[Federal Register: April 22, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 77)]
[Notices]
[Page 20924-20925]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr22ap05-80]
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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
Coast Guard
[USCG-2003-16682]
Interpretations of Vessel Tonnage Measurement Regulations
AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: This notice advises the public of a recent change to Marine
Safety Center Technical Note (MTN) 01-99, Tonnage Technical Policy,
which is used for interpreting the Coast Guard?s vessel tonnage
measurement regulations. This notice advises the public on how to
obtain the recent change to the MTN, and summarizes the interpretations
included in this change.
DATES: This notice is effective on April 22, 2005.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you have questions on this notice,
call Peter Eareckson, Chief, Tonnage Division, United States Coast
Guard Marine Safety Center, (202) 366-6502. 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:
Comments
If you have comments on how the Marine Safety Center Technical Note
(MTN) on tonnage measurement may be obtained and the process by which
the MTN is periodically updated, please submit your comments,
identified by Coast Guard docket number USCG-2003-16682, to the Docket
Management Facility located at the U.S. Department of Transportation.
To avoid duplication, please use only one of the following methods:
(1) Web site: http://dms.dot.gov.
(2) Mail: Docket Management Facility, U.S. Department of
Transportation, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590-0001.
(3) Fax: (202) 493-2251.
(4) Delivery: Room PL-401 on the Plaza level of the Nassif
Building, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5
p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. The telephone
number is (202) 366-9329.
(5) Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov.
Viewing Comments and Documents
To view comments, as well as documents mentioned in this notice as
being available in the docket, go to http://dms.dot.gov at any time and
conduct a simple search using the docket number. You may also visit the
Docket Management Facility in room PL-401 on the Plaza level of the
Nassif Building, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC, between 9
a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
Background
The Coast Guard is responsible for maintaining regulations for
assigning gross and net tonnages and registered dimensions to vessels.
These regulations are found in title 46, Code of Federal Regulations
(CFR), part 69, Measurement of Vessels. A Federal Register notice
published on December 22, 2003 (68 FR 71118), describes the process by
which the Coast Guard establishes interpretations of these regulations
to respond to novel situations, on a case-by-case basis, through policy
decisions, and summarizes the interpretations in the MTN. Periodically,
these interpretations are evaluated as to their appropriateness for
incorporation into the tonnage measurement regulations.
The MTN is maintained by the Coast Guard Marine Safety Center (MSC)
and is posted on the MSC's Web site at http://www.uscg.mil/hq/msc. A
copy of the current version of the MTN is available in the docket (see
``Viewing Comments and Documents,'' above). While the MTN is intended
for use by organizations authorized to perform tonnage measurement on
behalf of the Coast Guard, the Coast Guard recognizes that it contains
information that may affect decisions on vessel designs and that the
public may benefit by our making it widely available to parties other
than authorized measurement organizations.
Change 7 to the MTN
The MSC periodically issues changes to the MTN to keep it up-to-
date with relevant policy decisions. The most recent change (Change 7)
was issued on March 29, 2005. Change 7 includes the following:
1. Clarifications on the treatment of overhanging roofs when
evaluating excludable space associated with end openings.
2. Correction of an inconsistency introduced in a previous change
to the MTN regarding treatment of partial decks.
3. Criteria for assessing when deck recesses and other
discontinuities in the uppermost complete deck and the tonnage deck
invalidate the ``stem to stern'' and ``side to side'' requirement for
such decks, or can otherwise affect the location of the line of the
respective deck.
4. Clarification of the method by which volumes of outside shaft
tunnels and other hull recesses and deck recesses are not included in
under-deck tonnage.
5. Clarification of the method of establishing offset adjustments
when calculating the under-deck tonnage of vessels with unconventional
hull forms.
6. Clarifications on the treatment of water closet spaces contained
within passenger spaces occupied by more than one person.
7. Interpretations prohibiting the exemption as passenger space of
space that rests on a break deck that is part of the uppermost complete
deck.
8. Clarifications on the treatment as open space of semi-enclosed
spaces that are outside the boundary bulkhead of a structure.
9. Interpretations relative to the treatment of exemptible water
ballast tanks that consist of contiguous but distinct spaces of varying
shapes and sizes.
10. Clarification that certain deductible spaces may be included in
tonnage upon request of the vessel owner.
11. Clarification that dry cargo and stores spaces are any spaces
not occupied by liquids or used for the accommodation or berthing of
passengers or crew.
12. Criteria for assessing when watertight bulwarks and similar
structures are included in the overall length.
[[Page 20925]]
To provide a mechanism for notification when a change to the MTN
has been issued, the MSC's web site allows members of the public to add
their e-mail addresses to an electronic mailing list for such
notification. Also, the Coast Guard will continue to notify the public
via a notice in the Federal Register of changes to the MTN that are
believed to be of significant interest to the maritime industry.
Howard L. Hime,
Acting Director of Standards Marine Safety, Security and Environmental
Protection.
[FR Doc. 05-8070 Filed 4-21-05; 8:45 am]
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