Great Lakes Pilotage Modernization

<RULE> DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY <SUBAGY>Coast Guard</SUBAGY> <CFR>46 CFR Parts 10, 401, and 402</CFR> <DEPDOC>[Docket No. USCG-2022-0025]</DEPDOC> <RIN>RIN 1625-AC79</RIN> <SUBJECT>Great Lakes Pilotage Modernization</SUBJECT> <HD SOURCE="HED">AGENCY:</HD> Coast Guard, DHS. <HD SOURCE="HED">ACTION:</HD> Final rule. <SUM> <HD SOURCE="HED">SUMMARY:</HD> The Coast Guard is amending certain Great Lakes Pilotage regulatory requirements to align with current Coast Guard and U.S. pilot association operations and pilotage practices. This final rule clarifies the different phases of training and types of registrations for Pilots who work on the Great Lakes, eliminates outdated practices and redundant requirements, and adds much needed structure regarding the billing dispute process. </SUM> <EFFDATE> <HD SOURCE="HED">DATES:</HD> This final rule is effective October 17, 2024. </EFFDATE> <HD SOURCE="HED">ADDRESSES:</HD> To view documents mentioned in this preamble as being available in the docket, go to <E T="03">www.regulations.gov,</E> type USCG-2022-0025 in the search box and click “Search.” Next, in the Document Type column, select “Supporting & Related Material.” <FURINF> <HD SOURCE="HED">FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:</HD> For information about this document, call or email Mr. Vincent Berg, Coast Guard; telephone 202-906-0835, email <E T="03">vincent.f.berg@uscg.mil.</E> </FURINF> <SUPLINF> <HD SOURCE="HED">SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:</HD> <HD SOURCE="HD1">Table of Contents for Preamble</HD> <EXTRACT> <FP SOURCE="FP-2">I. Abbreviations</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-2">II. Basis and Purpose</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-2">III. Background</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-2">IV. Discussion of Comments and Changes</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-2">V. Discussion of the Rule</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-2">VI. Regulatory Analyses</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">A. Regulatory Planning and Review</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">B. Small Entities</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">C. Assistance for Small Entities</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">D. Collection of Information</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">E. Federalism</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">F. Unfunded Mandates</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">G. Taking of Private Property</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">H. Civil Justice Reform</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">I. Protection of Children</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">J. Indian Tribal Governments</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">K. Energy Effects</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">L. Technical Standards</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">M. Environment</FP> </EXTRACT> <HD SOURCE="HD1">I. Abbreviations</HD> <EXTRACT> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">The Act The Great Lakes Pilotage Act of 1960</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">CFR Code of Federal Regulations</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">DHS Department of Homeland Security</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">Director Director, Great Lakes Pilotage</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">Form CG-4509 Application for Registration as a United States Registered Pilot</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">FR Federal Register</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">GLPAC Great Lakes Pilotage Advisory Committee</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">GLPMS Great Lakes Pilotage Management System</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">GT Gross tonnage</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">ID Identification</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">MMC Merchant Mariner Credential</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">MOU Memorandum of Understanding</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">NPRM Notice of proposed rulemaking</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">NAICS North American Industry Classification System</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">OMB Office of Management and Budget</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">REC Regional Exam Center</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">§ Section </FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">SME Subject matter expert</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">STCW Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping for Seafarers</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">TWIC Transportation Workers Identification Credential</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">U.S.C. United States Code</FP> </EXTRACT> <HD SOURCE="HD1">II. Basis and Purpose</HD> The legal basis of this rulemaking is Title 46 of the United States Code (U.S.C.), Chapter 93, <SU>1</SU> <FTREF/> which requires each foreign vessel and each vessel of the United States operating “on register,” meaning United States vessels engaged in foreign trade, to use United States or Canadian Pilots while transiting the United States waters of the St. Lawrence Seaway and the Great Lakes system. <SU>2</SU> <FTREF/> For U.S. Great Lakes Pilots, 46 U.S.C. 9303(a) requires the Secretary to prescribe, by regulation, standards of competency to be met by each applicant for registration as a Great Lakes Pilot. Additionally, sections 9303(c) and (d) authorize the Secretary to prescribe regulations establishing the validity period of Great Lakes Pilot's registration and other conditions for service respectively. The Secretary's duties and authority under 46 U.S.C. Chapter 93 have been delegated to the Coast Guard. <SU>3</SU> <FTREF/> <FTNT> <SU>1</SU>  46 U.S.C. 9301-9308. </FTNT> <FTNT> <SU>2</SU>  46 U.S.C. 9302(a)(1). </FTNT> <FTNT> <SU>3</SU>  Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Delegation No. 00170.1, Revision No. 01.4, paragraph II (92)(f). <E T="03">See https://dhsconnect.dhs.gov/org/comp/mgmt/policies/Delegations/00170.1.pdf.