Lrit 33 Cfr 169

Tuesday,
April 29, 2008

Part II

Department of
Homeland Security
Coast Guard

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33 CFR Part 169
Long Range Identification and Tracking
of Ships; Final Rule

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Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 83 / Tuesday, April 29, 2008 / Rules and Regulations

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND
SECURITY
Coast Guard
33 CFR Part 169
[Docket No. USCG–2005–22612]
RIN 1625–AB00

Long Range Identification and
Tracking of Ships
Coast Guard, DHS.
Final rule.

AGENCY:

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ACTION:

SUMMARY: This rule requires, consistent
with international law, certain ships to
report identifying and position data
electronically. This rule implements an
amendment to chapter V of the
International Convention for the Safety
of Life at Sea (SOLAS), regulation 19–
1, and enables the Coast Guard to
correlate Long Range Identification and
Tracking (LRIT) data with data from
other sources, detect anomalies, and
heighten our overall Maritime Domain
Awareness. This rule is consistent with
the Coast Guard’s strategic goals of
maritime security and maritime safety,
and the Department’s strategic goals of
awareness, prevention, protection, and
response.
DATES: This final rule is effective May
29, 2008. The incorporation by reference
of certain publications listed in the rule
is approved by the Director of the
Federal Register on May 29, 2008.
ADDRESSES: Comments and material
received from the public, as well as
documents mentioned in this preamble
as being available in the docket, are part
of docket USCG–2005–22612 and are
available for inspection or copying at
the Docket Management Facility (M–30),
U.S. Department of Transportation,
West Building Ground Floor, Room
W12–140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE,
Washington, DC 20590, between 9 a.m.
and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday,
except Federal holidays. You may also
find this docket on the Internet at http://
www.regulations.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If
you have questions on this rule, contact
Mr. William Cairns, Office of Navigation
Systems, Coast Guard, telephone 202–
372–1557, e-mail
[email protected]. If you have
questions on viewing the docket, call
Ms. Renee V. Wright, Program Manager,
Docket Operations, telephone 202–366–
9826.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Table of Contents for Preamble
I. Acronyms
II. Regulatory History

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III. Background and Purpose
A. LRIT History—International and
Domestic
B. Description of the LRIT System
C. Discussion of Rule
IV. Discussion of Comments and Changes
From Proposed Rule
A. Ship Requirements
B. LRIT System
C. Coast Guard Resources and Enforcement
D. Summary of Changes From Proposed
Rule
V. Incorporation by Reference
VI. Regulatory Evaluation
A. Executive Order 12866
B. Small Entities
C. Assistance for Small Entities
D. Collection of Information
E. Federalism
F. Unfunded Mandates Reform Act
G. Taking of Private Property
H. Civil Justice Reform
I. Protection of Children
J. Indian Tribal Governments
K. Energy Effects
L. Technical Standards
M. Environment

I. Acronyms
AIS Automatic Identification System
ASP Application Service Provider
COTP Captain of the Port
CSP Communications Service Provider
DHS Department of Homeland
Security
DOT Department of Transportation
DSC Digital Selective Calling
EEZ Exclusive Economic Zone
GMDSS Global Maritime Distress and
Safety System
HF High Frequency
ICC Intelligence Coordination Center
IDC International Data Center
IDE International Data Exchange
IMO International Maritime
Organization
ITU International Telecommunication
Union
LRIT Long Range Identification and
Tracking
MDA Maritime Domain Awareness
MF Medium Frequency
MISLE Marine Information for Safety
and Law Enforcement
MODU Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit
MSC Maritime Safety Committee
NEPA National Environmental Policy
Act of 1969
NOA Notice of Arrival
NM Nautical Mile
NPRM Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
NTTAA National Technology Transfer
and Advancement Act
NVMC National Vessel Movement
Center
OCS Outer Continental Shelf
OMB Office of Management and
Budget
SAR Search and Rescue
SOLAS International Convention for
the Safety of Life at Sea, 1974, as
amended

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SOLAS V/19–1 SOLAS Chapter V
Regulation 19–1
SSAS Ship Security Alert System
VHF Very High Frequency
VMS Vessel Monitoring System
VTS Vessel Traffic Service
II. Regulatory History
On October 3, 2007, we published a
notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM)
entitled Long Range Identification and
Tracking of Ships in the Federal
Register (72 FR 56600). We received
seven letters commenting on the
proposed rule. No public meeting was
requested and none was held.
III. Background and Purpose
This section discusses the United
States’ involvement in the development
of the international long-range
identification and tracking (LRIT)
scheme, provides a summary of the
LRIT amendment to chapter V of the
International Convention for the Safety
of Life at Sea (SOLAS), regulation 19–
1, and describes how LRIT information
will be generated and processed.
A. LRIT History—International and
Domestic
In our NPRM published October 3,
2007, we described previous
international and domestic actions
leading to our proposal to implement
the Safety of Life at Sea Convention
(SOLAS) amendment requiring ships to
which SOLAS regulation V/19–1
applies to broadcast long-range
identification and tracking information
so that it could be received by flag
States, port States and coastal States (see
72 FR 56601–56602). Our NPRM was
published during the International
Maritime Organization (IMO) 83rd
session of the Maritime Safety
Committee (‘‘Committee’’), MSC 83,
held from October 1 to 12, 2007.
At this October meeting, the
Committee adopted Resolution
MSC.254(83), which permits the master
of a ship or the Administration (the U.S.
Coast Guard for U.S. ships) to reduce
LRIT transmissions to once per 24-hour
period or to switch off the ship-borne
LRIT equipment when the ship is
undergoing repairs in port or dry-dock
or when a ship is laid up for a long
period.
Another efficiency and cost saving
that was discussed at MSC 83 was
reducing the number of automatic LRIT
information transmissions from four (4)
per day to two (2) per day. See MSC 83/
28, Report of the MSC on its 83rd
session, pages 59 and 60 for discussion
of this issue. Reducing required
transmissions to two per day would
reduce the communications cost of

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transmissions from ship-to-Data-Center
by half. This change would likely bring
the cost of LRIT information supplied to
data centers more in line with the likely
demand of states requesting LRIT
information. The decision on this item
was deferred until MSC 84, to be held
from May 7 to 16, 2008. The Coast
Guard believes this proposal deserves
serious consideration as a cost saving
vehicle that has little, if any, adverse
impact on the maritime domain
awareness benefits to be derived from
LRIT. If the number of transmissions
required by SOLAS regulation V/19–1 is
changed by IMO action, then in a
separate rulemaking the Coast Guard
would revise the number of LRIT
transmissions required by its LRIT
regulations.
Additionally, MSC 83 adopted
Resolution MSC.242(83), reflecting its
decision that Contracting Governments
(flag States, port States and coastal
States) could request, receive, and make
use of LRIT information for safety and
marine environmental protection
purposes, in addition to maritime
security and search and rescue
purposes. For purposes of SOLAS, a
Contracting Government is a
government that has ratified, accepted,
approved, or consented by accession to
SOLAS and thus has agreed to be bound
by SOLAS. Accordingly, the Coast
Guard will use LRIT information for
those enhanced purposes in order to
carry out its multi-missions of marine
safety, security, and stewardship, but
does not believe that any addition to the
regulatory text is necessary for that
purpose.
Finally, MSC 83 decided at least
during the initial 2-year operational
period of LRIT, from January 1, 2009, to
December 31, 2010, there would not be
an International Data Center. MSC also
decided to accept the contingent offer of
the United States to build and operate
the International Data Exchange on a
temporary, interim basis until a more
permanent solution could be decided by
MSC. It also maintained the previously
decided implementation schedule for
LRIT system operation. MSC 83/28,
Report of the MSC on its 83rd session,
page 47.
We use the terms ‘‘flag State,’’ ‘‘port
State,’’ and ‘‘coastal State’’ throughout
this document. Flag State refers to the
nation whose flag the ship is entitled to
fly. Port State refers to a nation at whose
internal waters, ports, or roadsteads a
ship will call, is calling, or has called.
Coastal State refers to a nation off whose
coast a ship is transiting without calling
at its internal waters, ports, or
roadsteads. This explanation of these
three terms is provided to assist the

