties and 
increase the efficiency of vessel traffic in the region. The 
recommendations of the study may lead to future rulemaking action or 
appropriate international agreements.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before August 18, 2015.

ADDRESSES: 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you have questions on this notice 
of study, call or email LT Kody Stitz, Seventeenth Coast Guard District 
(dpw); telephone (907) 463-2270; email [email protected] or Mr. 
David Seris, Seventeenth Coast Guard District (dpw); telephone 
(907)463-2267; email [email protected]. If you have questions on 
viewing or submitting material to the docket, call Cheryl F. Collins, 
Program Manager, Docket Operations, telephone 202-366-9826.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Public Participation and Request for Comments

    We encourage you to participate in this study by submitting 
comments and related materials. All comments received will be posted 
without change to http://www.regulations.gov and will include any 
personal information you have provided.
    Comment submission: You may submit comments identified by docket 
number USCG-2014-0941 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

[[Page 8893]]

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.

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 notice 
regarding our public dockets in the January 17, 2008, issue of the 
Federal Register (73 FR 3316).

Public Meeting

    The Coast Guard will hold public meeting(s) if there is sufficient 
demand to warrant holding a meeting. You must submit a request for one 
on or before Month Day, Year (30 days from publish date) using one of 
the four methods specified under ADDRESSES. Please explain why you 
believe a public meeting would be beneficial. If we determine that a 
public meeting would aid in the study, we will hold a meeting at a time 
and place announced by a later notice in the Federal Register.

Definitions

    The following definitions (except ``Regulated Navigation Area'') 
are from the International Maritime Organization's (IMO's) publication 
``Ships' Routeing'' Tenth Edition 2010 and should help you review this 
notice:
    Area to be avoided (ATBA) means a routing measure comprising an 
area within defined limits in which either navigation is particularly 
hazardous or it is exceptionally important to avoid casualties and 
which should be avoided by all ships, or certain classes of ships.
    Deep-water route means a route within defined limits, which has 
been accurately surveyed for clearance of sea bottom and submerged 
obstacles as indicated on the chart.
    Inshore traffic zone means a routing measure comprising a 
designated area between the landward boundary of a traffic separation 
scheme and the adjacent coast, to be used in accordance with the 
provisions of Rule 10(d), as amended, of the International Regulations 
for Preventing Collisions at Sea, 1972 (COLREGS).
    Precautionary area means a routing measure comprising an area 
within defined limits where ships must navigate with particular caution 
and within which the direction of traffic flow may be recommended.
    Recommended route means a route of undefined width, for the 
convenience of ships in transit, which is often marked by centerline 
buoys.
    Recommended track is a route which has been specially examined to 
ensure so far as possible that it is free of dangers and along which 
vessels are advised to navigate.
    Regulated Navigation Area (RNA) means a water area within a defined 
boundary for which regulations for vessels navigating within the area 
have been established under 33 CFR part 165.
    Roundabout means a routing measure comprising a separation point or 
circular separation zone and a circular traffic lane within defined 
limits. Traffic within the roundabout is separated by moving in a 
counterclockwise direction around the separation point or zone.
    Separation zone or separation line means a zone or line separating 
the traffic lanes in which ships are proceeding in opposite or nearly 
opposite directions; or separating a traffic lane from the adjacent sea 
area; or separating traffic lanes designated for particular classes of 
ship proceeding in the same direction.
    Traffic lane means an area within defined limits in which one-way 
traffic is established. Natural obstacles, including those forming 
separation zones, may constitute a boundary.
    Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) means a routing measure aimed at 
the separation of opposing streams of traffic by appropriate means and 
by the establishment of traffic lanes.
    Two-way route means a route within defined limits inside which two-
way traffic is established, aimed at providing safe passage of ships 
through waters where navigation is difficult or dangerous.
    Vessel routing system means any system of one or more routes or 
routing measures aimed at reducing the risk of casualties; it includes 
traffic separation schemes, two-way routes, recommended tracks, areas 
to be avoided, no anchoring areas, inshore traffic zones, roundabouts, 
precautionary areas, and deep-water routes.

Background and Purpose

Requirement for Port Access Route Studies

    Under the Ports and Waterways Safety Act (PWSA) (33 U.S.C. 
1223(c)), the Commandant of the Coast Guard may designate necessary 
fairways and traffic separation schemes (TSSs) to provide safe access 
routes for vessels proceeding to and from U.S. ports.

