Transcript Inspection of Towing Vessels

U. S. Coast Guard
Regulatory / Legislative Developments
Rear Admiral Bill Baumgartner
WISTA 2008 Annual Conference
October 2008
U.S. Coast Guard
Judge Advocate General
Enhancing the Coast Guard Marine Safety Program
Objective
Improve the Coast
Guard’s Marine
Safety Capacity
and Performance
Enhance Service
Delivery to
Mariners and
Industry
Customers
Expand Outreach
and Advisory
Mechanisms for
Industry and
Communities
Action
Progress
• Increase marine inspector and investigator capacity
• Multiple marine safety resource proposals FY08 FY09 FY10
• Strengthen marine inspection and investigation
consistency through addition of civilian positions
• Senior civilian training officer additions
to all Sectors and Marine Safety Units
• Increase accessions from U.S. Merchant Marine
Academy and maritime institutions
• Doubling annual MARGRAD accessions
• Strengthen Marine Safety career paths
• Auth Bill proposal for promotion targets
FY08
• Expand professional Marine Safety training and
education
• Increase post graduate opportunities by
50%.
FY08
• Expand opportunities for maritime industry training
• Double annual industry training billets
FY08
• Enhance engineering capacity for plan review,
policy, and standards development
• Add billets to support plan review, policy
and standards development
FY10
• Establish Centers of Expertise (COEs)
• 6 new COEs planned including 2 in FY08
• Improve information technology systems
• Add IT for marine safety field personnel
• Increase rulemaking capacity to meet regulatory
implementation
• Add billets to boost standards
development, including 31 in FY08
• Improve credentialing through greater efficiency,
transparency and capacity
• NMC restructuring complete in CY08 –
• Establish Assistant Commandant for Marine Safety,
Security, and Stewardship.
• Establish a national council of maritime advisors
for the Commandant.
• Exercise leadership at international, national,
regional, state, and local safety, security, and
environmental committees.
• Completed CY 08
FY08
FY08
FY08
FY10
FY08 FY09 FY10
FY08
FY10
FY08
FY08
• Began series of listening sessions with
maritime stakeholders
FY08
• Double annual flag officer attendance at
marine safety forums
FY08
Consolidated Security, Disaster Assistance,
and Continuing Appropriations Act, 2009
• The Consolidated Security, Disaster Assistance, and Continuing
Appropriations Act, 2009 (Pub. L. No. 110-329) provides
approximately $6.2 billion for the operating expenses of the Coast
Guard.
• This amount includes:
 the Administration’s $20.0 million request for the Marine Inspection
Program, plus
 an additional $23.5 million for marine safety and security missions,
including —
• environmental response ($2.4 million; 26 personnel (18 military, 8
civilian));
• marine inspection ($6.2 million; 64 personnel (25 military, 39 civilian));
and
• watchstanders ($2.5 million; 42 personnel (39 military, 3 civilian)).
Inspection of Towing Vessels
• Coast Guard boarding about 1,500 towing vessels annually.
 Looking for violations of regulations concerning licenses and manning
requirements, navigation and safety equipment requirements.
• Coast Guard authorized to set hours of service limits aboard towing
vessels (Sec. 409, Coast Guard and Marine Transportation Act of
2004)
 The Coast Guard has provided crew endurance management training
for over 2,500 mariners and has published a navigation and vessel
inspection circular.
• Coast Guard authorized to inspect and certify towing vessels (Sec.
415, Coast Guard and Marine Transportation Act of 2004)
 This requires a new subchapter in the Code of Federal Regulations and
additional manpower in nearly every Coast Guard sector to enforce it.
 NPRM anticipated in spring 2009.
Marine Casualty Investigations
• Coast Guard and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) share
authority
• Coast Guard Responsibilities (all marine casualties)
 Investigates cause of casualty, actions of licensed / documented
mariners, actions of CG members, potential for civil or criminal action,
and need for new laws or regulations to prevent future occurrences
• NTSB Responsibilities (major marine casualties)
 Conducted solely to determine facts, circumstances, and cause of
transportation casualty and to develop safety recommendations
• Joint MOU between CG / NTSB establishes guidelines for joint
investigations and lays out criteria for establishing lead agency
Incidental Discharges
• EPA extension for National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System
(NPDES) vessel permit scheme expires 19 Dec 08.
http://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/home.cfm?program_id=350
• Congress passed two laws in 2008 impacting vessel permits
 Clean Boating Act of 2008 exempts recreational vessels from NPDES
permit requirements
 P.L. 110-299 imposes 2 year moratorium on NPDES requirements for
commercial vessels less than 79 and commercial fishing vessels
• Ballast Water Issues
Other Legislative & Regulatory
Initiatives
• Coast Guard Authorization Act
• Regulatory Review & Reform Project
• Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC)
 Where to report problems for enrollment?
 If you have enrolled and are looking for card status, you can use the
“card status online check” at http://www.tsa.dhs.gov/twic //
 If you haven’t gotten that far, report problems to the Lockheed Martin
Helpdesk 1-866-347-8942 (1-866-DHS-TWIC); if no resolution, send
an e-mail to TSA at [email protected] and include all of your
information (name, DOB, enrollment location, etc.)
• Dry Cargo Residue
• Merchant Mariner Medical NVIC