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reader in understanding the provisions
of this proposed rule, and is not
intended as a comprehensive definition
of those terms. Nor is it to be
understood to express a view as to the
jurisdictional competence or authority
of the nation in its capacities as a flag
State, port State, or coastal State.
B. Description of the LRIT System
The LRIT system consists of the
shipborne LRIT information
transmitting equipment,
Communications Service Providers
(CSPs), Application Service Providers
(ASPs), LRIT Data Centers, including
any related Vessel Monitoring System(s)
(VMSs), the LRIT Data Distribution Plan
and the International LRIT Data
Exchange. Certain aspects of the
performance of the LRIT system are
reviewed or audited by the LRIT
Coordinator acting on behalf of the IMO
and its Contracting Governments. For a
more detailed description of the LRIT
system, please refer to our NPRM
published October 3, 2007, in the
Federal Register (72 FR 56600).
C. Discussion of Rule
This rule requires certain ships on an
international voyage to transmit
position information using LRIT
equipment. These requirements will
appear in a new subpart to 33 CFR Part
169: Subpart C—Transmission of Long
Range Identification and Tracking
Information.
As stated in § 169.200, the purpose of
the LRIT regulations is to implement
SOLAS V/19–1 and to require certain
ships engaged on an international
voyage to transmit ship identification
and position information electronically.
The types of ships required to transmit
position reports are identified in
§ 169.205: Passenger ships, including
high-speed passenger craft, that carry
more than 12 passengers; cargo ships,
including high speed craft, of 300 gross
tonnage or more; and self-propelled
mobile offshore drilling units.
Under § 169.210, a U.S. flag ship
covered by § 169.205 must transmit
position reports at all times while
engaged on an international voyage. The
Coast Guard is implementing a SOLAS
requirement for ships covered by
§ 169.205 to transmit position reports
depending on their relationship to the
United States. The transmissions from a
foreign ship covered by § 169.205 may
be received by the U.S. once it has
announced its intention to enter a U.S.
port or place under U.S. notice of arrival
requirements in 33 CFR part 160,
subpart C. Furthermore, the Coast Guard
is entitled to receive position reports
from a foreign ship covered by § 169.205

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while navigating within 1,000 nautical
miles (nm) of the U.S. baseline, unless
the ship’s Flag Administration, under
authority of SOLAS V/19–1.9.1, has
directed the ship not to provide these
reports. ‘‘Flag Administration’’ means
the Government of the State whose flag
the ship is entitled to fly.
As noted above, many ships subject to
this rule will already have the necessary
transmission equipment because of
existing radio communications
requirements under SOLAS Chapter IV
and applicability requirements in
SOLAS I/3 and IV/1. In addition, our
definition of international voyage in
§ 169.5 will capture U.S. flag ships
calling on or operating from a foreign
port. These ships would be subject to
SOLAS XI–2/6 requirements and are
required under 33 CFR 104.297 to have
a Ship Security Alert System (SSAS)
which, like GMDSS equipment, should
allow the ship to meet LRIT
requirements without purchasing new
equipment.
LRIT implementation dates are based
on when a ship is constructed and
where it operates. The earliest LRIT
implementation date in § 169.220 would
be December 31, 2008, for ships
constructed on or after that date. Ships
constructed before December 31, 2008,
would be required to comply with LRIT
requirements by the first survey of the
ships radio installation after December
31, 2008, if the ship operates—
• Within 100 nm of the United States
baseline, or
• Within range of an Inmarsat
geostationary satellite, or other
Application Service Provider recognized
by the Administration, with which
continuous alerting is available.
An additional 6 months is provided—
until the first survey of radio
installation after July 1, 2009—for ships
constructed before December 31, 2008,
that operate both within and outside the
area or range identified immediately
above. However, those ships must meet
the earlier deadline if they operate
within that area or range on or before
the first survey of the ships radio
installation after July 1, 2009.
We do not use the term ‘‘sea area’’ in
our rule. IMO uses that term in SOLAS
V/19–1.4, regarding these installation
dates above, as well as in describing a
LRIT exemption. Instead, we have used
a ship-within-range approach
represented by set distances because the
United States has not yet defined sea
area A1 or A2, as it is permitted to do
under SOLAS IV/1.12 and 1.13
consistent with IMO Resolution
A.801(19). For the purposes of
implementing SOLAS V/19–1, we
consider the following distances as

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functional equivalents of our as-yet
undefined sea areas: within 20 nm from
the U.S. baseline as the functional
equivalent for sea area A1; and within
20 to 100 nm from the U.S. baseline as
the functional equivalent for sea area
A2.
As stated in § 169.215, LRIT
equipment must be type-approved and
meet the requirements of IMO
Resolutions A.694(17), MSC.210(81),
and MSC.254(83), and IEC standard IEC
60945. Manufacturers seeking type
approval should submit details of their
equipment to Commandant, U.S. Coast
Guard, Office of Design and Engineering
Standards (CG–521), 2100 Second
Street, SW., Washington, DC 20593–
0001. Under § 169.225, a ship must use
an Application Service Provider
recognized by its Administration. Under
§ 169.230, position reports must be
transmitted every 6 hours unless a more
frequent interval is requested remotely
by an LRIT Data Center.
As specified in § 169.240, a ship may
switch its LRIT equipment off when
permitted by its Flag Administration or
in circumstances described in SOLAS
V/19–1.7, but under § 169.245, the
ship’s master must inform the Flag
Administration without undue delay if
the LRIT equipment is switched off or
fails to operate. The reason for
switching the equipment off, along with
the duration of it being off, must be
recorded in the ship’s logbook.
An exemption from LRIT
requirements is provided in § 169.235
for warships, certain public vessels,
ships operating solely on the Great
Lakes, and ships equipped with an
operating automatic identification
system (AIS) if the AIS-equipped ship
operates only within 20 nautical miles
of the U.S. baseline.
In addition to adding subpart C, we
have also revised the general provision
in subpart A of 33 CFR part 169 by
changing the description of the purpose
of the part, adding LRIT-related
definitions in § 169.5, and adding an
‘‘Incorporation by Reference’’ section
where we incorporate the International
Convention on Tonnage Measurement of
Ships, 1969, and IMO resolutions
A.694(17), MSC.202(81), MSC.210(81),
and MSC .254(83), and IEC standard IEC
60945, related to SOLAS V/19–1 and
LRIT performance standards and
functional requirements.
IV. Discussion of Comments and
Changes From Proposed Rule
We received seven letters commenting
on the proposed rule. No public meeting
was requested and none was held.
The following is a summary of the
comments received, and the changes

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made to the regulatory text since our
proposed rule was published. We first
address comments on ship
requirements, then those that relate to
the LRIT System, and finally we address
comments related to Coast Guard
resources and enforcement.
A. Ship Requirements
Two commenters asked how LRIT
would interface or overlap with the
Automatic Identification System (AIS).
The Coast Guard does not envision LRIT
and AIS interfacing with each other.
Although the position, identification,
and time of position information will
essentially be the same in both systems,
the method of transmission is distinct.
AIS is a VHF-based system that is
limited to line-of-sight but is able to
transmit a broader data content than
LRIT. LRIT uses satellite technology that
will enable the Coast Guard to identify
and track ships in a larger geographic
area than shore-based AIS. Because AIS
data is open broadcast and is easily
obtainable, the Coast Guard may not
need LRIT information while a ship is
in port; however, the process to stop
and re-start LRIT transmissions within
the LRIT system is not cost-effective
unless the ship will not be transmitting
for an extended period of time. As the
majority of ships required to transmit
position reports are expected to be
larger cargo and passenger vessels that
typically make short-duration port calls,
it may be more cost-effective to continue
LRIT transmissions. Unless ships are
exempt from LRIT through § 169.235(a),
there remains a need for SOLAS ships
subject to this rule to report LRIT
information.
One commenter noted that the rule
should address vessels that have a
coastwise or an inland route, such as
ferries that cross the international
boundary between the U.S. and Canada.
The Coast Guard disagrees. As
previously mentioned, § 169.235(a)
states ships fitted with a functional AIS
and operating only within 20 nm of the
United States baseline are exempt from
LRIT reporting per SOLAS V/19–1.
Furthermore, ships operating
exclusively on the Great Lakes are
exempt from LRIT reporting under
§ 169.235(c). These two exceptions
would cover the majority of ferries that
cross the international boundary
between the U.S. and Canada.
The same commenter asked if a
‘‘sufficient’’ report would be generated
when LRIT equipment is switched on,
as described in the rulemaking, on a
voyage of less than 6 hours. A vessel on
an international voyage of less than 6
hours that is covered under § 169.205
must keep its LRIT type-approved

