Policy Letter 18-02 provides guidance to vessel masters, owners, operators, agents, and persons in charge of vessels as well as Coast Guard personnel when evaluating potential courses of action when a vessel destined for a U.S. port has an inoperable ballast water management system.
Source: USCG
Link: 2/15/2018: New policy letter regarding inoperable ballast water management systems now available

The following products are available from the Navigation Center website:

• The Eighth (Gulf) Coast Guard District Local Notice to Mariners (07-2018): https://www.navcen.uscg.gov/pdf/lnms/lnm0807g2018.pdf
• The weekly update to the 2018 USCG Light List, Volume Four: https://www.navcen.uscg.gov/?pageName=lightListWeeklyUpdates
  
• The Summary of Corrections: https://www.navcen.uscg.gov/pdf/lightLists/corrections/V4D08GM.pdf

If the links above do not work, you should either copy and paste the links into your web browser or follow the LNM links from the Navigation Center LNM page.

The Local Notice to Mariners, Light List, and Summary of Corrections are in Portable Document Format (PDF) and viewing them requires a PDF reader.  PDF readers are readily available on the internet, generally free of charge.

To download the latest information:

• Place your mouse over the “PDF” symbol next to the corresponding week.
• Right click for PC / Control click for Mac.
• Choose “Save Target As”.
• Save the PDF to your computer and open using your PDF reader.

If you have questions regarding this message, please contact the Navigation Center (use “LNMs, Charts, Chart Corrections, or Light Lists” as the subject from the pull down menu).

Source: LNM District 8
Link: District 08 (GULF) Week 07 LNM Now Available on Navigation Center Website

The following products are available from the Navigation Center website:

• The Eighth (Gulf) Coast Guard District Local Notice to Mariners (06-2018): https://www.navcen.uscg.gov/pdf/lnms/lnm0806g2018.pdf
• The weekly update to the 2018 USCG Light List, Volume Four: https://www.navcen.uscg.gov/?pageName=lightListWeeklyUpdates
  
• The Summary of Corrections: https://www.navcen.uscg.gov/pdf/lightLists/corrections/V4D08GM.pdf

If the links above do not work, you should either copy and paste the links into your web browser or follow the LNM links from the Navigation Center LNM page.

The Local Notice to Mariners, Light List, and Summary of Corrections are in Portable Document Format (PDF) and viewing them requires a PDF reader.  PDF readers are readily available on the internet, generally free of charge.

To download the latest information:

• Place your mouse over the “PDF” symbol next to the corresponding week.
• Right click for PC / Control click for Mac.
• Choose “Save Target As”.
• Save the PDF to your computer and open using your PDF reader.

If you have questions regarding this message, please contact the Navigation Center (use “LNMs, Charts, Chart Corrections, or Light Lists” as the subject from the pull down menu).

Source: LNM District 8
Link: District 08 (GULF) Week 06 LNM Now Available on Navigation Center Website

Beginning Feb. 1, 2018, mariners may submit medical certificate only applications (CG-719K and CG-719KE forms) directly to the National Maritime Center. Regional Exam Centers will continue to accept medical certificate applications.
Source: USCG
Link: 2/6/2018: Direct submission of medical certificate applications to the NMC

The following products are available from the Navigation Center website:

• The Eighth (Gulf) Coast Guard District Local Notice to Mariners (05-2018): https://www.navcen.uscg.gov/pdf/lnms/lnm0805g2018.pdf
• The weekly update to the 2018 USCG Light List, Volume Four: https://www.navcen.uscg.gov/?pageName=lightListWeeklyUpdates
  
• The Summary of Corrections: https://www.navcen.uscg.gov/pdf/lightLists/corrections/V4D08GM.pdf

If the links above do not work, you should either copy and paste the links into your web browser or follow the LNM links from the Navigation Center LNM page.

The Local Notice to Mariners, Light List, and Summary of Corrections are in Portable Document Format (PDF) and viewing them requires a PDF reader.  PDF readers are readily available on the internet, generally free of charge.

To download the latest information:

• Place your mouse over the “PDF” symbol next to the corresponding week.
• Right click for PC / Control click for Mac.
• Choose “Save Target As”.
• Save the PDF to your computer and open using your PDF reader.

If you have questions regarding this message, please contact the Navigation Center (use “LNMs, Charts, Chart Corrections, or Light Lists” as the subject from the pull down menu).

Source: LNM District 8
Link: District 08 (GULF) Week 05 LNM Now Available on Navigation Center Website

Field Notice 01-18 provides amplifying guidance explaining the difference between a tender vessel and an excursion vessel onboard a foreign passenger vessel. This notice is intended for foreign passenger vessels operating in the U.S. using small vessels stored onboard the ship for excursion activities. Editor’s note: This is an update to the Field Notice 01-18 released Jan. 24, 2018.
Source: USCG
Link: 1/30/2018: Cruise Ship NCOE releases updated Field Notice 01-18, “Tender & Excursion Vessels”

A U.S. Maritime Alert was issued Jan. 29, 2018, warning mariners about possible increased insurgent activity in the city of Aden.
Source: USCG
Link: 1/30/2018: U.S. Maritime Alert 2018-002A – Insurgency in the Port of Aden, Yemen

Rear Admiral John Nadeau, assistant commandant for prevention policy, will testify before the House Coast Guard & Maritime Transportation Subcommittee Jan. 30, 2018, in a hearing titled, “Examination of reports on the El Faro marine casualty.”
Source: USCG
Link: 1/29/2018: Adm. Nadeau to testify before Congress on El Faro final action memo

The National Maritime Center issued a notice to assist mariners who are trying to determine, from their Approved to Test letter, whether they will be testing under the previous or current regulations.
Source: USCG
Link: 1/26/2018: Guidance regarding ‘Approval to Test’ letters and grandfathering

In response to increased Arctic shipping traffic, the United States and Russian Federation have proposed voluntary two-way routing measures in the Bering Strait and Bering Sea. Located in U.S. and Russian Federation territorial waters off the coasts of Alaska and the Chukotskiy Peninsula, the routes are being recommended to help ships avoid the numerous shoals, reefs and islands outside the routes and to reduce the potential for marine casualties and environmental disasters.
Source: USCG
Link: 1/25/2018: U.S., Russia jointly propose Bering Strait routing measures