[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 126 (Wednesday, July 1, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37729-37730]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-16178]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Maritime Administration


Voluntary Intermodal Sealift Agreement/Joint Planning Advisory 
Group Table Top Exercise

AGENCY: Maritime Administration, Department of Transportation.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Voluntary Intermodal Sealift Agreement (VISA) program 
requires a notice of the time, place, and nature of each Joint Planning 
Advisory Group (JPAG) meeting be published in the Federal Register. The 
full text of the VISA program, including these requirements, is 
published in Federal Register/Vol. 79, No. 209, 64462--64470, dated 
October 29, 2014.
    On June 2-3, 2015, the Maritime Administration and the U.S. 
Transportation Command co-hosted the 2015 Voluntary Intermodal Sealift 
Agreement Joint Planning Advisory Group Table-Top Exercise at Scott Air 
Force Base, Illinois. Participants of the Table Top Exercise (TTX) were 
required to possess a secret clearance due to the classified nature of 
the meeting and attendance was by invitation only. The Maritime 
Administrator invited VISA carriers, Maritime Labor Unions, 
Longshoreman Labor and designated U.S. Strategic Seaport personnel. In 
addition, representatives from the Department of Transportation, the 
Maritime Administration and the Department of Defense (DOD) to include 
the Office of the Secretary of Defense, U.S. Transportation Command, 
the Military Sealift Command and the Surface Deployment and 
Distribution Command attended the meeting.

[[Page 37730]]


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: You may contact William G. Kurfehs, 
Acting Director, Office of Sealift Support, U.S. Department of 
Transportation, Maritime Administration, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., 
Washington, DC 20590. Telephone (202) 366-2318. You may send electronic 
mail to [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Colonel Martin Chapin, USAF, Deputy 
Director, Operations and Planning, U.S. Transportation Command, and Mr. 
Kevin Tokarski, Associate Administrator for Strategic Sealift, Maritime 
Administration, welcomed the participants. Mr. Tokarski thanked the 
industry participants for their continued support and stated he was 
pleased with the large number of attendees at the JPAG meeting. He 
expressed a hope that the JPAG TTX would serve to prepare all attendee 
for what could actually occur during a VISA activation. Col. Chapin 
remarked that the classified TTX will focus on VISA participants' 
ability to meet DOD requirements for moving contingency cargo from 
CONUS Sea Ports of Embarkation to designated OCONUS Ports of 
Debarkation. Col. Chapin also stated that the TTX will address mariner 
availability to support VISA activation. Further, both gentlemen 
requested participants complete a survey at the end of the TTX and 
provide recommendations to improve the JPAG.
    The purpose of the JPAG TTX was to: (1) Affirm industry's ability 
to meet DOD requirements by exposing them to the most demanding DOD 
scenario; (2) exercise commercial sealift capacity in relation to 
scenario requirements; (3) validate scenario planning assumptions; and 
(4) recommend revisions, as appropriate, on how we model specified 
scenarios and/or other related planning documents and associated 
planning assumptions. The JPAG TTX was considered a success as industry 
participants were able to provide capacity and resources to meet DOD 
requirements. However, the participants identified specific ``lessons 
learned'' that will be addressed to improve the JPAG. The JPAG TTX 
participants agreed to work on the lessons learned to assure that they 
are adequately addressed for the efficient coordination of VISA 
activation procedures.
    The following are VISA participants:
A Way To Move, Inc.
American International Shipping, LLC
American Marine Corporation
American President Lines, Ltd.
American Roll-On Roll-Off Carrier, LLC
APL Marine Services, Ltd.
Argent Marine Operations, Inc.
Beyel Brothers Inc.
Central Gulf Lines, Inc.
Columbia Coastal Transport, LLC
CRC Marine Services, Inc.
Crimson Shipping Co., Inc.
Crowley Puerto Rico Services, Inc.
Crowley Marine Services, Inc.
Curtin Maritime, Corp.
Dann Marine Towing, LC
Farrell Lines Incorporated
Fidelio Limited Partnership
Foss International, Inc.
Foss Maritime Company
Hapag-Lloyd USA, LLC
Horizon Lines, LLC
LA Carriers, LLC
Laborde Marine, L.L.C.
Liberty Global Logistics, LLC
Liberty Shipping Group, LLC
Lockwood Brothers, Inc.
Lynden Incorporated
Maersk Line, Limited
Marine Transport Management
Matson Navigation Company, Inc.
McAllister Towing and Transportation Co., Inc.
McCulley Marine Services, Inc.
Moran Towing Corp.
National Shipping of America, LLC
Northcliffe Ocean Shipping & Trading Company
Pasha Hawaii Transport Lines LLC
Patriot Shipping, L.L.C
Resolve Towing & Salvage, Inc.
Samson Tug & Barge Company, Inc.
Schuyler Line Navigation Company, LLC
Sea Star Line, LLC
SeaTac Marine Services, LLC
Seabridge, Inc.
Sealift Inc.
Smith Maritime, Inc.
Stevens Towing Co., Inc.
Stevens Transportation, LLC
Superior Maritime Services, Inc.
Tactical Shipping, LLC
Teras BBC Ocean Navigation Enterprises Houston, LLC
Totem Ocean Trailer Express
Trailer Bridge, Inc.
TransAtlantic Lines, LLC
Western Towboat Company
Weeks Marine, Inc.
Waterman Steamship Corporation
Young Brothers Limited

Authority:  49 CFR 1.93(l), Pub. L. 111-67.

    Dated: June 25, 2015.

    By Order of the Maritime Administrator.
T. Mitchell Hudson, Jr.,
Secretary, Maritime Administration.
[FR Doc. 2015-16178 Filed 6-30-15; 8:45 am]
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