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equipment switched on during the
entire international voyage. If the LRIT
equipment has been switched off, when
it is switched on it should send a report
if the last report it sent is more than 6
hours old. If its LRIT equipment is
functioning normally, the vessel would
satisfy the LRIT reporting requirements
during its voyage. Also, the vessel’s
LRIT equipment must respond if polled,
even during a less-than-6-hour
international voyage.
Two commenters perceived this rule
required certain operators on coastal
and inland voyages, specifically relating
to sea areas A1 or A2, who have not yet
been mandated to purchase Global
Maritime Distress and Safety System
(GMDSS) equipment to purchase LRIT
equipment. The Coast Guard disagrees.
In the examples given, the Coast Guard
would expect that most of these ships
would be operating within sea area A1
once it is declared and as such, would
be exempt from LRIT requirements.
SOLAS V/19–1 exempts ships fitted
with an AIS and operated exclusively
within sea area A1. For the purposes of
this regulation, we have interpreted sea
area A1 to be functionally equivalent to
20 nm, which is within VHF range of
the coast.
As specified in § 169.235(a), ships
operating AIS and that operate only
within 20 nm of the U.S. baseline are
exempt from LRIT. As the U.S. has not
yet declared sea areas A1 or A2, that
terminology was specifically avoided in
this rule. However, ships that will be
required under GMDSS rules to
purchase GMDSS equipment for sea
areas A2 if and when it is declared,
operating outside of VHF range of the
coast and beyond 20 nm of the U.S.
baseline, will need to carry LRIT
compliant equipment.
One commenter requested the
regulation to address the issue of
permission and allowable times for
LRIT equipment to be switched off, with
specific provisions for Mobile Off-shore
Drilling Units (MODUs) that are
undergoing repairs in a foreign port or
drydocked or in laid-up status. The
Coast Guard has modified the final rule
to explain when LRIT equipment may
be switched off. At its 83rd session, the
IMO Maritime Safety Committee (MSC)
addressed this issue. The MSC agreed
that, for ships undergoing repairs in port
or drydock or when laid up, the master
of the ship should be allowed to switch
off the LRIT equipment. Accordingly,
MSC issued Resolution MSC.254(83) to
reflect this as a change to the LRIT
Performance Standards and Functional
Requirements. We revised § 169.240 in
the final rule to include this

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requirement and incorporated
Resolution MSC.254(83) by reference.
One commenter recommended
provisions be added to the regulation
that clarify how and when a U.S. vessel,
in particular a MODU, is to provide
notice and/or obtain authorization to
switch off its LRIT equipment. In
§ 169.205(c), the rule clearly states that
MODUs are required to transmit LRIT
information when ‘‘underway and not
engaged in drilling operations.’’
Furthermore, § 169.240 of this final rule
permits ships to switch off their LRIT
equipment in exigent circumstances as
authorized under SOLAS V/19–1.7.2.
Prior authorization to switch off LRIT
equipment on a U.S. flag ship on an
international voyage is required in all
circumstances not covered by § 169.240.
All ships subject to this rule that have
been given authority to switch off their
LRIT equipment must provide a timely
notification to the Coast Guard in
accordance with § 169.245.
One commenter suggested the Coast
Guard clarify who is responsible for
notification of failures of data
transmissions due to equipment
problems, blocking of satellite signals
and changing of satellite ocean regions,
and as a result of Communication
Service Providers. The Coast Guard
disagrees that such clarification is
necessary in the final rule. The LRIT
system design, specifically the
interconnection protocols between ships
and its host Data Center, should be able
to identify where LRIT transmissions
are dropped. The LRIT communications
protocols address this issue, and
§ 169.245 specifically requires a ship
master to report if the ship’s LRIT
equipment fails to operate.
One commenter recommended that
the regulations state that vessel owners
and operators may share the LRIT
position reports with other parties. The
Coast Guard disagrees. Access to LRIT
information is only through the SOLAS
Contracting Government. The SOLAS
regulation specifically requires
Contracting Governments to recognize
and respect the commercial
confidentiality and sensitivity of LRIT
information. Permitting the sharing of
LRIT position reports, as suggested by
the commenter, would be contrary to
the SOLAS regulation.
Four commenters expressed concern
regarding estimated equipment upgrade
costs and suggested the cost to purchase
and train on new GMDSS equipment
could be prohibitive to small passenger
vessels. They stated that the 25 cents
per position report estimated cost in the
NPRM incurred by the Coast Guard does
not reflect all costs in implementing
LRIT. The Coast Guard disagrees. Except

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in the limited instances noted below,
the LRIT rulemaking is not imposing a
new equipment carriage requirement.
Because of existing GMDSS equipment
requirements, most vessels will be able
to utilize existing equipment to meet
LRIT requirements. Although the LRIT
architecture is based upon GMDSS
equipment or equivalent LRIT
information transmitting equipment, it
does not require full GMDSS
capabilities to satisfy LRIT. Ships that
are exempt from the GMDSS equipment
carriage requirements should also be
exempt from the LRIT requirements,
based on their limited areas of
operation. In what we believe would be
the rare event that a ship operator will
need to replace older equipment to
satisfy LRIT, that equipment is available
from at least one top-of-the-line
manufacturer for around $3,000. Any
ship with older GMDSS equipment that
needs replacement will already have
trained GMDSS operators on board.
These operators would be familiar with
GMDSS-based LRIT equipment.
Therefore, we did not estimate any
additional training costs for this rule.
Furthermore, LRIT operations are
envisioned to be automatic and should
not require intervention by shipboard
personnel.
Two commenters stated that problems
inherent with the GMDSS system would
not increase Maritime Domain
Awareness (MDA). The benefit of
having LRIT along with Vessel Traffic
Service (VTS), AIS and other programs
that identify and track ships is that it
offers layers of information that can
serve to confirm or identify anomalies,
thus improving MDA. Concerns related
to GMDSS, in general, are beyond the
scope of this rulemaking.
Two commenters also noted that
GMDSS reporting is a time consuming
part of watches and diverts attention
from more important tasks. The Coast
Guard disagrees. LRIT is not expected to
have any impact on shipboard
personnel in terms of crew workload.
LRIT information is sent automatically
and involves no routine human
intervention.
Two commenters recommend an LRIT
exemption for VTS monitored voyages,
as well as AIS equipped vessels that
should remain in effect after the U.S.
establishes sea areas A1 and A2. The
Coast Guard agrees to some extent, and
notes that an exemption is already in
place. Ships covered by § 169.205 that
operate solely in VTS areas are generally
within 20 nm of the U.S. baseline and
therefore, if fitted with AIS, would be
exempt from LRIT under § 169.235(a).
However, AIS-equipped ships covered
by § 169.205 that operate beyond 20 nm

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of the U.S. baseline fall outside of the
§ 169.235(a) exception, and are therefore
required to transmit LRIT position
reports while under VTS monitoring.
One commenter expressed concern
that the LRIT NPRM background section
suggests submittals via the Coast
Guard’s National Vessel Movement
Center’s (NVMC) existing Notice of
Arrival (NOA) System in the absence of
an International Data Center (IDC), and
also noted NOA requires manual
submission while LRIT will be
automatic submissions. The Coast
Guard does not view the IDC as a
critical element in the LRIT system. In
the absence of an IDC, ships may be
associated with another National,
Regional, or Cooperative Data Center.
The conditional change referenced in
the preamble of the NPRM was based on
IMO implementation dates being
pushed further into the future. That has
not occurred. Ships must transmit
position reports as required by this rule.
If a ship covered by this rule has
submitted a notice of arrival and the
United States is not receiving its LRIT
data at required intervals, the ship will
likely be notified by a Captain of the
Port (COTP) that there may be a delay
in its regulated access to the port
because required position reports are
not being received.
One commenter was concerned about
the use of NOA for position reports. The
Coast Guard acknowledges this concern,
and as previously noted, SOLAS
implementation dates have not been
pushed further into the future.
Therefore, this final rule is not requiring
the use of NOA as a replacement for
LRIT-transmitted position reports. The
absence of an additional requirement in
this rule, however, does not prevent a
COTP, under authority reflected in 33
CFR 160.111, from ordering necessary
information from a specific ship covered
by this rule and headed for a U.S. port
or place if the United States is not
receiving LRIT data from that ship.
B. LRIT System
One commenter requested the
regulation specifically state that satellite
position reports will be paid by the
Coast Guard. The Coast Guard does not
believe this is necessary, given the rule’s
incorporation by reference of IMO
Resolution MSC.202(81), which
contains the provision that Contracting
Governments will not impose any
charges on ships in relation to the LRIT
tracking information they may seek to
receive. SOLAS V/19–1.11.1.
One commenter asked how the LRIT
system would work without an IDC.
MSC 83 decided not to establish an IDC.
The Coast Guard has determined that in

