The US Coast Guard announced in the Federal Register that it is seeking public comment on a proposal to amend the requirements regulating personnel permitted to serve as a person in charge (PIC) of fuel oil transfers on an inspected vessel.
The amendment aims to add the option of using a letter of designation (LOD) instead of a Merchant Mariner Credential (MMC) with a Tankerman-PIC endorsement.
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Today, thousands of towing vessels are transitioning from being uninspected vessels to becoming inspected vessels. This proposal would enable a PIC currently using the LOD option on one of those uninspected vessels to continue to use that option to perform the same fuel oil transfers once the vessel receives its initial Certificate of Inspection.
According to this proposal, obtaining a MMC with a Tankerman-PIC endorsement would become optional for PICs of fuel oil transfers on inspected vessels.
The US Coast Guard believes that public participation is essential to effective rulemaking and will consider all comments and material received during the comment period. Comments and related material must be received by USCG on or before Oct. 15, 2019.
