[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 237 (Wednesday, December 10, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65121-65122]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-32267]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Office of the Secretary


Privacy Act of 1974: Systems of Records

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, DOT.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: DOT intends to establish a new system of records under the 
Privacy Act of 1974 and to exempt it from certain provisions of the 
Act.

DATES: January 20, 1998.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Crystal M. Bush at (202)366-9713 
(Telephone), (202)366-7066 (Fax), [email protected] (Internet 
Address).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Department of Transportation systems of 
records notices subject to the Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a), as 
amended, have been published in the Federal Register and are available 
from the above mentioned address.

SYSTEM NUMBER: 
    DOT/CG 588.

SYSTEM NAME: 
    Marine Safety Information System (MSIS).

SECURITY CLASSIFICATION: 
    MSIS is unclassified, sensitive.

SYSTEM LOCATION:
    United States Coast Guard (USCG), Operations Systems Center, 175 
Murrall Drive, Martinsburg, WV 25401.

CATEGORIES OF INDIVIDUALS COVERED BY THE SYSTEM:
    Individuals with established relationship(s)/association to vessels 
or facilities that are state-numbered and/or titled and U.S. Coast 
Guard-documented, and that are included in the Marine Safety 
Information System (MSIS). Specifically, owners or agents of such 
vessels, as well as lienholders.

CATEGORIES OF RECORDS IN THE SYSTEM:
    a. Records containing vessel identification information and vessel 
characteristics on state-numbered and/or titled vessels or Coast Guard-
documented vessels including: vessel name (if Coast Guard-documented), 
make of vessel or name of vessel builder, manufacturer year/year vessel 
built, vessel model year, title number, Coast Guard official number, 
certificate of number assigned by the state including expiration date, 
hull identification number, length of vessel, type of vessel, hull 
type, propulsion type, fuel type, primary use, endorsements (if Coast 
Guard documented), and hailing port name endorsements (if Coast Guard 
documented).
    b. Records containing personal information including: name of each 
owner, address of principal place of residence of at least one owner, 
mailing address if different from the principal place of residence, and 
either an owner's social security number, date of birth and driver's 
license number, or other individual identifier. If a vessel owner is a 
business, the business address and taxpayer identification number will 
be included.
    c. Records containing lienholder and insurance information 
including: name of lienholder, and city and state of principal place of 
residence or business of each lienholder.
    d. Records containing law enforcement information including: law 
enforcement status code (stolen, recovered, lost, destroyed, or 
abandoned), law enforcement hold, reporting agency, originating case 
number, MSIS user identification, incident location, last sighted date/
time/location, law enforcement contact and phone number, and hours of 
operations.
    e. Records containing vessel registration information including: 
registration and, if applicable title number including effective and 
expiration date, issuing authority, and, for Coast Guard documented 
vessels, the official number.

AUTHORITY FOR MAINTENANCE OF THE SYSTEM:
    33 U.S.C. 1228; 46 U.S.C. 2103, 6101, 6102, 6307(c), 6301, 7101, 
7309, 3301, 3714, 3717.

PURPOSE(S):
    The purpose of MSIS is to establish a system of records to build 
safety performance histories of vessels, marine facilities, involved 
parties, and hazardous cargoes. These histories can be used in analysis 
of safety degradation patterns and equipment failures, and to focus and 
redirect marine safety activities and resources. MSIS collects selected 
information on commercial and/or documented vessels operating in U.S. 
waters. MSIS assists in identification and recovery of stolen vessels, 
deter vessel theft and fraud, and other purposes relating to the 
ownership

[[Page 65122]]

of vessels. The data are used for the purposes described under the 
``Routine uses of records maintained in the system, including 
categories of users and the purposes of such uses'' heading in the 
enclosed copy of the system notice prepared for publication in the 
Federal Register.

ROUTINE USES OF RECORDS MAINTAINED IN THE SYSTEM, INCLUDING CATEGORIES 
OF USERS AND THE PURPOSES OF SUCH USES:
    a. Federal, state, local and international law enforcement 
officials for law enforcement purposes including the recovery and 
return of stolen property and to deter vessel theft, fraud, and 
pollution. International organizations include International Maritime 
Organization (IMO), foreign governments for Port State Control, foreign 
governments for marine casualties, and civil penalty respondents.
    b. Federal and state numbering and titling officials for the 
purposes of tracking, registering and titling vessels.
    c. Disclosure may be made to agency contractors who have been 
engaged to assist the agency in the performance of a contract service 
or other activity related to this system of records and who need to 
have access to the records in order to perform the activity. Recipients 
shall be required to comply with the requirements of the Privacy Act of 
1974, as amended, 5 U.S.C. 552a.
    d. See DOT Prefatory Statement of General Routine Uses.