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the absence of an IDC, all SOLAS
Contracting Governments will need to
associate their ships with a National,
Regional, or Cooperative Data Center.
One commenter suggested the Coast
Guard address how it will handle the
issue of flag States that do not have an
operational data center and have
decided not to make use of the U.S.
system. The Coast Guard recognizes that
the international LRIT system is
dependent on each SOLAS Contracting
Government establishing an LRIT data
center and ensuring that position
reports from its ships entitled to fly its
Flag may be accessed by other Data
Centers through the International LRIT
Data Exchange. This rule, however, is
directed at ships, not at other
governments. As noted above, if the
United States does not receive LRIT data
from a ship covered by this rule that is
headed to a U.S. port or place, then a
COTP could exercise full regulatory
authority over individual ships in order
to protect the safety and security of his
or her port.
One commenter expressed concern
about how the IDE and LRIT system
would function after January 1, 2010.
The agreement reached at MSC 83 was
for the U.S. to operate the IDE on a
temporary interim basis until January
2010. In the interim, MSC must decide
on an alternative arrangement, i.e.,
another Administration or commercial
entity to build, host, operate, and
maintain the IDE. If MSC is unable to
decide on such an alternative, the U.S.
will need to determine if it can continue
its temporary operation of the IDE.
One commenter requested that
§ 169.210 specify transmission of
reports shall continue until such time as
the vessel departs the U.S. Exclusive
Economic Zone (EEZ) or Outer
Continental Shelf (OCS) on an outbound
international voyage. The Coast Guard
disagrees. The SOLAS regulation is
silent on the issue of a ship departing
a port, and the commenter also noted
the rule specifies when a vessel must
begin transmitting but does not indicate
when the transmissions may cease.
However, the SOLAS regulation and
performance standards and functional
requirements incorporated by reference
contemplate LRIT transmissions every
six (6) hours and when polled. This
requirement is not dependent on
whether the ship is entering or
departing port. Once a ship has left port,
a Contracting Government is entitled to
track the ship within 1,000 nm of its
coast, unless specifically denied by the
ship’s Flag Administration, or until that
ship has entered the internal waters of
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The same commenter requested the
Coast Guard add the definitions of EEZ
and OCS to § 169.5. The Coast Guard
disagrees. Neither the term EEZ nor OCS
is contained in that SOLAS regulation,
nor do they have any bearing on that
regulation or this rulemaking. This rule
implements SOLAS V/19–1.8.1.3, which
entitles a Contracting Government to
receive position reports from foreign
vessels operating within 1,000 nm of its
coast, irrespective of its location relative
to the EEZ or OCS. Therefore, we see no
need to define those terms in this rule.
One commenter stated that § 169.210
should clarify the rule to include vessels
that intend to work on the U.S. OCS but
not enter the territorial sea, vessels that
intend to lighter cargoes offshore, or
other ‘‘hovering vessels’’. The Coast
Guard disagrees that such clarification
is necessary in the rule. The Coast
Guard believes these ships are
considered to be on an international
voyage. As stated in § 169.205 and
reflected in the heading of § 169.210,
this final rule applies to ships engaged
on an international voyage. If these OCS
locations are within 1,000 nm of the
U.S. baseline, then § 169.210(c) makes it
clear that the Coast Guard is entitled to
receive position reports based on the
ship’s location relative to U.S. coast
(i.e., coastal State relationship). Further,
§ 169.210(b) makes it clear that United
States has a port State relationship to a
ship that has submitted a NOA under 33
CFR part 160, subpart C, and therefore
the Coast Guard has authority to require
position reports. This rule does not
change those NOA requirements in part
160 that are based on a ship going to a
U.S. ‘‘port or place of destination.’’
Under either relationship, foreign flag
ships engaged on an international
voyage, such as those identified by the
commenter, would be required to
transmit position reports, as would a
U.S. flag ship on an international
voyage.
One commenter requested that the
regulation address the ‘‘non-mandatory’’
requirement imposed by the
Commander, Eighth Coast Guard
District, which mandates installation of
‘‘locating devices’’ on all MODUs, both
self propelled and non-self propelled,
while operating in the U.S. Gulf of
Mexico, and suggested LRIT replace that
requirement. The Coast Guard disagrees.
The LRIT system and these regulations,
and the Eighth District voluntary system
to which this comment refers, are
designed to serve two distinct and
different capabilities. Furthermore,
these regulations pertain only to selfpropelled MODUs and the Eight District
voluntary program pertains to all
MODUs. Therefore, the need for the

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Eighth District voluntary program will
not be eliminated by the LRIT system or
the LRIT information that results.
The Eighth Coast Guard District
voluntary requirement relates to ships
and facilities subject to 33 CFR chapter
I subchapter N (Outer Continental Shelf
Activities). The reporting requirements
facilitate the Coast Guard’s ability to
obtain limited access to MODU position
information once a storm has passed
through the MODU area of operation.
The position reporting requirement
provides an essential part of the Eighth
District’s ability to prepare for, and
respond to, hurricanes and other natural
disasters. The position reporting
requirement is intended to maximize
severe weather response preparation
and Maritime Domain Awareness of our
OCS in order to ensure a successful
response effort. This initiative utilizes
transponder equipment and is
considered an industry ‘‘best practice.’’
The technology and equipment provides
real time MODU location tracking
capability. It is vital to the Coast Guard’s
and the drilling industry’s shared
success to limit environmental and
property damage caused by MODU loss
of station-keeping ability (dragging
anchors across and damaging undersea
pipelines on the seabed as a result of the
hurricane being a prime example).
In addition, real time access to this
position information is vitally important
to mutual initial response efforts (e.g.,
having the last known position of a
MODU if it sank). The Eighth District
initiative allows access to such
information from all types of MODU’s
and offshore facilities, whereas, the
LRIT regulations are limited to selfpropelled MODU’s. Furthermore,
§ 169.205(c) only requires position
reports from MODU’s that are actually
underway on an international voyage.
Because of the foregoing dissimilarities
between the Eighth District voluntary
program and the LRIT regulation, the
Coast Guard does not agree that LRIT
can be an effective substitute for the
Eighth District voluntary program.
One commenter stated that the LRIT
exemption for vessels operating within
20 nm of land with properly operating
AIS is somewhat confusing and
suggested it may be clearer to state for
vessels that may otherwise be required
to operate an LRIT system, the operation
of such a system is not required for
vessels when operating within 20 nm of
the baseline or within the internal
waters of the U.S. The Coast Guard
disagrees. The AIS exemption under
§ 169.235(a) applies only to ships
certified for operation within 20 nm of
the coast, and is derived from the
SOLAS regulation that exempts ships

