Written by Lt. Jeff Bybee
A public meeting was held on March 31, 2015, in New Orleans, Louisiana, to receive public comment on the proposed rule entitled, “Requirements for MODUs and Other Vessels Conducting Outer Continental Shelf Activities with Dynamic Positioning Systems.”
The proposed rule would decrease the risk of a loss of position by a dynamically-positioned mobile offshore drilling unit, MODU, or other vessel that could result in a fire, explosion or subsea spill.
Outer Continental Shelf activities are going further offshore and staying on location for longer periods of time. This has increased the need for dynamic positioning systems and the Coast Guard recognizes the need to update outdated regulations to align with changes in technology.
The proposed design, operation, training and manning and watchkeeping standards that this rule establishes are meant to decrease the risk of a loss of position by a dynamically-positioned MODU or other vessel. These minimum standards are necessary to improve the safety of people and property involved in such operations, and the protection of the environment in which they operate.
This is an important issue to the offshore industry and impacts a wide range of vessels and operations on the Outer Continental Shelf. Comments received from industry during this public meeting are critical to the development of a final rule.
“It was good to see good representation from across the industry,” said Cmdr. Scott Johnson, chief of the Coast Guard’s Human Element and Ship Design Division. “This proposed rule is an important issue and impacts a wide range of vessels and operations on the Outer Continental Shelf. The comments received at the public meeting will be beneficial to the development of the final rule; the comment period is open until May 27, 2015 and we encourage comments to be submitted to the public docket concerning this proposed rule.”
This blog is not a replacement or substitute for the formal posting of regulations and updates or existing processes for receiving formal feedback of the same. Links provided on this blog will direct the reader to official source documents, such as the Federal Register, Homeport and the Code of Federal Regulations. These documents remain the official source for regulatory information published by the Coast Guard.
