[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 162 (Wednesday, August 21, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43602-43603]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-17973]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention


Fees for Sanitation Inspection of Cruise Ships

AGENCY: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of 
Health and Human Services (HHS).

ACTION: General notice.

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SUMMARY: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), located 
within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announces fees 
for vessel sanitation inspections for Fiscal Year (FY) 2020. These 
inspections are conducted by HHS/CDC's Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP). 
VSP helps the cruise line industry fulfill its responsibility for 
developing and implementing comprehensive sanitation programs to 
minimize the risk for acute gastroenteritis. Every vessel that has a 
foreign itinerary and carries 13 or more passengers is subject to 
twice-yearly unannounced operations inspections and, when necessary, 
re-inspection.

DATES: These fees apply to inspections conducted from October 1, 2019, 
through September 30, 2020.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: CDR Aimee Treffiletti, Chief, Vessel 
Sanitation Program, National Center for Environmental Health, Centers 
for Disease Control and Prevention, 4770 Buford Highway NE, MS F-59, 
Atlanta, Georgia 30341-3717; phone: 800-323-2132; email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Purpose and Background

    HHS/CDC established the Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP) in the 
1970s as a cooperative activity with the cruise ship industry. VSP 
helps the cruise ship industry prevent and control the introduction, 
transmission, and spread of gastrointestinal illnesses on cruise ships. 
VSP operates under the authority of the Public Health Service Act 
(Section 361 of the Public Health Service Act; 42 U.S.C. Section 264, 
``Control of Communicable Diseases''). Regulations found at 42 CFR 
71.41 (Foreign Quarantine--Requirements Upon Arrival at U.S. Ports: 
Sanitary Inspection; General Provisions) state that carriers arriving 
at U.S. ports from foreign areas are subject to sanitary inspections to 
determine whether there exists rodent, insect, or other vermin 
infestations; contaminated food or water; or other sanitary conditions 
requiring measures for the prevention of the introduction, 
transmission, or spread of communicable diseases.
    The fee schedule for sanitation inspections of passenger cruise 
ships by VSP was first published in the Federal Register on November 
24, 1987 (52 FR 45019). HHS/CDC began collecting fees on March 1, 1988. 
This notice announces fees for inspections conducted during FY 2020 
(beginning on October 1, 2019, through September 30, 2020).
    The following formula will be used to determine the fees:
    [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN21AU19.000
    
    Total cost of VSP = Total cost of operating the program, such as 
administration, travel, staffing, sanitation inspections, and outbreak 
response. Weighted number of annual inspections = Total number of ships 
and inspections per year accounting for vessel size, number of 
inspectors needed for vessel size, travel logistics to conduct 
inspections, and vessel location and arrivals in U.S. jurisdiction per 
year.
    The fee schedule was most recently published in the Federal 
Register on June 20, 2018 (83 FR 28650). The fee

[[Page 43603]]

schedule for FY 2020 is presented in Appendix A.

Fee

    The fee schedule (Appendix A) applies to inspections conducted from 
October 1, 2019, through September 30, 2020. The FY 2020 fee schedule 
adds a new category and fee for the largest ships (Super Mega) and a 
schedule table for construction and renovation inspections.

Applicability

    The fees will apply to all passenger cruise vessels for which 
inspections are conducted as part of HHS/CDC's VSP.

    Dated: August 14, 2019.
Sandra Cashman,
Executive Secretary, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Appendix A

        Fee Schedule for Each Vessel Size--Operations Inspections
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                          Inspection fee
                  Vessel size (GRT \1\)                        (US$)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Extra Small (<3,000 GRT)................................           1,495
Small (3,001-15,000 GRT)................................           2,990
Medium (15,001-30,000 GRT)..............................           5,980
Large (30,001-60,000 GRT)...............................           8,970
Extra Large (60,001-120,000 GRT)........................          11,960
Mega (120,001-140,000 GRT)..............................          17,940
Super Mega (>140,001 GRT) *.............................          23,920
------------------------------------------------------------------------
* New vessel size category.
\1\ Gross register tonnage in cubic feet, as shown in Lloyd's Register
  of Shipping.

    Operations inspections and re-inspections involve the same 
procedures and require the same amount of time, so they are charged 
at the same rates.

 Fee Schedule for Each Vessel Size--Construction/Renovation Inspections
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                          Inspection fee
                  Vessel size (GRT \1\)                        (US$)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Extra Small (<3,000 GRT)................................           2,990
Small (3,001-15,000 GRT)................................           5,980
Medium (15,001-30,000 GRT)..............................          11,960
Large (30,001-60,000 GRT)...............................          17,940
Extra Large (60,001-120,000 GRT)........................          23,920
Mega (120,001-140,000 GRT)..............................          35,880
Super Mega (>140,001 GRT) *.............................          47,840
------------------------------------------------------------------------
* New vessel size category.
\1\ Gross register tonnage in cubic feet, as shown in Lloyd's Register
  of Shipping.

    Construction/renovations inspections require at least twice the 
amount of time as operations inspections, so they are charged double 
the rates.

[FR Doc. 2019-17973 Filed 8-20-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P