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operating solely in sea area A1.
Therefore, the AIS exemption does not
apply when a ship enters from seaward
the area within 20 nm of the coast, or
otherwise operates beyond 20 nm from
the coast.
One commenter recommended the
Coast Guard recognize the added MDA
value already provided by the
Automated Secure Vessel Tracking
System to vessels that voluntarily
provide more frequent polling by
allowing partial relief from the Notice of
Arrival updating requirements. The
Coast Guard disagrees. Specifically
identifying a system operated by a
commercial entity outside of the LRIT
paradigm is inappropriate when it does
not meet the LRIT performance
standards and functional requirements.
Additionally, data exchanges with the
NOA system are outside the scope of
this rulemaking. We are not changing
NOA requirements in this rulemaking
since LRIT does not satisfy NOA update
report requirements.
C. Coast Guard Resources and
Enforcement
One commenter noted the regulation
made no reference to penalties imposed
upon vessels that are required to
transmit LRIT data but fail to do so, and
also asked if the Coast Guard planned to
intercept such vessels. This regulation is
issued under the authority of 46 U.S.C.
70115 and 33 U.S.C. 1231; these statutes
provide for civil and criminal penalties
for violation of the statute or regulations
promulgated under them by persons
subject to the statute and regulation. See
46 U.S.C. 70119 (civil penalty of
$25,000 per day of violation) and 70120
(in rem liability of the vessel for the
civil penalty and certain costs), and 33
U.S.C. 1232 (civil penalty of $25,000 per
day, indexed for inflation and currently
$32,500 per day, liable in rem against
the ship; knowing and willful violations
constitute a class D felony; and denial
of entry).
To ensure effective compliance, the
Coast Guard will develop and
implement a compliance strategy that
includes enforcement in appropriate
cases. As with all new requirements,
this compliance strategy will include
elements of education of the regulated
public supplemented by use of our civil
penalty authority and, in the event of a
knowing and willful violation, we will
consider referring the matter to the
Department of Justice for criminal
prosecution.
The most important goal of this
regulation is to obtain compliance so
that the Coast Guard achieves maritime
domain awareness and is able to detect
anomalies and take measures to satisfy

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its mission to protect the safety and
security of our ports and waterways. For
example, if a ship that is arriving at a
U.S. port has submitted an advance
notice of arrival but its LRIT
information has not been received, the
COTP will be notified. Taking this and
other information into account, the
COTP may exercise various enforcement
options including, when and if
necessary, holding the ship offshore in
U.S. territorial seas until it can be
boarded and checked for security
concerns.
One commenter expressed concern
about the impact of a large number of
LRIT transmissions on the Coast Guard’s
staffing capacity and asked if the costbenefit analysis included increased
recruitment and staffing needs. The
Coast Guard does not anticipate a need
for an increase in Coast Guard staffing
as a result of this rulemaking. The LRIT
information collection and
dissemination within the Coast Guard
will be automated as much as possible.
There are already USCG systems in
place for displaying this type of
information and we are planning to
incorporate the LRIT information into
those systems.
One commenter asked several
questions concerning ship-by-ship
inspections of LRIT equipment. The first
question asked whether inspections
would require more specialized training
of inspectors and whether additional
inspectors would be required. The Coast
Guard does not envision the need for
more specialization in order to conduct
inspections of ships carrying LRIT
equipment. In many cases, this
equipment will be the same as currently
installed on SOLAS ships to satisfy
GMDSS requirements, which will
implement some degree of remote
testing capability. We do not anticipate
a need to increase the number of
inspectors.
The commenter’s next question asked
what the inspection would entail. The
Coast Guard expects the inspection of
LRIT equipment to follow a similar
inspection as currently required for
GMDSS equipment.
The commenter’s final question
pertained to the length of time afforded
to operators to fix problems with LRIT
equipment. Coast Guard inspectors will
work with vessel operators to determine
a reasonable length of time needed to
correct discrepancies. In making this
determination, Coast Guard inspectors
typically consider the details of the
deficiency found, the ability and/or
availability of personnel to affect
corrective action, along with the
availability of parts. As the LRIT system
comes online and as new ships are

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entered into the system, the Coast Guard
envisions utilizing a contract with a
third party to verify the capability of
shipboard LRIT equipment and its
ability to meet LRIT performance
standards.
D. Summary of Changes From Proposed
Rule
This is a summary of changes from
the proposed rule. We revised §§ 169.15,
169.215 and 169.240 to reflect the
incorporation by reference of IMO
Resolution MSC.254(83) regarding the
master of a ship being allowed to switch
off the ship’s LRIT equipment when the
ship is undergoing repairs in port or
drydock or when the ship is laid up.
In § 169.5, our definition of ‘‘gross
tonnage’’ remains the same as proposed
in the NPRM, with the exception that at
the end we note that we have
incorporated the International
Convention on Tonnage Measurement of
Ships, 1969, by reference. We also
referenced this tonnage convention in
§ 169.15, which lists materials
incorporated by reference.
Finally, we revised the informational
note in § 169.245 to identify the U.S.
Coast Guard—and not a unit of the
Coast Guard—as the Flag
Administration whom U.S. ship masters
notify when LRIT equipment is
switched off, fails to operate, or
regarding any other LRIT-related
matters. All LRIT notifications for the
U.S. Flag Administration, in addition to
requests or questions about LRIT,
should be communicated to the U.S.
Coast Guard by e-mail addressed to
[email protected]. If an additional means
of communicating with the Coast Guard
is established (e.g., phone number), we
will revise the informational note in
§ 169.245 to reflect this change.
V. Incorporation by Reference
The Director of the Federal Register
has approved the material in §§ 169.5,
169.215 and 169.240 for incorporation
by reference under 5 U.S.C. 552 and 1
CFR part 51. Copies of the material are
available from the sources listed in
§ 169.15.
VI. Regulatory Evaluation
We developed this rule after
considering numerous statutes and
executive orders related to rulemaking.
Below we summarize our analysis based
on 13 of these statutes or executive
orders.
A. Executive Order 12866
This rule is not a ‘‘significant
regulatory action’’ under section 3(f) of
Executive Order 12866, Regulatory
Planning and Review, and does not

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require an assessment of potential costs
and benefits under section 6(a)(3) of that
Order. The Office of Management and
Budget has not reviewed it under that
Order.
A final Regulatory Evaluation follows:
The Maritime Transportation Security
Act, authorized the Coast Guard under
the Department of Homeland Security
Delegation No. 0170.1, to implement the
use of LRIT for U.S. and foreign flag
ships off the U.S. coastlines that are
equipped with GMDSS, i.e.,
INMARSAT–C, or equivalent satellite
technology. The carriage requirement
for this equipment for foreign flag
vessels is contained in the SOLAS
Convention, 1974, as amended, and in
47 CFR part 80 for U.S. flag vessels.
When implemented, LRIT, as an
amendment to SOLAS, will enhance
overall maritime domain awareness by
providing the United States, as a
Contracting Government to SOLAS,
with the identities and current location
information of vessels that are within
1,000 nm of the U.S. baseline, which
includes vessels that may be in innocent
passage or on the high seas. As an
ancillary benefit, LRIT may also assist
the Coast Guard in the area of search
and rescue by reducing the response
time to the location of vessels in
distress.
This rule will affect U.S. and foreign
flag SOLAS vessels that transit
internationally. LRIT will affect vessels
engaged on international voyages and
would include passenger vessels
carrying more than 12 passengers
including high-speed craft, cargo ships
300 gross tonnage or more including
high-speed craft, and self-propelled
mobile offshore drilling units.
The equipment necessary to transmit
LRIT data is not a new carriage
requirement under this rule. With few
exceptions, ships required to transmit
LRIT information will not need to
purchase new LRIT equipment. The
affected U.S. flag vessel population is
already required to carry the requisite
GMDSS equipment onboard, as defined
in 47 CFR part 80. This equipment
should be operable and capable of
transmitting a vessel’s position
automatically that meets the
performance standards in IMO
Resolutions MSC.210(81) and
MSC.254(83) and that can transmit LRIT
data as detailed in the ‘‘Description of
the LRIT System,’’ Section III.B, above.
The Coast Guard also envisioned LRIT
to be backward compatible with existing
equipment onboard vessels and we do
not have any data to suggest otherwise.
We estimate that approximately 15
percent of U.S. flag vessels (about 70 out
of the estimated 450) may need some

