[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 208 (Monday, October 30, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 74228-74230]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-23917]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Maritime Administration

[Docket Number MARAD-2020-0133]


National Historic Landmark Nuclear Ship Savannah Available; 
Request for Information

AGENCY: Maritime Administration, Department of Transportation.

ACTION: Notice of vessel availability and request for information.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Maritime Administration (MARAD) is decommissioning the 
nuclear power plant of the National Historic Landmark (NHL) vessel 
Nuclear Ship Savannah (NSS), which will result in the termination of 
the ship's Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) license, making the ship 
available for disposition, including potential conveyance or 
preservation. The purpose of the Notice of Availability and Request for 
Information (NOA and RFI) is to determine preservation interest from 
entities that may wish to acquire the NSS. Information received in 
response to this RFI will help to inform the development of viable 
preservation alternatives for the NSS. MARAD requests information from 
entities that may be interested in acquiring the ship for conveyance 
and preservation purposes as prescribed in the recently executed 
Programmatic Agreement (PA) which is available for review on the MARAD 
docket at www.regulations.gov. In responding to the RFI, please review 
the below SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION/Information Requested section to 
inform your submission.

DATES: All responses to this RFI are due on or before February 16, 
2024, following the information provided in the ADDRESSES section 
below.
    An information session for interested parties will be held on 
November 18, 2023, to allow potential responders the opportunity to ask 
MARAD questions regarding the NSS. The meeting will be held onboard the 
NSS, online, or by phone. You must RSVP for the site visit to the email 
or phone number listed in the section below no later than November 11, 
2023.
    Site visits for interested parties will be held on December 16 and 
17, 2023. You must RSVP for the site visit to the email or phone number 
listed in the section below no later than December 9, 2023. Parties who 
are unable to make this date may request alternate arrangements by 
contacting the person listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT 
section.
    The NSS is not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. 
The ship has some capability to accommodate persons with impaired 
mobility, for which advance notice is required. If you require 
accommodations to attend the site visit, please include this 
information in your RSVP. The U.S. Department of Transportation is 
committed to providing all participants equal access to this meeting. 
If you need alternative formats or services such as sign language, 
interpretation, or other ancillary aids, please also include that in 
your RSVP. Additional dates may be provided, or parties may request 
alternate dates subject to the same conditions as above.

ADDRESSES: You may submit your responses to this RFI and any 
supplemental information by any of the following methods:
     Email: [email protected]. Please include NS Savannah 
RFI in the subject line of the email.
     Overnight Mail: N.S. Savannah/Savannah Technical Staff, 
Pier 13

[[Page 74229]]

Canton Marine Terminal, 4601 Newgate Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21224, ATTN: 
Erhard Koehler.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Erhard W. Koehler, Senior Technical 
Advisor, N.S. Savannah, Maritime Administration, at (202) 680-2066 or 
via email at [email protected]. Additional information regarding 
the vessel is available at https://www.maritime.dot.gov/nssavannah.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Built in 1959, the NSS is the world's first 
nuclear-powered merchant ship and served as a signature element of 
President Eisenhower's Atoms for Peace program. While in service, NSS 
demonstrated the peaceful use of atomic power and explored the 
feasibility of nuclear-powered merchant vessels. NSS was retired from 
active service in 1970. The ship was listed in the National Register of 
Historic Places in 1983 and designated as an NHL in 1991 for exhibiting 
exceptional value in illustrating the nuclear, maritime, 
transportation, and political heritages of the United States.

Disposition

    The NRC license termination will lead to MARAD's disposition of the 
NSS. Because the decommissioning and disposition of the NHL ship is an 
Undertaking under Section 106 of the NHPA, with an unknown end-state, 
MARAD developed and executed a PA covering the decommissioning and 
disposition of the ship. The PA outlines the process by which the 
disposition of NSS will be considered among the NRC, the Advisory 
Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP), and the Maryland State 
Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO). Concurrent with the 
decommissioning project, MARAD requests information from entities that 
may be interested in acquiring the ship for conveyance and preservation 
purposes as prescribed in the PA. The approximate date on which the 
vessel will be available for transfer is three (3) to six (6) months 
after NRC license termination.
    Stipulation IV of the PA outlines a disposition alternatives 
development process wherein MARAD will study and evaluate alternatives 
that would result in the preservation of the NSS. This process will 
include the development of a Disposition Alternatives Study and the 
publication of a NOA and RFI. Although the PA lists these activities 
sequentially, with the Disposition Alternatives Study preceding the 
publication of the NOA and RFI, the signatories of the PA recently 
concurred that the NOA and RFI will instead precede the Disposition 
Alternatives Study. Therefore, MARAD is publishing this NOA and RFI in 
accordance with Stipulation IV of the PA, in advance of the Disposition 
Alternatives Study.

Conveyance Methods

    MARAD is investigating several different methods of conveyance of 
the NSS, and these will be presented in the Disposition Alternatives 
Study. These conveyance methods may or may not involve MARAD's 
continued involvement with the ship. However, in order to foster 
preservation by removing a future encumbrance, MARAD will either retain 
the title or will retain a reversionary interest in the title. By this 
act MARAD is choosing to defer its obligation to scrap Savannah to some 
future date. MARAD's existing ship donation authority is one of the 
methods of conveyance that will be used. Parties interested in 
obtaining the vessel through this method may apply at any time. Further 
information on MARAD's ship donation program may be found at the 
following link: https://www.maritime.dot.gov/national-defense-reserve-fleet/ship-disposal-program/ship-donation.
    Other conveyance methods may include, but are not limited to, a 
modified donation process, chartering or leasing the ship, cooperative 
agreements, or potentially partnering with another entity to maintain 
and operate the ship. MARAD expects to convey the ship in as-is 
condition at the time of conveyance, to include all mooring lines, 
fenders, and related equipment, all safety equipment, including spare 
parts for active safety systems, and tools and stock. The ship will 
contain a full complement of drawings, and technical and operating 
manuals. The ship's historic fabric will not be disturbed; however, if 
title is transferred from the federal government some material may be 
removed as mitigation. All mitigation efforts will be subject to 
consultation in accordance with the stipulations in the PA.

