[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 98 (Monday, May 21, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23476-23477]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-10696]
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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
Coast Guard
[Docket No. USCG-2018-0488]
Notice of Public Workshop on Consistent Implementation of
Regulation 14.1.3 of MARPOL Annex VI (Global 0.50% Sulfur Cap)
AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS.
ACTION: Notice of meeting.
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SUMMARY: The United States Coast Guard and United States Environmental
Protection Administration will conduct a public workshop in Washington,
DC in preparation for the upcoming intersessional working group meeting
of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) on consistent
implementation of regulation 14.1.3 of MARPOL Annex IV (Global 0.50%
Sulfur Cap). The purpose of this meeting will be to consider the issues
that will be discussed at that intersessional working group meeting.
[[Page 23477]]
DATES: This public meeting will be held on Tuesday, June 5, beginning
at 10:00 a.m. and ending at 2:00 p.m., Eastern Time. This meeting is
open to the public.
ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held in Room 5, located on the
first floor near the main entrance of the United States Department of
Transportation building in Washington, DC. The United States Department
of Transportation building is located at 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE, in
Washington, DC, across the street from the Navy Yard-Ballpark Metro
Station. Due to security requirements, each visitor must present a
valid government-issued photo identification (for example, a driver's
license) in order to gain entrance to the building. Those desiring to
attend the public meeting should contact the Coast Guard ahead of the
meeting (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT) to facilitate the
security process related to building access, or to request reasonable
accommodation.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information about this
public meeting you may contact Mr. Wayne Lundy by telephone at (202)
372-1379 or by email at [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Annex VI to the International Convention for
the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL Annex VI) addresses air
pollution from ships. Regulation 14 addresses particulate matter (PM)
and sulfur oxide (SOX) emissions through fuel sulfur content
limits. Beginning on January 1, 2015, fuel used in ships operating in
designated Emission Control Areas (ECAs), including the North American
and U.S. Caribbean Sea ECAs, may not exceed 1,000 ppm. Outside of
designated ECAs, the sulfur content of marine fuel currently may not
exceed 35,000 ppm; this limit will be reduced to 5,000 ppm beginning on
January 1, 2020.
As required by Regulation 14.8 of Annex VI, the 2020 global sulfur
cap was reviewed and the limit was confirmed by the Marine Environment
Protection Committee at its 70th session in 2017. At the 71st session,
the Marine Environment Protection Committee agreed on a new work output
to consider measures to promote consistent implementation of the global
sulfur cap to address industry concerns and promote a level playing
field with regard to compliance and enforcement of the new standards.
An intersessional working group meeting will be held in July 2018, and
recommendations will be provided to the 73rd session of the Marine
Environment Protection Committee that meets in October 2018.
To obtain stakeholder input in advance of the intersessional
working group meeting, the Coast Guard and EPA will conduct a meeting
on Tuesday, June 5 at the United States Department of Transportation
building in Washington, DC. At this meeting, the Coast Guard and EPA
will provide background information on the MEPC action; afterwards, a
discussion will be moderated by Coast Guard to consider the following
topics.
[cir] What preparatory and transitional issues should be
considered, and how should they be addressed? Ship owners are expected
to develop plans and procedures to ensure their ships operate with
compliant fuel beginning January 1, 2020. However, issues may arise for
a short period after the effective date of the global sulfur cap that
may impede compliance. Stakeholders are encouraged to describe what
these issues are, how they may be resolved, and the length of time they
are expected to occur.
[cir] Are there safety and machinery impacts associated with the
use of blended fuels, and how should these be addressed? At this time
it is not known the extent to which fuels compliant with the 2020
global sulfur cap will be purpose refined or blended. Stakeholders are
encouraged to describe whether they expect to use blended fuels and
whether they expect to adopt special procedures to handle and use such
fuels.
[cir] Regulation 18.2 requires ships to report fuel oil non-
availability. One option being addressed by the Committee is the
creation of a formal Fuel Oil Non-Availability Reporting (FONAR)
system, which would require a ship to file a report with the port
State, the ship's flag administration, and potentially the IMO, if the
ship is unable to obtain compliant fuel without deviating from its
planned voyage. Stakeholders are encouraged to indicate if such a
system would be helpful and, if so, whether the reporting be uniform,
the information that should be included in a standard format, how
efforts to obtain compliant fuel should be documented, and where the
report should be filed.
[cir] What shipboard verification procedures should be encouraged/
required, and how can these procedures facilitate verification? As
specified in Annex VI, assessment of a ship's compliance with the fuel
sulfur limits relies on examination of bunker delivery notes and,
potentially, analysis of the MARPOL sample. Stakeholders are encouraged
to indicate how this system can be improved to provide timely analysis
of this information (e.g., ship-prepared summary reports of bunker
delivery notes). Stakeholders are also invited to provide input on
other methods to verify compliance, such as onboard fuel sampling or
other types of verification (e.g., continuous SOX emission
monitoring).
[cir] What methods and procedures can port States adopt to
facilitate a level playing field?
[cir] What methods and procedures can flag States adopt to
facilitate a level playing field?
[cir] What type of guidance, if any, would be helpful to ensure
consistent implementation and a level playing field?
This meeting is open to the public. Please note that the public
meeting has a limited number of seats and may close early if all
business is finished. Those interested in attending should contact Mr.
Wayne Lundy by telephone at (202) 372-1379 or by email at
[email protected].
Summaries of comments made, materials presented, and lists of
attendees will be available on the docket at the conclusion of the
meeting. To view comments and materials in the docket, go to http://www.regulations.gov at any time, enter the docket number ``USCG-2018-
0488'' in the Search box, and click on ``Go>>.''
Information on Services for Individuals With Disabilities
For information on facilities or services for individuals with
disabilities or to request special assistance at the meeting, contact
Mr. Wayne Lundy at (202) 372-1379 or by email at [email protected]
as soon as possible.
B.J. Hawkins,
Acting Director of Commercial Regulations and Standards, U.S. Coast
Guard.
[FR Doc. 2018-10696 Filed 5-18-18; 8:45 am]
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