[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 198 (Friday, October 12, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 62247-62248]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-25132]
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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
Coast Guard
[Docket No. USCG-2011-1106]
Dynamic Positioning Operations Guidance for Vessels Other Than
Mobile Offshore Drilling Units Operating on the U.S. Outer Continental
Shelf
AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS.
ACTION: Notice of Recommended Interim Voluntary Guidance.
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SUMMARY: On May 4, 2012 the Coast Guard published a notice of
recommended interim voluntary guidance titled ``Mobile Offshore
Drilling Unit Dynamic Positioning Guidance''. The notice recommended
owners and operators of Mobile Offshore Drilling Units (MODUs) follow
Marine Technology Society (MTS) Dynamic Positioning (DP) operations
guidance for MODUs. The Coast Guard is now also recommending owners and
operators of all vessels other than MODUs conducting Outer Continental
Shelf (OCS) activities on the U.S. OCS follow the appropriate MTS DP
operations guidance for these vessels. In particular, the Coast Guard
recommends owners and operators of these vessels operate within an
Activity Specific Operating Guideline for each activity and operate
with its Critical Activity Mode of Operation when that activity is
critical.
DATES: The policy outlined in this document is effective October 12,
2012.
ADDRESSES: This notice and the documents referenced within are
available in the docket and can be viewed by going to
www.regulations.gov, inserting USCG-2011-1106 in the ``Keyword'' box,
and then clicking ``Search.'' The recommended interim voluntary
guidance titled ``Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit (MODU) Dynamic
Positioning (DP) Guidance'' is also available at www.uscg.mil and can
be viewed by clicking the link to the Office of Design and Engineering
Standards (CG-ENG) under the ``Units,'' ``USCG Headquarters
Organization,'' and ``CG-5P'' tabs, and scrolling down to ``Policy
Documents.''
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you have questions on this notice
or the policy, call or email Commander Joshua Reynolds, Office of
Design and Engineering Standards, Human Element and Ship Design
Division (CG-ENG-1), telephone (202) 372-1355, or email
[email protected]. If you have questions on viewing material
in the docket, call Renee V. Wright, Program Manager, Docket
Operations, telephone 202-366-9826.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background and Intent To Publish Rule
On July 7, 2010, in response to a request from the Coast Guard, the
National Offshore Safety Advisory Committee (NOSAC) issued the report
``Recommendations for Dynamic Positioning System Design and
Engineering, Operational and Training Standards''. The report
recommended the Coast Guard establish minimum Dynamic Positioning (DP)
reliability standards and contained draft guidance from the Marine
Technology Society (MTS) DP Committee for Mobile Offshore Drilling
Units (MODUs), logistics and construction vessels, which the MTS has
since completed. On May 4, 2012, the Coast Guard published a notice of
recommended interim voluntary guidance titled ``Mobile Offshore
Drilling Unit Dynamic Positioning Guidance'' 77 FR 26562. The notice
highlighted that DP incidents on MODUs can result in severe
consequences including loss of life, pollution, and property damage and
recommended owners and operators of MODUs follow MTS DP operations
guidance for MODUs. In particular, the Coast Guard recommended owners
and operators of MODUs operate within a Well Specific Operating
Guideline (WSOG) while attached to the seafloor of the U.S. Outer
Continental Shelf (OCS) and operate within its Critical Activity Mode
of Operations (CAMO) during critical activities.
The Coast Guard recognizes that DP incidents on logistics and
construction vessels also can result in severe
[[Page 62248]]
consequences. Because of this potential, and the recommendation from
the NOSAC to set minimum DP reliability standards, the Coast Guard
intends to publish a rule that addresses minimum DP design and
operating standards for all vessels conducting OCS activities using DP
on the U.S. OCS.
Interim Voluntary DP Guidance
Until such time as there is a regulatory requirement, the Coast
Guard recommends owners and operators of all vessels other than MODUs
conducting OCS activities on the U.S. OCS voluntarily follow guidance
provided in the ``DP Operations Guidance Prepared through the Dynamic
Positioning Committee of the Marine Technology Society to aid in the
safe and effective management of DP Operations'', Part 2, Appendix 2,
DP Project/Construction Vessels (July 2012)'' or ``Appendix 3, DP
Logistics vessels (July 2012)'' as appropriate. These documents are
available at http://www.dynamic-positioning.com/dp_operations_guidance.cfm. In particular, the Coast Guard recommends owners and
operators of these vessels operate within an Activity Specific
Operating Guideline (ASOG) for each OCS activity and operate within the
vessel's CAMO when that OCS activity is critical. Each ASOG should
clearly state whether the activity it covers is critical. The Coast
Guard further recommends that any vessel engaged in DP Simultaneous
Operations (SIMOPS) follow applicable WSOGs and/or ASOGs for DP SIMOPS
and operate within their respective CAMOs.
The guidance contained in the notice is not a substitute for
applicable legal requirements, nor is it itself a regulation. It is not
intended to nor does it impose legally binding requirements on any
party. It represents the Coast Guard's current thinking on this topic
and may assist industry, mariners, the general public, and the Coast
Guard, as well as other Federal and State regulators, in applying
statutory and regulatory requirements. You can use an alternative
approach if the approach satisfies the requirements of the applicable
statutes and regulations.
Authority: This notice is issued under the authority of 5 U.S.C.
552(a), 43 U.S.C. 1331, et seq., and 33 CFR 1.05-1.
Dated: October 2, 2012.
J.G. Lantz,
Director of Commercial Regulations and Standards, U.S. Coast Guard.
[FR Doc. 2012-25132 Filed 10-11-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9110-04-P