[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 230 (Thursday, December 1, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 73767-73768]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-26159]


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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) 2023. These 
inspections are conducted by HHS/CDC's Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP). 
VSP helps the cruise ship 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, 
reinspection.

DATES: These fees apply to inspections conducted from January 1, 2023, 
through September 30, 2023.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: CDR Andrew Kupper, Acting Chief, 
Vessel Sanitation Program, National Center for Environmental Health, 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4770 Buford Highway NE, MS 
106-6, 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. 264, ``Control 
of Communicable Diseases''). Regulations found at 42 CFR 71.41 (Foreign 
Quarantine--Requirements Upon Arrival at U.S. Ports: Sanitary 
Inspection; General

[[Page 73768]]

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. VSP's mandate is specific to preventing and controlling 
gastrointestinal illnesses on cruise ships.
    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 2023 
(beginning on January 1, 2023, through September 30, 2023).
    The following formula will be used to determine the fees:
    [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN01DE22.005
    
    Total cost of VSP includes the total cost of operating the program, 
such as administration, travel, staffing, sanitation inspections, and 
outbreak response.
    The weighted number of annual inspections includes the 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 August 21, 2019 (84 FR 43602). The fee schedule for FY 2023 
is presented in appendix A.

Fee

    The fee schedule (appendix A) applies to inspections conducted from 
January 1, 2023, through September 30, 2023.

Applicability

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

Angela K. Oliver,
Executive Secretary, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Appendix A

      Fee Schedule for Each Vessel Size--Operations Inspections and
                              Reinspections
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                          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
------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Gross register tonnage in cubic feet, as shown in Lloyd's Register
  of Shipping.

    Operations inspections and reinspections 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 and 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
------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Gross register tonnage in cubic feet, as shown in Lloyd's Register
  of Shipping.

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

[FR Doc. 2022-26159 Filed 11-30-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P