[Federal Register: June 16, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 115)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Page 33574-33575]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr16jn04-15]
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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
Coast Guard
33 CFR Parts 101 and 104
[USCG-2004-17086]
Application for Continuous Synopsis Record (CSR) (Form CG-6309)
AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS.
ACTION: Notice of Forms availability; announcement of approval date and
clarification.
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SUMMARY: The Coast Guard announces the approval of the collection of
information associated with the Application for a Continuous Synopsis
Record by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The Coast Guard
also makes clarifications to the Notice of Availability of this
application, published in the Federal Register on February 27, 2004,
and addresses the comments received from the public.
DATES: Form CG-6039, Application for Continuous Synopsis Record, was
approved on April 2, 2004 (OMB control number 1625-0002). Form CG-
6038A, Amendments to the CSR and Index of Amendments to the CSR, was
approved on April 23, 2004 (OMB control number 1625-0017).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you have any questions regarding
this notice or the CSR contact Lieutenant Commander Kirsten R. Martin,
telephone (202) 267-0503, e-mail kmartin@comdt.uscg.mil or Chief
Warrant Officer Jim Upthegrove, telephone (202) 267-0102, e-mail
jupthegrove@comdt.uscg.mil, U.S. Coast Guard Office of Compliance (G-
MOC-1). If you have questions on viewing or submitting material to the
docket, call Andrea M. Jenkins, Program Manager, Docket Operations,
telephone 202-366-0271.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Privacy Act: Anyone can search the
electronic form of all comments received into any of our dockets by the
name of the individual submitting the comment (or signing the comment,
if submitted on behalf of an association, business, labor union, etc.).
You may review the Department of Transportation's Privacy Act Statement
in the Federal Register published on April 11, 2000 (65 FR 19477), or
you may visit http://dms.dot.gov.
Public Comments
The Coast Guard received two general comments from the public. One
commenter expressed concern with the short submission time for the
application of the Continuous Synopsis Record. The Coast Guard
recognizes the difficult timelines for compliance with the requirements
for the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code. The
Coast Guard Marine Safety Center has identified through all practical
means those vessels subject to International Convention for the Safety
of Life at Sea, 1974 as amended (SOLAS) requiring International Ship
Security Certificates (ISSCs) and Continuous Synopsis Records (CSRs) to
be onboard prior to July 1, 2004. These vessels are receiving priority
scheduling at each step of the process. We have instituted a concurrent
issue process for ISSCs and initial CSRs to enable Coast Guard field
units to deliver both documents upon satisfactory completion of the
onboard verification exam. Upon receipt of an approval letter for their
vessel security plan, owners and operators are strongly encouraged to
coordinate closely with their local Officer in Charge, Marine
Inspection (OCMI) and the Continuous Synopsis Record Desk (CSR Desk)
without delay to ensure timely onboard verification and document
issuance.
The other comment stated that there was possible confusion
regarding what vessels are required to carry an ISSC and a CSR. The
requirements of the ISPS Code, including ISSCs and CSRs, are applicable
to those vessels identified in Chapter I of SOLAS, which defines cargo
ships as ``any ship which is not a passenger ship'' and specifically
exempts ``cargo ships of less than 500 gross tonnage'' and ``ships not
propelled by mechanical means.'' Some members of the maritime community
have confused the requirements of the ISPS Code with the requirements
of the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002 (MTSA). While the
ISPS Code and the MTSA closely parallel one another, there are several
instances where they diverge considerably. Among them are
applicability, and the requirements for documents such as ISSC and CSR.
Barges or non self-propelled vessels are not subject to SOLAS, and
therefore do not have to carry a CSR.
Clarification
We received some requests from the public and industry to clarify
certain wording in the Notice of Availability that was published in the
Federal Register February 17, 2004 (69 FR 9206). The following
clarifications are provided to assist both the public and pertinent
implementation and compliance agencies, including the Coast Guard.
``Gross Tonnage,'' means the gross tonnage measurement of the
vessel under 46 U.S.C. chapter 143 Convention measurement (referring to
International Convention on Tonnage Measurement of Ships, 1969, also
known as ITC). This parameter is also described as ``GT'' or ``GT
ITC''. It follows that any wording that refers to ``tons'' should be
read as ``tonnage.'' Also, in accordance with SOLAS definitions, the
way to refer to a passenger vessel's applicability requirement, shall
read ``more than 12 passengers'' instead of ``12 or more passengers.''
Furthermore, some definitions were mentioned in the notice and were
provided as a ready source of information. The Coast Guard has found
that they might be a potential source of confusion as it could be
interpreted that these definitions are new or revised definitions of
existing terms. To clarify this, the intent of this notice is to adhere
to the existing definitions as defined in the Maritime Transportation
Security Act of 2002 (MTSA) and SOLAS. These definitions are already
clearly defined and are applicable for the CSR Notice of Availability.
Collection of Information
This notice calls for no new collections of information under the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520). The CSR notice
[[Page 33575]]
published on February 27, 2004 [USCG-2004-17086; 69 FR 9206], proposed
modifications to two existing OMB-approved collections of information-
1625-0002 (formerly 2115-0007) and 1625-0017 (formerly 2115-0056). The
February 27, 2004, CSR notice stated that--
Certain vessels are required to carry onboard a CSR by the
solas chapter XI-1;
This requires information to be provided, by the public,
to the coast guard; and
These reporting and recordkeeping requirements are a
collection of information.
The Coast Guard did not receive any collection-of-information-
related comments to the February 27, 2004 (69 FR 9206), document. We
received approval from OMB on April 2, 2004, and April 23, 2004, for
collections 1625-0002 (form CG-6039, Application for Continuous
Synopsis Record) and 1625-0017 (form CG-6038A, Amendments to the CSR
and Index of Amendments to the CSR) respectively. As these collections
were approved on an ``emergency'' basis, they are scheduled to expire
on August 31, 2004. When this document is published, we will resubmit
these collections to OMB for three-year approval. You are not required
to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a
currently valid OMB control number.
Dated: June 7, 2004.
Joseph J. Angelo,
Director of Standards, Marine Safety, Security & Environmental
Protection.
[FR Doc. 04-13469 Filed 6-15-04; 8:45 am]
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