For the convenience of our readers, Maritime Commons will occasionally announce when the Marine Safety Center makes updates to Plan Review Guidelines and Design Verification Guidelines posted to its website. This post provides links to the PRGs updated during the month of July 2018.
Source: USCG
Link: 8/24/2018: Updated Plan Review Guidelines from Marine Safety Center

For the convenience of our readers, Maritime Commons is sharing the Seamen’s Church Institute 2018 Shore Leave Survey to help raise awareness among owners/operators of port facilities and the Coast Guard prevention workforce of seafarer access concerns reported to port ministries at various ports throughout the country.
Source: USCG
Link: 8/23/2018: Seamen’s Church Institute releases 2018 Shore Leave Survey

The Inspections and Compliance Directorate issued a marine safety alert following the death of a vessel pilot who died while boarding a vessel when its gangway separated from the vessel, causing two persons to fall into the water. Although the investigation is still underway and additional facts are being gathered, this marine safety alert is intended to remind mariners that shipboard equipment that seems quite benign can quickly become a hazard to persons boarding and departing a vessel.
Source: USCG
Link: 8/22/2018: Marine Safety Alert 14-18, Gangways and ladders

The following products are available from the Navigation Center website:

• The Eighth (Gulf) Coast Guard District Local Notice to Mariners (34-2018): https://www.navcen.uscg.gov/pdf/lnms/lnm0834g2018.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 34 LNM Now Available on Navigation Center Website

The contest winners’ works of art will be featured on the Coast Guard, NAMEPA and CIP-OAS websites. The two grand prize winners will receive a certificate, a bilingual (English and Spanish) calendar featuring the art of all 12 winners, a $100 cash prize and a special Coast Guard-themed package.
Source: USCG
Link: 8/22/2018: “Better Shipping for a Better Future” student art program contest winners

With few exceptions, U.S. and foreign flag vessels equipped with ballast tanks and which are bound for ports or places of the U.S. must submit a Ballast Water Management Report to the National Ballast Information Clearinghouse, in most cases up to six hours after arrival. As part of the report, vessel owners/operators using an installed ballast water management system make an entry in the “Onboard BW Management System” block on the form indicating the management system currently in use. This post provides information for vessel owners/operators regarding BWMS reporting requirements using the NBIC form.
Source: USCG
Link: 8/21/2018: “Onboard BW Management System” – Do you know which option to select on NBIC’s Ballast Water Management Report?

The Liquefied Gas Carrier National Center of Expertise gives LNG training to Cheniere’s LNG PICs and local Coast Guardsmen in Corpus Christi.
Source: USCG
Link: 8/17/2018: Liquefied Gas Carrier NCOE delivers training to Cheniere, Sector Corpus Christi

An updated Notice of Arrival and Departure schema, versioned 3.6, will be released November 13, 2018, and will contain various schema improvements, updates to ports list and retirement of the National Vessel Movement Center workbook as a means of submission for Outer Continental Shelf Notices of Arrival.
Source: USCG
Link: 8/14/2018: Notice of Arrival and Departure (NOAD) Schema 3.6 90-day notice

The Office of Merchant Mariner Credentialing released two Navigation and Vessel Inspection Circulars Aug. 6, 2018 related to watch keeping aboard vessels less than 500 gross tons.
Source: USCG
Link: 8/10/2018: Guidance on qualification and renewal of STCW endorsements for Officer in Charge of a Nav Watch and Master

The Coast Guard-American Waterways Operators Safety Partnership held its National Quality Steering Committee meeting July 31, 2018, with an agenda focusing on the concerns of the partnership and industry. This meeting marked the first NQSC meeting since Subchapter M towing vessel regulations went into effect July 20, 2018.
Source: USCG
Link: 8/9/2018: Recap of Coast Guard-American Waterways Operators steering committee meeting