[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 224 (Wednesday, November 22, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55621-55622]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-25225]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Coast Guard

[USCG-2017-0897]


International Standards Pertaining to Maintenance, Repair, and 
Training of Servicing Technicians for Lifeboats, Rescue Boats, 
Launching Appliances, and Release Gear

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS.

ACTION: Notice of public meeting; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The United States Coast Guard (USCG) will hold a public town 
hall meeting to disseminate information related to the 2020 entry into 
force of international standards affecting the testing and maintenance 
of lifeboats, rescue boats, and launching appliances, and authorization 
of service providers. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) in 
2016 adopted amendments to the International Convention for the Safety 
of Life at Sea, 1974, as amended, (SOLAS) which contain new 
requirements related to maintenance of lifesaving equipment on vessels 
subject to SOLAS. The purpose of the public town hall meeting is to 
provide an opportunity for the public to obtain information and ask 
questions related to these new requirements and their implementation in 
the United States.

DATES: The public town hall meeting will be held on December 11, 2017, 
from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
    Deadline for Registration To Attend the Meeting: Attendees must 
pre-register. Registration, and any requests for special 
accommodations, must be received no later than 5:00 p.m. on December 4, 
2017.
    Deadline for Submission of Comments: Comments must be submitted 
before 5:00 p.m. on December 18, 2017.

ADDRESSES: 
    Meeting Location: The town hall meeting will be held at the 
Department of Transportation Headquarters, 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE., 
Washington, DC 20590; Metro: Navy Yard station. In addition, we are 
providing an alternative to attending the meeting in person--the public 
may listen to the meeting via audio conference. Information on that 
option is provided in section III, D of the SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION 
portion of this notice. Any Coast Guard materials presented at the 
meeting will be posted to the public docket, which is accessible at 
http://www.regulations.gov by searching for docket USCG-2017-0897.
    Registration and Special Accommodations: While there is no 
registration fee, individuals planning to attend the public town hall 
meeting in person must register to attend. Register by calling or 
emailing the person in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of 
this notice. Non-US citizens/Foreign Nationals will be required to 
submit name, official title, date of birth, country of citizenship, 
passport number, and passport expiration date no later than one (1) 
week prior to the meeting. Registration to attend the town hall meeting 
will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. If seating 
capacity has been reached, you will be notified that the meeting has 
reached capacity.
    Individuals who need special accommodations should contact staff 
listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of this notice.
    Written Comments: You may submit comments identified by docket 
number USCG-2017-0897 using the federal eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov. See the ``Public Participation and Request for 
Comments'' portion of the Supplementary Information section for further 
instructions on submitting comments. If you encounter technical 
difficulties with comments submission, contact the individual listed in 
the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section below. The deadline for 
submission of comments is 5:00 p.m. on December 18, 2017.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you have questions concerning IMO 
Resolutions MSC.402(96) and MSC.404(96) or this meeting notice, please 
contact Ms. Stephanie Groleau, Commandant (CG-ENG-4), phone 202-372-
1381; fax 202-372-8380; email [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background on 2016 SOLAS Amendments

    After several casualties involving lifeboats, IMO developed 
guidelines for periodic servicing and maintenance of lifeboats, 
launching appliances and on-load release gear (MSC.1/Circ.1206/Rev.1) 
and accompanying guidelines

[[Page 55622]]

with interim recommendations on conditions for authorization of service 
providers (MSC.1/Circ.1277). The USCG released the Navigation and 
Vessel Inspection Circular (NVIC) 04-07 ``Servicing and Maintenance of 
lifeboats, launching appliances and on-load release gear'' to provide 
guidance to US flag vessels subject to SOLAS. Subsequently, the 
Contracting Governments to SOLAS agreed to adopt mandatory requirements 
for servicing and service providers through IMO Resolution MSC.402(96), 
implemented by amendments to SOLAS Chapter III by Resolution 
MSC.404(96).
    These SOLAS amendments enter into force on January 1, 2020. After 
that date, we expect that U.S. flag vessels subject to SOLAS could be 
subject to detention in foreign ports if their lifeboat service records 
do not comply with SOLAS Chapter III as amended.
    The key substantive requirements are:
     That maintenance, thorough examination, operational 
testing, overhaul and repair on board its ships is conducted in 
accordance with relevant regulations in SOLAS Chapter III.
     Administrations (i.e. USCG) shall ensure that the thorough 
examination, operational testing, repair and overhaul of equipment 
shall be carried out in accordance with SOLAS regulation III/20 by 
authorizing service providers.
     That personnel carrying out maintenance, thorough 
examination, operational testing overhaul and repair as described above 
shall be certified by an authorized service provider.

II. Public Town Hall Meeting

A. Purpose of the Meeting

    The public town hall meeting is intended to provide an opportunity 
for the public to obtain information related to the SOLAS Chapter III 
amendments, and create a setting for dialogue among USCG and 
stakeholders to discuss implementation of these obligations in the 
early stages of program consideration.
    Public comments may be submitted electronically in accordance with 
Section III of the Supplementary Information. Public comments will be 
used as supplement to the dialogue at the meeting.

B. Format of the Town Hall Meeting

    A panel of USCG officials will make a brief presentation on the 
SOLAS amendments, and take questions for 30 minutes. Other USCG 
officials will be available for informal discussion before and after 
the panel.

C. Security and Building Guidelines

    Because the public town hall meeting will be located on federal 
property, for security reasons, any persons wishing to attend this 
meeting must register by the date specified in the DATES section of 
this notice. Please allow sufficient time to go through the security 
checkpoints. It is suggested that you arrive at the Department of 
Transportation Headquarters Building no later than 9:30 a.m. if you are 
attending the public meeting.
    Security measures include the following:
     Presentation of government-issued photographic 
identification to the security personnel.
     Passing through a metal detector and inspection of items 
brought into the building. All items brought to the facility are 
subject to inspection.

    Note: Individuals who are not registered in advance will not be 
permitted to enter the building and will be unable to attend the 
meeting in person. The public may not enter the building earlier 
than 45 minutes prior to the convening of the meeting. All visitors 
must be escorted while in the building.

D. Audio Information

    Information on the option to listen live to the meeting will be 
available by request. Individuals who wish to listen to the meeting via 
audio conference should contact staff listed in the FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT section of this notice. The required information 
will be provided to all requestors on December 4, 2017.

III. Public Participation and Request for Comments

    We value public participation and will consider all comments and 
material received during the comment period. If you submit a comment, 
please include the docket number for this notice, indicate the specific 
portion of the SOLAS amendments, IMO Resolutions MSC.402(96), 
MSC.404(96), or related guidelines to which each comment applies, and 
provide a reason for each suggestion or recommendation.
    We encourage you to submit comments through http://www.regualtions.gov. If our material cannot be submitted using http://www.regulations.gov, contact the person in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 
CONTACT section of this document for alternate instructions.
    We accept anonymous comments. All comments received will be posted 
without change to http://www.regulations.gov and will include any 
personal information you have provided. For more about privacy and the 
docket, visit http://www.regulationms.gov/privacynotice.
    All public comments and supplemental information will be in our 
online docket at http://www.regulations.gov and can be viewed by 
following that Web site's instructions. Additionally, if you go to the 
online docket and sign up for email alerts, you will be notified when 
comments or supplemental information is made available.

    Dated: November 16, 2017.
J.G. Lantz,
Director, Commercial Regulations and Standards, U.S. Coast Guard.
[FR Doc. 2017-25225 Filed 11-21-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 9110-04-P