</E> </FTNT> The purpose of this final rule is to update the Great Lakes pilotage regulations in title 46 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) parts 401 and 402 and part 10 of the Merchant Marine Officers and Seamen regulations to reflect the current pilotage terms and practices used by the Coast Guard and U.S. pilot association operations. We proposed these changes in a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) for this final rule, published November 21, 2023 (88 FR 81294). While the regulations in the current CFR do not conflict with our current practices, they do not fully reflect the current Apprentice Pilot training requirements and titles for Pilot progression. Accordingly, the Coast Guard updates the current CFR as follows: 1. Redefines the different phases of Pilot registration, which generally follow this progression: “Applicant,” “Applicant Trainee,” “Apprentice Pilot,” “Limited Registration,” “Full Registration,” and “Temporary Registered Pilot”; 2. Adds “marine accident” to the definitions section to clarify a Pilot's reporting requirements; 3. Clarifies training benchmarks to ensure registration of qualified mariners and to help retain experienced U.S. Registered Pilots; 4. Aligns medical requirements and Radar Observer training requirements for U.S. Registered Pilots with the Merchant Mariner Credential (MMC) and manning regulations in 46 CFR parts 10-15; 5. Clarifies the pilotage billing dispute process with respect to when a vessel is and is not liable for charges; and 6. Removes outdated provisions, including dates and terms, from the Transportation Workers Identification Credential (TWIC), the foreign language requirements for navigation, the 1-year time limit for applicants to complete training, and other regulations that were written when both the Department of Commerce and the Coast Guard had regulatory authority over U.S. pilotages services. In addition, this final rule capitalizes endorsements for uniformity in the regulations and corrects some terminology for gender neutrality. The Coast Guard believes that the updated registration process in this rule ensures that regulations reflect current training practices, while keeping within the statutory mandate to prescribe standards of competency in 46 U.S.C. 9303(a). The updates also align with the program's goals of promoting competent, safe, efficient, and reliable pilotage service throughout the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway, promoting commerce, and protecting the marine environment. <HD SOURCE="HD1">III. Background</HD> Chapter 93 of Title 46 of the U.S.C. establishes a system of compulsory pilotage on the Great Lakes, requiring that each vessel of the United States operating “on register,” meaning United States vessels engaged in any commercial activity, and all foreign vessels, use a United States or Canadian Registered Pilot when operating on the Great Lakes. Great Lakes Pilots use in-depth local knowledge, seasoned navigational and ship handling expertise, and informed independent judgment to guide both U.S. and foreign oceangoing commercial vessels safely in and out of Great Lakes' ports and waterways. Congress made pilotage use compulsory in 1960, following the 1959 opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway that led to a surge in shipping traffic. To ensure navigational safety for this new class of ocean-going vessels operating on the Great Lakes, Congress enacted the Great Lakes Pilotage Act of 1960 (hereafter “the Act”). <SU>4</SU> <FTREF/> <FTNT> <SU>4</SU>   <E T="03">See</E> The Great Lakes Pilotage Act of 1960, Public Law 86-555, June 30, 1960, as amended (codified at 46 U.S.C. 9301 <E T="03">et seq.</E> ). </FTNT> The regulations for Pilot application and registration appear in 46 CFR parts 401 and 402. These regulations require that mariners applying for Pilot registration meet minimum requirements and qualifications and file an application form with the Director. While the Coast Guard is responsible for publishing an annual rule that sets pilotage rates, 46 CFR parts 401 and 402 have not been otherwise substantively updated since the early 1960s. As a result, these regulations are not in alignment with current practices by the Coast Guard and the pilotage industry operating on the Great Lakes. In 2017, the Coast Guard asked the Great Lakes Pilotage Advisory Committee (GLPAC) to help the Coast Guard identify existing regulations, guidance, and collections of information (that fall within the scope of the Committee's charter) for possible repeal, replacement, or modernization. <SU>5</SU> <FTREF/> In March 2018, GLPAC made several unanimous recommendations to update or remove outdated regulatory requirements from 46 CFR parts 401 and 402. <SU>6</SU> <FTREF/> I ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Preview showing 10k of 304k characters. Full document text is stored and available for version comparison. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━