DISCLOSURE TO CONSUMER REPORTING AGENCIES:
    Not applicable.

POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR STORING, RETRIEVING, ACCESSING, RETAINING, 
AND DISPOSING OF RECORDS IN THE SYSTEM:
STORAGE: 
    Storage of all records is in an automated database operated and 
maintained by the U.S. Coast Guard.

RETRIEVABILITY: 
    Records are retrieved by:
    a. Vessel hull identification number (HIN).
    b. State certificate of number.
    c. U.S. Coast Guard official number.
    d. USCG vessel name and hailing port.
    e. Vessel owner or business name.
    f. Interested parties social security number or alternate 
identifier (e.g., DOB, driver's license number, or taxpayer 
identification number).
    g. Case number.

Safeguards: 
    The MSIS falls under the guidelines of the United States Coast 
Guard Operations System Center (OSC) in Martinsburg, WV. This computer 
facility has its own approved System Security Plan, which provides 
that:
    a. The system is maintained in a secure computer room with access 
restricted to authorized personnel only.
    b. Access to the building must be authorized and is limited.
    c. MSIS supports different access levels for fields in the same 
record. These levels allow different classes of users access to 
specific information as governed by Federal privacy laws.
    d. MSIS controls access by requiring that users provide a valid 
account name and password. MSIS contains a function that tracks system 
usage for other authorized users. MSIS requires users to change access 
control identifiers at six month intervals. The U.S. Coast Guard 
operates the MSIS in consonance with Federal security regulations, 
policy, procedures, standards and guidance for implementing the 
Automated Information Systems Security Program.
    e. Only authorized DOT and authorized U.S. Government contractors 
conducting system maintenance may access MSIS records.
    f. Access to records are password protected and the scope of access 
for each password is limited to the official need of each individual 
authorized access.

Retention and Disposal:
    a. Records of active cases are retained until they become inactive; 
inactive cases are archived. Disposition of records is pending and will 
be determined at a later date. Records will be selected to be archived 
into an off-line file for any vessel that has been inactive for a 
period of 10 years. A vessel is inactive when the State number and/or 
Coast Guard Document have expired with the exception of the vessels 
that have a law enforcement hold and vessels with a law enforcement 
status of stolen.
    b. Daily backups shall be performed automatically. The backups will 
be comprised of weekly full backups followed by daily incremental 
backups; a log of transactions is maintained daily for recovery 
purposes.
    c. Copies of backups are stored at an off-site location.

System Manager(s) and Address:
    Department of Transportation, United States Coast Guard 
Headquarters, Information Resource Division, System Support Division 
(G-MRI-2), 2100 2nd Street, SW., Washington, DC 20593-0001.

Notification Procedure:
    Submit a written request noting the information desired and for 
what purpose the information will be used. The request must be signed 
by the individual or his/her legal representative. Send the request to: 
USCG Headquarters, Commandant (G-SII), 2100 2nd Street, SW., 
Washington, DC 20593-0001.

Record Access Procedures:
    Same as Notification Procedures.

Contesting Record Procedures:
    Same as Notification Procedures.

Record Source Categories:
    All information entered into the MSIS is gathered from the Coast 
Guard in the course of normal routine.

System exempted from certain provisions of the Act:
    Portions of this system of records may be exempt from disclosure 
under the provisions of 5 U.S.C. 552a (k)(2). However, in specific 
cases where maintenance of information results in the denial of a 
right, privileges or benefits to which the individual is entitled, the 
information will be released in accordance with section (k)(2). This 
provides in part that material compiled for law enforcement purposes 
may be withheld from disclosure to the extent the identity of the 
source of the information would be revealed by disclosing the 
investigatory record, and the source has received an express promise 
that his/her identity would be held in confidence. Additionally, 
material received prior to 27 September 1974 will be withheld, if the 
source received an implied promise that his/her identity would be held 
in confidence.

    Dated: December 4, 1997.
Eugene K. Taylor, Jr.,
Office of the Chief Information Officer,
U.S. Department of Transportation.
[FR Doc. 97-32267 Filed 12-9-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-62-P