Port Access Route Study to Date

    The Coast Guard announced a port access route study in the Federal 
Register on November 8, 2010 (75 FR 68568). The purpose of the PARS was 
to solicit public comments on whether a vessel routing system such as a 
fairway or TSS was needed and if it could increase vessel safety in the 
area. The 2010 PARS was limited geographically in scope to a section of 
water extending approximately 100 nautical miles north of the Bering 
Strait into the Chukchi Sea to approximately 30 nautical miles south of 
St. Lawrence Island in the Bering Sea. At that time the Coast Guard did 
not propose a specific vessel routing system, but instead sought more 
general comments about whether a vessel routing system was needed or 
advisable in the study area. The Coast Guard received twenty five 
comments, and after reviewing them, determined that a vessel route 
needed to be proposed so more specific comments and concerns could be 
gathered and evaluated before determining if a routing system would be 
beneficial. The Coast Guard further determined that the study area 
should include a larger geographic area than was initially studied 
before finalizing the study and publishing the results.

Vessel Routing Comments to Date

    The Coast Guard received twenty five public comments during the 
open comment period associated with the 2010 announcement. Nearly all 
of the comments that addressed vessel routing were supportive of the 
Coast Guard creating and implementing some form of vessel routing 
measure in the area. Since no specific routing measure was proposed in 
2010, the comments received did note that precise concerns and impacts 
could only be identified after a specific route or measure was 
proposed.

Reopening of the Comment Period

    This Federal Register notice announces the Coast Guard's intent to 
continue the PARS started in 2010, expand the study area and release 
the Coast Guard's proposed vessel routing system for comment. The Coast 
Guard's goal of the study remains the same in

[[Page 8894]]

that the study is focused on gathering factual and relevant information 
to aid the Coast Guard in reducing the risk of marine casualties and 
increasing the efficiency of vessel traffic in the region.
    The study will assess whether the creation of a vessel routing 
system is advisable to increase the predictability of vessel movements, 
which may decrease the potential for collisions, oil spills, and other 
events that could threaten the marine environment.
    Based on comments received to date there is a general sense that a 
designated traffic route could improve traffic predictability thereby 
reducing marine casualties and oil spills; however, a few comments 
received did note that a designated traffic route (depending on 
location) could adversely impact subsistence hunting, marine mammals 
and other wildlife more so than widely dispersed vessel traffic. 
Therefore, the Coast Guard puts forth a potential two-way route as a 
starting point for analyzing where to put a vessel traffic route should 
one be deemed needed and beneficial to the region.
    The Coast Guard will analyze vessel traffic density, agency and 
stakeholder experience in vessel traffic management, navigation, ship 
handling, the effects of weather, impacts to subsistence hunting, 
impacts to marine mammals and other wildlife concerns into the decision 
making process of the study. We encourage you to participate in the 
study process by submitting comments in response to this notice.
    The expanded study area is described as an area bounded by a line 
connecting the following geographic positions:
     67[deg]30' N, 168[deg]58'37'' W;
     67[deg]30' N, 167[deg]30' W;
     54[deg]50' N, 164[deg]40' W;
     54[deg]03' N, 166[deg]25' W;
     63[deg]20' N, 173[deg]43' W; thence following the Russian 
Federation/United States maritime boundary line to the first 
geographical position.
    The proposed ship routing measures are described as follows:
    (1) A four nautical mile wide, two-way route extending from Unimak 
Pass in the Aleutian Islands that proceeds Northward through the Bering 
Sea and Bering Strait before terminating in the Chukchi Sea.
    (2) A four nautical mile wide, two-way route extending from a 
location North of the Western side of St. Lawrence Island and near the 
US/Russian Federation maritime border, then proceeding Northeast to a 
junction with the first two way route located to the West of King 
Island.
    (3) A total of four precautionary areas, each circular and 8 
nautical miles wide in diameter. Three of these precautionary areas 
will be located at the starting/ending points of the two-way routes, 
and the fourth will be located at the junction of the recommended two-
way routes.
    See the ADDRESSES section for where to obtain a copy of the chart 
showing the exact location of the proposed route.
    Timeline, Study Area, and Process of this PARS: The Seventeenth 
Coast Guard District will conduct this PARS. The study will continue 
upon publication of this notice and may take 24 months to complete.
    We will publish the results of the PARS in the Federal Register. It 
is possible that the study may validate the status quo (no routing 
measures) and conclude that no changes are necessary. It is also 
possible that the study may recommend one or more changes to enhance 
navigational safety and the efficiency of vessel traffic management. 
The recommendations may lead to future rulemakings or appropriate 
international agreements.
    Schematic of proposed vessel routing system: A chart showing the 
Coast Guard's proposed two-way route can be downloaded from http://www.regulations.gov, type ``USCG-2014-0941'' into the search bar and 
click search, next to the displayed search results click ``Open Docket 
Folder'', which will display all comments and documents associated with 
this docket.

    Dated: February 3, 2015.
D.B. Abel,
Rear Admiral, U.S. Coast Guard, Commander, Seventeenth Coast Guard 
District.
[FR Doc. 2015-03332 Filed 2-18-15; 8:45 am]
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