[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 154 (Friday, August 11, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54631-54632]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-17284]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Coast Guard

[Docket No. USCG-2023-0585]


National Merchant Marine Personnel Advisory Committee; September 
2023 Meetings

AGENCY: U.S. Coast Guard, Department of Homeland Security.

ACTION: Notice of Federal advisory committee meeting.

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SUMMARY: The National Merchant Marine Personnel Advisory Committee 
(Committee) will conduct a series of meetings over two days in Bronx, 
NY to discuss issues relating to personnel in the United States 
Merchant Marine including the training, qualifications, certification, 
documentation, and fitness of mariners.

DATES: 
    Meetings: The National Merchant Marine Personnel Advisory Committee 
is scheduled to meet on Wednesday, September 6, 2023, from 9:00 a.m. 
until 4:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time Zone (EDT) and Thursday, 
September 7, 2023, from 9:00 a.m. until 4:45 p.m. EDT. The Committee 
meeting on Wednesday, September 6, 2023, will include periods during 
which the Committee will break into subcommittees. These meetings may 
adjourn early if the Committee has completed its business.
    Comments and supporting documentation: To ensure your comments are 
received by Committee members before the meeting, submit your written 
comments no later than August 30, 2023.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Maritime Academic Center at 
the State University of New York Maritime College, additional 
information about the facility can be found at: https://www.sunymaritime.edu/aboutpublic-programsconference-services/conference-and-meeting-rentals.
    The National Merchant Marine Personnel Advisory Committee is 
committed to ensuring all participants have equal access regardless of 
disability status. If you require reasonable accommodation due to a 
disability to fully participate, please email Mrs. Megan Johns Henry at 
[email protected] or call at (202) 372-1255 as soon as possible.
    Instructions: You are free to submit comments at any time, 
including orally at the meetings as time permits, but if you want 
Committee members to review your comment before the meeting, please 
submit your comments no later than August 30, 2023. We are particularly 
interested in comments on the topics in the ``Agenda'' section below. 
We encourage you to submit comments through the Federal eRulemaking 
Portal at https://www.regulations.gov. If your material cannot be 
submitted using https://www.regulations.gov, email the individual in 
the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of this document for 
alternate instructions. You must include the docket number USCG-2023-
0585. Comments received will be posted without alteration at http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided. You 
may wish to review the Privacy and Security Notice found via a link on 
homepage of https://www.regulations.gov. For more about privacy and 
submissions in response to this document, see DHS's eRulemaking System 
of Records notice (85 FR 14226, March 11, 2020). If you encounter 
technical difficulties with comment submission, contact the individual 
listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of this notice.
    Docket Search: Documents mentioned in this notice as being 
available in the docket, and all public comments, will be in our online 
docket at https://www.regulations.gov and can be viewed by following 
that website's instructions. Additionally, if you go to the online 
docket and sign-up for email alerts, you will be notified when comments 
are posted.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mrs. Megan Johns Henry, Alternate 
Designated Federal Officer of the National Merchant Marine Personnel 
Advisory Committee, telephone (202) 372-1255, or email 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Notice of these meetings is in compliance 
with the Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 117-286, 5 U.S.C. ch. 
10). The National Merchant Marine Personnel Advisory Committee is 
authorized by section 601 of the Frank LoBiondo Act of 2018 (Pub. L. 
115-282, 132 Stat. 4192) and is codified in 46 U.S.C. 15103. The 
Committee operates under the provisions of the Federal Advisory 
Committee Act and 46 U.S.C. 15109. The National Merchant Marine 
Personnel Advisory Committee provides advice and recommendations to the 
Secretary of Homeland Security through the Commandant of the United 
States Coast Guard on matters relating to personnel in the United 
States Merchant Marine including the training, qualifications, 
certification, documentation, and fitness of mariners.
    Agenda: The National Merchant Marine Personnel Advisory Committee 
will meet on Wednesday, September 6, 2023, and Thursday, September 7, 
2023 to review, discuss, deliberate and formulate recommendations, as 
appropriate on the following topics:

Day 1

    The agenda for the September 6, 2023 meeting is as follows:
    (1) The full Committee will meet briefly to discuss the 
subcommittees business and task statements, which are listed under 
paragraph (10) under Day 2 below.
    (2) During the morning session of the meeting, subcommittees will 
separately address and work on the following task statements, which are 
available for viewing at https://homeport.uscg.mil/missions/federal-advisory-committees/national-merchant-marine-personnel-advisory-committee-(nmerpac)/task-statements:
    (a) Task Statement 21-2, Communications Between External 
Stakeholders and the Mariner Credentialing Program;
    (b) Task Statement 23-X2, Critical Skills for Navigation Using 
Nautical

[[Page 54632]]