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type of equipment enhancement. Of that
15 percent, we estimate that two-thirds
(about 47 of the 450 vessels) may need
software or firmware upgrades in order
to satisfy the LRIT requirement. There
may be little to no cost for this activity
as at least one manufacturer offers the
software upgrades for free. Furthermore,
we estimate that the remaining onethird (about 23 out of the 450 vessels)
may need equipment upgrades (such as
new GMDSS satellite communications
equipment for example) in order to
satisfy the LRIT requirement and may
incur minimal costs as a result of this
rule. We estimate the cost for a new
GMDSS or equivalent satellite unit for
LRIT to be around $3,000. If new units
were needed on only 23 U.S. flag
vessels, then the equipment cost
incurred by industry would be less than
$70,000 to fulfill the LRIT requirement.
The Coast Guard anticipates that
crews will not have to engage in
activities outside of their normal duties
in order to comply with the LRIT
requirement. The only requirement for
each vessel is to have the GMDSS
activated and transmitting LRIT
information when the vessel is
underway so its position can be
reported automatically.
Contracting Governments that are
entitled to request and receive the LRIT
information will be required to pay for
this service. The United States, as a
Contracting Government, will incur the
cost for vessels that transit within 1,000
nautical miles of the U.S. coastline that
transmit their position signals to a data
center that collects the information.
Based on information from the Coast
Guard’s Intelligence Coordination
Center (ICC) and Marine Information for
Safety and Law Enforcement (MISLE)
data, we estimate that 3,000 vessels
transit within 1,000 nautical miles of
the U.S. coastlines on any given day and
would be affected by this rule. To obtain
the U.S. flag population of vessels, we
utilized the Coast Guard’s MISLE
database and searched vessels that are
SOLAS-certificated and that have an
‘‘ocean’’ route designation. Of the
approximately 3,000 vessels that ICC
estimated, approximately 450 are U.S.
flag vessels and the remaining balance
is foreign flag vessels that transit
internationally.
The LRIT equipment will require a
one-time activation and will remain on
unless switched off as permitted by the
vessel’s Flag Administration, in
circumstances detailed in SOLAS V/19–
1.7, or in paragraph 4.4.1, of resolution
MSC.210(81), as amended by resolution
MSC.254(83). Once the crew activates
the onboard equipment, information
will be transmitted automatically from

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the vessel to an LRIT Data Center. More
information on the LRIT System can be
found in the ‘‘Description of the LRIT
System,’’ Section III.C, of the NPRM.
Based on the SOLAS LRIT
amendments, one transmission will be
made every six hours, or four times a
day, 365 days a year. A covered U.S. flag
ship on international voyages is
required to make transmissions in
accordance with this schedule,
including during routine port calls,
until the international voyage
terminates at a U.S. port. Likewise, a
covered foreign flag ship that calls on a
U.S. port must make transmissions in
accordance with this schedule, also
while in U.S. port, and the Coast Guard
is entitled to continue to receive
position reports until the ship has
proceeded beyond 1,000 nm of the U.S.
baseline or enters the territorial seas of
another Contracting Government. Based
on the foregoing, we estimate that
foreign flag vessels would make
approximately 10,200 transmissions per
day (2,550 vessels × 4 transmissions per
day) for a total of 3,723,000
transmissions per year (2,550 vessels ×
4 transmissions per day × 365 days per
year). We estimate that U.S. flag vessels
would make approximately 1,800
transmissions per day (450 vessels × 4
transmissions per day) for a total of
657,000 transmissions per year (450
vessels × 4 transmissions per day × 365
days per year). The Coast Guard’s Office
of Navigation Systems estimates that
each transmission would cost the U.S.
Government $0.25, or even less if
transmissions are purchased in bulk.
We estimate that the U.S. Government
will incur data transmission costs of
approximately $930,750 (3,723,000
transmissions × $0.25 per transmission)
annually from foreign flag vessels and
$164,250 (657,000 transmissions × $0.25
per transmission) annually from U.S.
vessels for a total annual cost of
$1,095,000.
B. Small Entities
Under the Regulatory Flexibility Act
(5 U.S.C. 601–612), we have considered
whether this rule would have a
significant economic impact on a
substantial number of small entities.
The term ‘‘small entities’’ comprises
small businesses, not-for-profit
organizations that are independently
owned and operated and are not
dominant in their fields, and
governmental jurisdictions with
populations of less than 50,000.
We have reviewed this rule for
potential economic impacts on small
entities. Since the U.S. Government will
incur costs associated with the
transmission of information from a

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vessel to the United States and we
estimate that any equipment upgrade
cost that may be incurred by a ship
would be no more than $3,000 and that
less than 23 ships would require such
upgrades, the Coast Guard certifies
under 5 U.S.C. 605(b) that this final rule
will not have a significant economic
impact on a substantial number of small
entities.

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C. Assistance for Small Entities
Under section 213(a) of the Small
Business Regulatory Enforcement
Fairness Act of 1996 (Pub. L. 104–121),
we want to assist small entities in
understanding this rule so that they can
better evaluate its effects on them and
participate in the rulemaking. If you
think that this rule would affect your
small business, organization, or
governmental jurisdiction and you have
questions concerning these provisions
or options for compliance, please
consult with the Coast Guard personnel
listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT section of this rule. Note, the
Coast Guard will not retaliate against
small entities that question or complain
about this rule or any policy or action
of the Coast Guard.
Small businesses may send comments
on the actions of Federal employees
who enforce, or otherwise determine
compliance with, Federal regulations to
the Small Business and Agriculture
Regulatory Enforcement Ombudsman
and the Regional Small Business
Regulatory Fairness Boards. The
Ombudsman evaluates these actions
annually and rates each agency’s
responsiveness to small business. If you
wish to comment on actions by
employees of the Coast Guard, call 1–
888–REG–FAIR (1–888–734–3247).
D. Collection of Information
This rule will call for a collection of
information under the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501–
3520). As defined in 5 CFR 1320.3(c),
‘‘collection of information’’ comprises
reporting, recordkeeping, monitoring,
posting, labeling, and other, similar
actions. The title and description of the
information collections, a description of
those who must collect the information,
and an estimate of the total annual
burden follow.
Title: Enhanced Maritime Domain
Awareness via Electronic Transmission
of Vessel Transit Data.
OMB Control Number: 1625–new.
Summary of the Collection of
Information: Certain vessels will
periodically report identity and position
data electronically.
Need for Information: LRIT will
enhance security by providing the

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United States with the identities and
current location of vessels off its coast.
The United States will then have
sufficient time to evaluate the security
risk posed by a vessel and then respond,
if necessary, to reduce the risk of a
possible security threat. In addition,
there will also be an immediate safety
benefit by enhancing the information
available to SAR services. Accurate
information on the location of a vessel
in distress as well as vessels in the area
that could lend assistance will save
valuable response time to affect a timely
rescue.
Proposed Use of Information: Provide
the United States with identity and
current location data for a vessel off its
coast and assess whether there is a
security risk or to assist rescue
coordination centers response to a
vessel in distress.
Description of the Respondents:
Owners/operators of U.S. flag ships that
trade internationally.
Number of Respondents:
Approximately 450 vessels.
Frequency of Response: A one-time
GMDSS LRIT system initialization for
each vessel, subsequent annual system
check, and occasional logbook entries
when a ship master switches off the
LRIT equipment or the LRIT equipment
fails to operate.
Burden of Response: 20 minutes per
vessel.
Estimate of Total Annual Burden: 150
hours.
As required by the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C.
3507(d)), we have submitted a copy of
this rule to OMB for its review of the
collection of information. OMB has not
yet completed its review of this
collection. Therefore, §§ 169.215,
169.230 and 169.245 in this rule may
not be enforced until this collection is
approved by OMB. We will publish
notice in the Federal Register of OMB’s
decision to approve, modify, or
disapprove the collection.
You need not respond to a collection
of information unless it displays a
currently valid control number from
OMB.
E. Federalism
A rule has implications for federalism
under Executive Order 13132,
Federalism, if it has a substantial direct
effect on State or local governments and
would either preempt State law or
impose a substantial direct cost of
compliance on them. We have analyzed
this rule under that Order and have
determined that it does not have
implications for federalism.
It is well settled that States may not
regulate in categories reserved for

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regulation by the Coast Guard. It is also
well settled that all of the categories
covered in 46 U.S.C. 3306, 3703, 7101,
and 8101 (design, construction,
alteration, repair, maintenance,
operation, equipping, personnel
qualification, and manning of vessels),
as well as the reporting of casualties and
any other category in which Congress
intended the Coast Guard to be the sole
source of a vessel’s obligations, are
within the field foreclosed from
regulation by the States. See the
decision of the Supreme Court in the
consolidated cases of United States v.
Locke and Intertanko v. Locke, 529 U.S.
89, 120 S.Ct. 1135, March 6, 2000.
The requirements in this rule that
certain ships on international voyages
have and operate LRIT equipment that
meets international performance
standards fall into the categories of
equipping ships and operating that
equipment. Because the States may not
regulate within these categories,
preemption under Executive Order
13132 is not an issue.
F. Unfunded Mandates Reform Act
The Unfunded Mandates Reform Act
of 1995 (2 U.S.C. 1531–1538) requires
Federal agencies to assess the effects of
their discretionary regulatory actions. In
particular, the Act addresses actions
that may result in the expenditure by a
State, local, or tribal government, in the
aggregate, or by the private sector of
$100,000,000 or more in any one year.
Though this rule will not result in such
an expenditure, we do discuss the
effects of this rule elsewhere in this
preamble.
G. Taking of Private Property
This rule will not effect a taking of
private property or otherwise have
taking implications under Executive
Order 12630, Governmental Actions and
Interference with Constitutionally
Protected Property Rights.
H. Civil Justice Reform
This rule meets applicable standards
in sections 3(a) and 3(b)(2) of Executive
Order 12988, Civil Justice Reform, to
minimize litigation, eliminate
ambiguity, and reduce burden.
I. Protection of Children
We have analyzed this rule under
Executive Order 13045, Protection of
Children from Environmental Health
Risks and Safety Risks. This rule is not
an economically significant rule and
does not create an environmental risk to
health or risk to safety that may
disproportionately affect children.

