The Coast Guard is seeking public comment regarding the draft Merchant Mariner Medical Manual. The guidance in this Manual should assist medical practitioners, the maritime industry, individual mariners, and Coast Guard personnel in evaluating a mariner applicant’s physical and medical status to meet the requirements of the merchant mariner medical certificate.
Source: Federal Register Notices
Link: 11/13/2018: Coast Guard seeking public comments on draft Merchant Mariner Medical Manual

This final rule removes the previous regulatory restriction and updates the technical requirements for automatic pilot systems.
Source: Federal Register Notices
Link: 11/5/2018: Tankers-automatic pilot systems Final Rule published

This open public meeting will be held at Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington, D.C., Nov. 13, 2018, at 10:30 a.m.
Source: Federal Register Notices
Link: 11/2/2018: Notice of public meeting in preparation for IMO’s 121st session of IMO’s Council

The Coast Guard is finalizing the interim final rule “Harmonization of Standards for Fire Protection, Detection, and Extinguishing Equipment” effective Nov. 26, 2018, to align fire protection and equipment regulations for inspected towing vessels with other commercial vessel regulations.
Source: Federal Register Notices
Link: 10/25/2018: Harmonization of fire protection equipment standards for towing vessels

The Commercial Fishing Safety Advisory Committee will meet in Seattle November 15-16 to discuss various issues relating to safety in the commercial fishing industry. All meetings will be open to the public.
Source: Federal Register Notices
Link: 10/23/2018: Commercial Fishing Safety Advisory Committee meeting scheduled

As a courtesy to our audience, Maritime Commons will provide a daily compilation of nationally-relevant Federal Register Notices. To provide comments for the public record, follow the Federal Register link for each individual notice. Please note, the Coast Guard cannot […] Source: Federal Register Notices
Link: 10/19/2018: Federal Register Notice: National Maritime Security Advisory Committee meeting

This rule would adjust the pilotage rates to account for anticipated traffic, an increase in the number of pilots, anticipated inflation, and surcharges for applicant pilots. The result is an increase in pilotage rates, due to adjustment for inflation and the addition of two pilots.
Source: Federal Register Notices
Link: 10/17/2018: Great Lakes Pilotage Rates-2019 annual review and revisions to methodology

The Coast Guard announced in a Federal Register notice Oct. 12, 2018 that it will impose conditions of entry on vessels arriving from Iraq, with the exception of several exempted port facilities. Conditions of entry are intended to protect the United States from vessels arriving from countries that have been found to have deficient port anti-terrorism measures in place.
Source: Federal Register Notices
Link: 10/16/2018: Imposition of conditions of entry for certain vessels arriving to the United States from Iraq

Today in the Coast Guard’s 8th District we announced the Maritime Commerce Strategic Outlook, which outlines the Commandant’s long term vision to support and grow maritime commerce in the United States. In this post, Rear Adm. John Nadeau offers a few comments regarding the outlook and its three major lines of effort.
Source: Investigations & Casualty Analysis
Link: 10/11/2018: Coast Guard announces new Maritime Commerce Strategic Outlook

The Coast Guard is publishing the new PREP guidelines on behalf of the Preparedness for Response Exercise Program Compliance, Coordination, and Consistency Committee.
Source: Federal Register Notices
Link: 10/2/2018: Update to the 2016 National Preparedness for Response Exercise Program Guidelines