Charts and Training and Assessments of Skills Using Electronic 
Navigational Charts; and
    (c) Task Statement 23-X3, Critical Skills for Radar Navigation and 
Collision Avoidance and Training and Assessment of Skills Using Radar 
and Automatic Radar Plotting Aids (ARPA).
    (3) During the afternoon session of the meeting, subcommittees will 
separately address and work on the following task statements, which are 
available for viewing at https://homeport.uscg.mil/missions/federal-advisory-committees/national-merchant-marine-personnel-advisory-committee-(nmerpac)/task-statements:
    (a) Task Statement 22-1, Propulsion Power Limitations;
    (b) Task Statement 23-X2, Critical Skills for Navigation Using 
Nautical Charts and Training and Assessments of Skills Using Electronic 
Navigational Charts; and
    (c) Task Statement 23-X3, Critical Skills for Radar Navigation and 
Collision Avoidance and Training and Assessment of Skills Using Radar 
and Automatic Radar Plotting Aids (ARPA).
    (d) Report of subcommittees. At end of the day, the Chair or Co-
Chairs of the subcommittees will report to the full Committee on what 
was accomplished. The full Committee will not take action on this date 
and the Chair or Co-Chairs of the subcommittees will present a full 
report to the Committee on Day 2 of the meeting.
    (4) Adjournment of meeting.

Day 2

    The agenda for the September 7, 2023 meeting is as follows:
    (1) Introduction.
    (2) Designated Federal Officer and Coast Guard Leadership remarks.
    (3) Swearing In of New Members.
    (4) Roll call of Committee members and determination of a quorum.
    (5) Adoption of the agenda.
    (6) Election of Vice Chair.
    (7) Acceptance of Minutes from Committee Meeting Four (March 31, 
2023).
    (8) Introduction of new tasks.
    (9) Public comment period.
    (10) Reports from the subcommittee Chair or Co-Chairs.
    The Committee will review the information presented on the 
following Task Statements and deliberate on any recommendations 
presented by the subcommittees. Recommendations may be approved and 
completed tasks may be closed. Official action on these topics may be 
taken:
    (a) Task Statement 21-1, Review of IMO Model Courses Being 
Validated by the IMO HTW Subcommittee;
    (b) Task Statement 21-2, Communication Between External 
Stakeholders and the Mariner Credentialing Program, including amendment 
Task Statement 21-2A, Reviewing Assessments in NVICS for STCW;
    (c) Task Statement 21-3, Military Education, Training, and 
Assessment for STCW and National Mariner Endorsement;
    (d) Task Statement 21-4, STCW Convention and Code Review;
    (e) Task Statement 21-5, Review of Merchant Mariner Rating and 
Officer Endorsement Job Task Analyses, including amendment Task 
Statement 21-5A, JTA to Mass Mapping;
    (f) Task Statement 21-6, Sea Service for Merchant Mariner 
Credential Endorsements;
    (g) Task Statement 21-8, Remote Operators of Maritime Autonomous 
Surface Ships;
    (h) Task Statement 21-9, Sexual Harassment and Sexual Assault-
Prevention and Culture Change in the Merchant Marine, including 
amendment Task Statement 21-9A, Training for Sexual Assault and Sexual 
Harassment Prevention and Response;
    (i) Task Statement 22-1, Propulsion Power Limitations; and
    (j) Task Statement 22-2, Alternative Methods for Meeting STCW 
Training Requirements at the Operational Level;
    (k) Task Statement 23-1, Review of Navigation and Vessel Inspection 
Circular (NVIC) 03-14, Guidelines for Approval of Training Courses and 
Programs;
    (l) Task Statement 23-X2, Critical Skills for Navigation Using 
Nautical Charts and Training and Assessments of Skills Using Electronic 
Navigational Charts; and
    (m) Task Statement 23-X3, Critical Skills for Radar Navigation and 
Collision Avoidance and Training and Assessment of Skills Using Radar 
and Automatic Radar Plotting Aids (ARPA).
    (11) Office of Merchant Mariner Credentialing update presentation.
    (12) National Maritime Center update presentation.
    (13) Closing remarks.
    (14) Adjournment of meeting.
    A copy of all meeting documentation will be available at https://homeport.uscg.mil/missions/federal-advisory-committees/national-merchant-marine-personnel-advisory-committee-(nmerpac) by August 30, 
2023. Alternatively, you may contact the individual noted in the FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section above.
    Public comments or questions will be taken throughout the meetings 
as the Committee discusses the issues, and prior to deliberations and 
voting. There will also be a public comment period during the meeting 
on September 7, 2023 at approximately 12:30 p.m. EDT. Public comments 
will be limited to 3 minutes per speaker. Please note that the public 
comments period will end following the last call for comments.
    Please contact the individual listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 
CONTACT section to register as a speaker.

    Dated: August 8, 2023.
Jeffrey G. Lantz,
Director of Commercial Regulations and Standards.
[FR Doc. 2023-17284 Filed 8-10-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9110-04-P