Technical Information

    Technical information about the NSS in its present configuration 
will be posted to the MARAD docket and website concurrent with the 
publication of this notice. The information will include at least the 
following:
     Ship's drawings and photographs;
     Reports documenting the ship's existing material condition 
and expected condition at the time of license termination;
     Utility consumption data; and,
     Last material inventory completed.

Information Requested

    RFI respondents should provide MARAD with a capability statement 
that includes at least the following information:
     Proposed use(s) for the ship;
     Mission statement for your organization;
     Proposed or potential locations for ship;
     Staffing resources for maintaining and operating the ship;
     Experience with ship maintenance and operations;
     Experience with historic property or structures;
     Funding sources; and,
     Preferred conveyance mechanism for acquisition of the 
ship.
    Responses, including personal identifiable information will be made 
public, so please provide any sensitive information in a separate 
attachment clearly labeled, so that it may be withheld from disclosure 
as provided by law. Respondents should consider and discuss in their 
capability statement factors such as the density of museum ships in the 
location proposed, the nexus between the proposed location and NSS 
operating history, and any other relevant special criteria favoring the 
response.

Background

    Built in 1959, the NSS is the world's first nuclear-powered 
merchant ship and served as a signature element of President 
Eisenhower's Atoms for Peace program. While in service, the NSS 
demonstrated the peaceful use of atomic power as well as the 
feasibility of nuclear-powered merchant vessels. NSS operated in 
experimental service as a passenger/cargo ship from 1962 to 1965, 
during which time it travelled 90,000 miles, visited 13 countries, and 
hosted 1.4 million visitors. Following the successful conclusion of the 
experimental phase, the ship entered its commercial phase in 1965. The 
ship was operated as a cargo ship generating nearly $12,000,000 in 
revenue between 1965 and 1970, as well as continuing to serve as a 
goodwill ambassador for the peaceful use of nuclear power. After 
successfully fulfilling its objectives, NSS operations were ceased in 
1970 and the ship was deactivated and defueled in 1971.
    Following deactivation, the NSS was moved to the city of Savannah, 
GA, where it was to be part of a proposed Eisenhower Peace Memorial; 
however, the memorial was never established. In 1980, Congress passed 
Public Law 96-331, which authorized the Secretary of Commerce to 
bareboat charter the ship

[[Page 74230]]

to the Patriots Point Development Authority of South Carolina. The NSS 
operated as a museum ship at the Patriots Point Naval and Maritime 
Museum from 1981 through 1994. During this time, the NSS was listed in 
the National Register of Historic Places (1983) and designated as an 
NHL (1991) for exhibiting exceptional value in illustrating the 
nuclear, maritime, transportation, and political heritages of the 
United States. Additionally, during this time the ship was designated 
an International Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark by the 
American Society of Mechanical Engineers (1983) and a Nuclear 
Engineering Landmark by the American Nuclear Society (1991).
    Following termination of the charter in 1994, the NSS returned to 
MARAD and was entered into the James River Reserve Fleet in Virginia. 
The ship was removed from the reserve fleet in 2006 and underwent 
repairs prior to being relocated in 2008 to Baltimore, Maryland, where 
it is currently berthed. In 2017, funds for decommissioning of the ship 
were appropriated. Because the decommissioning and disposition of the 
NSS is an Undertaking under Section 106 of the NHPA, MARAD initiated 
consultation in 2018 with the Maryland SHPO, the ACHP, the NRC, the 
NPS, and other consulting parties. Given the complexities of the 
Undertaking, including the yet undetermined disposition of the NSS, the 
parties agreed to develop a PA to guide the execution of the 
Undertaking.
    The PA for the Decommissioning and Disposition of the NSS was 
executed in March 2023, and it outlines the process by which the 
disposition of NSS will be considered and executed, concurrent with the 
decommissioning project. The decommissioning process is well underway, 
and dismantlement and removal of the major systems, structures, and 
components that were part of the ship's nuclear power plant is 
complete. As part of the decommissioning process, MARAD has made 
numerous modifications and improvements to the NSS from 2015 through 
the present. These improvements include climate controls, sanitary 
spaces, shore power, mechanical systems, mooring and access/egress 
equipment, alarm, and monitoring systems (fire/smoke, intrusion, 
flooding, security cameras), restored public spaces, office spaces, and 
administrative infrastructure. Typically, the greatest challenge to any 
static museum ship effort is the cost associated with converting or 
transforming the ship into a site suitable and safe for visitors. MARAD 
has already made improvements, as listed above, which may help to 
defray some of the initial starting costs for potential recipients who 
may be interested in receiving the ship. Additional details about the 
ship's condition are included in the attachments posted to the MARAD 
docket and website.
    The disposition process is sequenced to reach a conclusion at the 
same time that decommissioning ends--effective with the license 
termination to allow a seamless transition to whichever end-state 
condition is approved. MARAD anticipates making its disposition 
decision no later than the license termination date with conveyance to 
follow three to six months later, after decommissioning, 
demobilization, and vessel redelivery contract actions are completed.

(Authority: 49 CFR 1.81 and 1.93; 36 CFR part 800; 5 U.S.C. 552b.)

    By Order of the Maritime Administrator.
T. Mitchell Hudson, Jr.,
Secretary, Maritime Administration.
[FR Doc. 2023-23917 Filed 10-27-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-81-P