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J. Indian Tribal Governments
This rule does not have tribal
implications under Executive Order
13175, Consultation and Coordination
with Indian Tribal Governments,
because it does not have a substantial
direct effect on one or more Indian
tribes, on the relationship between the
Federal Government and Indian tribes,
or on the distribution of power and
responsibilities between the Federal
Government and Indian tribes.

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K. Energy Effects
We have analyzed this rule under
Executive Order 13211, Actions
Concerning Regulations That
Significantly Affect Energy Supply,
Distribution, or Use. We have
determined that it is not a ‘‘significant
energy action’’ under that order because
it is not a ‘‘significant regulatory action’’
under Executive Order 12866 and is not
likely to have a significant adverse effect
on the supply, distribution, or use of
energy. The Administrator of the Office
of Information and Regulatory Affairs
has not designated it as a significant
energy action. Therefore, it does not
require a Statement of Energy Effects
under Executive Order 13211.
L. Technical Standards
The National Technology Transfer
and Advancement Act (NTTAA) (15
U.S.C. 272 note) directs agencies to use
voluntary consensus standards in their
regulatory activities unless the agency
provides Congress, through the Office of
Management and Budget, with an
explanation of why using these
standards would be inconsistent with
applicable law or otherwise impractical.
Voluntary consensus standards are
technical standards (e.g., specifications
of materials, performance, design, or
operation; test methods; sampling
procedures; and related management
systems practices) that are developed or
adopted by voluntary consensus
standards bodies.
This rule uses the following technical
standards:
• IEC 60945, Fourth edition 2002–08,
Maritime navigation and
radiocommunication equipment and
systems—General requirements—
Methods of testing and required test
results.
• IMO Resolution MSC.202(81),
adopted on May 19, 2006, Adoption of
Amendments to the International
Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea,
1974, as Amended.
• IMO Resolution MSC.210(81),
adopted May 19, 2006, Performance
Standards and Functional Requirements
for the Long-Range Identification and
Tracking of Ships.

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• IMO Resolution MSC.254(83),
adopted October 12, 2007, Adoption of
Amendments to the Performance
Standards and Functional Requirements
for the Long-Range Identification and
Tracking of Ships.
• IMO Resolution A.694(17), adopted
November 6, 1991, General
Requirements for Shipborne Radio
Equipment Forming Part of the Global
Maritime Distress and Safety System
(GMDSS) and for Electronic
Navigational Aids.
• International Convention on
Tonnage Measurement of Ships, 1969.
The sections that reference these
standards and the locations where these
standards are available are listed in 33
CFR 169.15.

■

M. Environment
We have analyzed this rule under
Commandant Instruction M16475.lD
which guides the Coast Guard in
complying with the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969
(NEPA) (42 U.S.C. 4321–4370f), and
have concluded that there are no factors
in this case that would limit the use of
a categorical exclusion under section
2.B.2 of the Instruction. Therefore, this
rule is categorically excluded, under
figure 2–1, paragraph (34)(d), of the
Instruction. This rule concerns vessel
equipment requirements that will
contribute to a higher level of marine
safety and maritime domain awareness
for U.S. port and waterways. A final
‘‘Environmental Analysis Check List’’
and a final ‘‘Categorical Exclusion
Determination’’ are available in the
docket where indicated under
ADDRESSES.

As used in this part—
Administration means the
Government of the State whose flag the
ship is entitled to fly.
Cargo ship means any ship which is
not a passenger ship.
Flag Administration means the
Government of a State whose flag the
ship is entitled to fly.
Gross tonnage means tonnage as
defined under the International
Convention on Tonnage Measurement of
Ships, 1969 (Incorporated by reference,
see § 169.15).
*
*
*
*
*
High speed craft means a craft that is
operable on or above the water and is
capable of a maximum speed equal to or
exceeding V=3.7×displ .1667, where ‘‘V’’
is the maximum speed and ‘‘displ’’ is
the vessel displacement corresponding
to the design waterline in cubic meters.
High speed passenger craft means a
high speed craft carrying more than 12
passengers.
International voyage means a voyage
from a country to which the present
International Convention for the Safety
of Life at Sea (SOLAS), 1974 applies to
a port outside such country, or
conversely. For U.S. ships, such voyages
will be considered to originate at a port
in the United States, regardless of when
the voyage actually began. Such voyages
for U.S. ships will continue until the
ship returns to the United States from
its last foreign port.
Long range identification and tracking
(LRIT) information or position report
means a report containing the following
information:
(1) The identity of the ship;
(2) The position of the ship (latitude
and longitude); and
(3) The date and time of the position
provided.
LRIT Data Center means a center
established by a SOLAS Contracting
Government or a group of Contracting

List of Subjects in 33 CFR Part 169
Endangered and threatened species,
Incorporation by reference, Marine
mammals, Marine safety, Navigation
(water), Radio, Reporting and
recordkeeping requirements, Vessels,
Water pollution control.
■ For the reasons discussed in the
preamble, the Coast Guard amends 33
CFR part 169 as follows:
PART 169—SHIP REPORTING
SYSTEMS
1. The authority citation is revised to
read:

■

Authority: 33 U.S.C. 1230(d), 1231; 46
U.S.C. 70115, Department of Homeland
Security Delegation No. 0170.1.
§ 169.1

[Amended]

2. Amend § 169.1 as follows:
a. In the section heading, remove the
word ‘‘subpart’’ and add, in its place,
the word ‘‘part’’; and

■
■

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b. In the last sentence, add the words
‘‘maritime security and domain
awareness,’’ immediately after
‘‘navigation safety,’’.
■ 3. In § 169.5, revise the section
heading; add introductory text and add,
in alphabetical order, the definitions of
the terms ‘‘Administration’’, ‘‘Cargo
ship’’, ‘‘Flag Administration’’, ‘‘Gross
tonnage’’, ‘‘High speed craft’’, ‘‘High
speed passenger craft’’, ‘‘International
voyage’’, ‘‘Long range identification and
tracking (LRIT) information or position
report’’, ‘‘LRIT Data Center’’, ‘‘Mobile
offshore drilling unit’’, ‘‘Passenger
ship’’, and ‘‘United States’’ to read as
follows:
§ 169.5 How are terms used in this part
defined?

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Governments, or in the case of the
International Data Center, by IMO, to
request, receive, process, and archive
LRIT information. An LRIT Data Center
may be National, Regional, Co-operative
or International.
*
*
*
*
*
Mobile offshore drilling unit means a
self-propelled vessel capable of
engaging in drilling operations for the
exploration or exploitation of subsea
resources.
Passenger ship means a ship that
carries more than 12 passengers.
*
*
*
*
*
United States means the States of the
United States, the District of Columbia,
Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands,
American Samoa, the Northern Mariana
Islands, and any other territory or
possession of the United States.
■ 4. In subpart A, add § 169.15 to read
as follows:

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§ 169.15 Incorporation by reference:
Where can I get a copy of the publications
mentioned in this part?

