The Office of Port and Facility Compliance is reminding industry of approaching deadlines associated with the Seafarers’ Access to Maritime Facilities Final Rule, which was effective May 1, 2019.

Each facility owner or operator must implement a system for providing access through the facility that enables individuals to transit to and from a moored vessel in accordance with guidelines found in the Code of Federal Regulations at 33 CFR 105.237. Access procedures must be documented in the Facility Security Plan for each facility and approved by the local Captain of the Port.

• A system for seafarers’ shore access must be documented in your Facility Security Plan (FSP) on or before February 3, 2020.
• The facility owner/operator must implement their Coast Guard approved seafarers’ access system by June 1, 2020.
• Coast Guard enforcement of the Seafarers’ Access to Maritime Facilities Final Rule begins June 1, 2020.

For questions, contact the Office of Port and Facility Compliance at HQS-PF-fldr-CG-FAC@uscg.mil.

Check out our previous posts about this Final Rule:

• Seafarers’ Access to Maritime Facilities Final Rule published
• Seafarers’ Access to Maritime Facilities: Frequently Asked Questions

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.