(a) Certain material is incorporated by
reference into this part with the
approval of the Director of the Federal
Register under 5 U.S.C. 552(a) and 1
CFR part 51. To enforce any edition
other than that specified in this section,
the Coast Guard must publish notice of
change in the Federal Register and the
material must be available to the public.
All approved material is available for
inspection at the National Archives and
Records Administration (NARA). For
information on the availability of this
material at NARA, call 202–741–6030 or
go to http://www.archives.gov/
federal_register/
code_of_federal_regulations/
ibr_locations.html. Also, it is available
for inspection at the Coast Guard, Office
of Navigation Systems (CG–54132), 2100
Second Street, SW., Washington, DC
20593–0001, and is available from the
sources indicated in this section.
(b) International Electrotechnical
Commission (IEC) Bureau Central de la
Commission Electrotechnique
Internationale, 3 rue de Varembe´ , P.O.
Box 131, 1211 Geneva 20, Switzerland.
(1) IEC 60945, Fourth edition 2002–
08, Maritime navigation and
radiocommunication equipment and
systems—General requirements—
Methods of testing and required test
results, incorporation by reference
approved for § 169.215.
(2) [Reserved]
(c) International Maritime
Organization (IMO), 4 Albert
Embankment, London SE1 7SR, U.K.
(1) IMO Resolution MSC.202(81),
adopted on May 19, 2006, Adoption of
Amendments to the International

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Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea,
1974, as Amended, incorporation by
reference approved for § 169.240.
(2) IMO Resolution MSC.210(81),
adopted on May 19, 2006, Performance
Standards and Functional Requirements
for the Long-Range Identification and
Tracking of Ships, incorporation by
reference approved for §§ 169.215 and
169.240.
(3) IMO Resolution MSC.254(83),
adopted on October 12, 2007, Adoption
of Amendments to the Performance
Standards and Functional Requirements
for the Long-Range Identification and
Tracking of Ships, incorporation by
reference approved for §§ 169.215 and
169.240.
(4) IMO Resolution A.694(17),
adopted on November 6, 1991, General
Requirements for Shipborne Radio
Equipment Forming Part of the Global
Maritime Distress and Safety System
(GMDSS) and for Electronic
Navigational Aids, incorporation by
reference approved for § 165.215.
(5) International Convention on
Tonnage Measurement of Ships, 1969,
incorporation by reference approved for
§ 169.5.
■ 5. Add subpart C, consisting of
§§ 169.200 through 169.245, to read as
follows:
Subpart C—Transmission of Long
Range Identification and Tracking
Information
Sec.
169.200 What is the purpose of this
subpart?
169.205 What types of ships are required to
transmit LRIT information (position
reports)?
169.210 Where during its international
voyage must a ship transmit position
reports?
169.215 How must a ship transmit position
reports?
169.220 When must a ship be fitted with
LRIT equipment?
169.225 Which Application Service
Providers may a ship use?
169.230 How often must a ship transmit
position reports?
169.235 What exemptions are there from
reporting?
169.240 When may LRIT equipment be
switched off?
169.245 What must a ship master do if LRIT
equipment is switched off or fails to
operate?

Subpart C—Transmission of Long
Range Identification and Tracking
Information
§ 169.200
subpart?

What is the purpose of this

This subpart implements Regulation
19–1 of SOLAS Chapter V (SOLAS
V/19–1) and requires certain ships

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23319

engaged on an international voyage to
transmit vessel identification and
position information electronically. This
requirement enables the Coast Guard to
obtain long range identification and
tracking (LRIT) information and thus
heightens our overall maritime domain
awareness, enhances our search and
rescue operations, and increases our
ability to detect anomalies and deter
transportation security incidents.
§ 169.205 What types of ships are required
to transmit LRIT information (position
reports)?

The following ships, while engaged
on an international voyage, are required
to transmit position reports:
(a) A passenger ship, including high
speed passenger craft.
(b) A cargo ship, including high speed
craft, of 300 gross tonnage or more.
(c) A mobile offshore drilling unit
while underway and not engaged in
drilling operations.
§ 169.210 Where during its international
voyage must a ship transmit position
reports?

The requirements for the transmission
of position reports, imposed by the
United States, vary depending on the
relationship of the United States to a
ship identified in § 169.205.
(a) Flag State relationship. A U.S. flag
ship engaged on an international voyage
must transmit position reports wherever
they are located.
(b) Port State relationship. A foreign
flag ship engaged on an international
voyage must transmit position reports
after the ship has announced its
intention to enter a U.S. port or place
under requirements in 33 CFR part 160,
subpart C.
(c) Coastal State relationship. A
foreign flag ship engaged on an
international voyage must transmit
position reports when the ship is within
1,000 nautical miles of the baseline of
the United States, unless their Flag
Administration, under authority of
SOLAS V/19–1.9.1, has directed them
not to do so.
§ 169.215 How must a ship transmit
position reports?

A ship must transmit position reports
using Long Range Identification and
Tracking (LRIT) equipment that has
been type-approved by their
Administration. To be type-approved by
the Coast Guard, LRIT equipment must
meet the requirements of IMO
Resolutions A.694(17), MSC.210(81),
and MSC.254(83), and IEC standard IEC
60945 (Incorporated by reference, see
§ 169.15).

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§ 169.220 When must a ship be fitted with
LRIT equipment?

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A ship identified in § 169.205 must be
equipped with LRIT equipment—
(a) Before getting underway, if the
ship is constructed on or after December
31, 2008.
(b) By the first survey of the radio
installation after December 31, 2008, if
the ship is—
(1) Constructed before December 31,
2008, and
(2) Operates within—
(i) One hundred (100) nautical miles
of the United States baseline, or
(ii) Range of an Inmarsat geostationary
satellite, or other Application Service
Provider recognized by the
Administration, with which continuous
alerting is available.
(c) By the first survey of the radio
installation after July 1, 2009, if the ship
is—
(1) Constructed before December 31,
2008, and
(2) Operates within the area or range
specified in paragraph (b)(2) of this
section as well as outside the range of
an Inmarsat geostationary satellite with
which continuous alerting is available.
While operating in the area or range
specified in paragraph (b)(2) of this
section, however, a ship must install
LRIT equipment by the first survey of
the radio installation after December 31,
2008.

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§ 169.225 Which Application Service
Providers may a ship use?

A ship may use an Application
Service Provider (ASP) recognized by its
Administration. Some Communication
Service Providers may also serve as an
ASP.
§ 169.230 How often must a ship transmit
position reports?

A ship’s LRIT equipment must
transmit position reports at 6-hour
intervals unless a more frequent interval
is requested remotely by an LRIT Data
Center.
§ 169.235 What exemptions are there from
reporting?

A ship is exempt from this subpart if
it is—
(a) Fitted with an operating automatic
identification system (AIS), under 33
CFR 164.46, and operates only within
20 nautical miles of the United States
baseline,
(b) A warship, naval auxiliaries or
other ship owned or operated by a
SOLAS Contracting Government and
used only on Government noncommercial service, or
(c) A ship solely navigating the Great
Lakes of North America and their
connecting and tributary waters as far
east as the lower exit of the St. Lambert
Lock at Montreal in the Province of
Quebec, Canada.
§ 169.240 When may LRIT equipment be
switched off?

A ship engaged on an international
voyage may switch off its LRIT

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equipment only when it is permitted by
its Flag Administration, in
circumstances detailed in SOLAS V/19–
1.7, or in paragraph 4.4.1, of resolution
MSC.210(81), as amended by resolution
MSC.254(83) (Incorporated by reference,
see § 169.15).
§ 169.245 What must a ship master do if
LRIT equipment is switched off or fails to
operate?

(a) If a ship’s LRIT equipment is
switched off or fails to operate, the
ship’s master must inform his or her
Flag Administration without undue
delay.
(b) The master must also make an
entry in the ship’s logbook that states—
(1) His or her reason for switching the
LRIT equipment off, or an entry that the
equipment has failed to operate, and
(2) The period during which the LRIT
equipment was switched off or nonoperational.
Note to § 169.245: For U.S. vessels, the U.S.
Coast Guard serves as the Flag
Administration for purposes of this section.
All LRIT notifications for the U.S. Flag
Administration, in addition to requests or
questions about LRIT, should be
communicated to the U.S. Coast Guard by email addressed to [email protected].
Dated: April 22, 2008.
Brian M. Salerno,
Rear Admiral, U.S. Coast Guard, Assistant
Commandant for Marine Safety, Security and
Stewardship.
[FR Doc. E8–9182 Filed 4–28–08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–15–P

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