[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 29 (Friday, February 12, 1999)] [Notices] [Pages 7227-7229] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 99-3421] ======================================================================= ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Coast Guard [USCG-1999-5080] International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers, 1978, as Amended; Development of National Performance Measures for Evaluating Mariner Competence AGENCY: Coast Guard, DOT. ACTION: Request for participation; request for comments. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: The Coast Guard is seeking volunteers from members of the maritime industry and other interested persons to serve on work groups being formed by the Coast Guard's Merchant Marine Personnel Advisory Committee (MERPAC) to develop national performance measures for evaluating mariner competence. These measures will be used to facilitate implementation of the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers, 1978, as amended in 1995 (STCW). In addition, the Coast Guard seeks comments on the first set of national performance measures developed, which are for basic safety training. DATES: Requests to participate in a work group must be received by March 1, 1999. Comments regarding the basic safety training performance measures must reach the Docket Management Facility on or before March 15, 1999. ADDRESSES: Requests to participate in a work group can be submitted in writing to Commandant (G-MSO-1), U.S. Coast Guard, Attn: LCDR George H. Burns III, 2100 Second Street SW, Washington, DC 20593-0001; by telephone 202-267-0550; by fax 202-267-4570; or, by e-mail to [email protected]. You may mail comments regarding the basic safety training performance measures to the Docket Management Facility, [USCG- 1999-5080], U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), room PL-401, 400 Seventh Street SW., Washington, DC 20590-0001, or deliver them to room PL-401, located on the Plaza level of the Nassif Building at the same address between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. The telephone number is 202-366-9329. The Docket Management Facility maintains the public docket for this notice. Comments and documents as indicated in this preamble will become part of the docket and will be available for inspection and copying at room PL-401, located on the Plaza level of the Nassif Building at the same address between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. You may also access this docket on the Internet at http://dms.dot.gov. A copy of the basic safety training performance measures is available in the public docket at the above address or on the Internet at http://dms.dot.gov, or you may obtain a copy by contacting the project manager at the number in FOR FUTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For questions on formation of the work groups please contact Lieutenant Commander George H. Burns III, Maritime Personnel Qualifications Division (G-MSO-1), telephone 202- 267-0550, fax 202-267-4570, or e-mail [email protected]. Questions regarding the basic safety training performance measures should be directed to Mr. John Bobb, Team Leader, Course Approvals, USCG National Maritime Center (NMC-4B), telephone 703-235-8457; fax 703-235-1062; or e-mail [email protected]. You should continue to address questions concerning the STCW Implementation Focus and Coordination Team to the Team Leader, Captain Robert L. Skewes (G-MSO), telephone 202-267-0212; fax 202-267-4570; or e-mail [email protected]. Questions concerning STCW requirements and enforcement should continue to be directed to the Coast Guard National Maritime Center at (703) 235-0018. Captain William C. Bennett, e-mail [email protected], retains responsibility for administering the Mariner Licensing and Documentation Program, including STCW implementation. For questions on viewing or submitting material to the docket, contact Dorothy Walker, Chief, Dockets, Department of Transportation, telephone 202-366-9329. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Background Information In 1991, the United States became a party to STCW. The primary intent of STCW is to set minimum international qualifications for masters, officers, and watchkeeping personnel on seagoing merchant ships. STCW does not apply to mariners on inland merchant vessels, but does apply to mariners on domestic voyages if the vessel operates beyond the boundary line. [[Page 7228]] In 1993, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) began a comprehensive revision of STCW to establish more detailed standards of competence for mariners, and to address the increased awareness of human error as a major cause of maritime casualties. On July 7, 1995, a Conference of Parties adopted a package of amendments to STCW. These amendments went into force on February 1, 1997. Currently, there are 132 parties to STCW representing almost 96 percent of the world's merchant-ship tonnage. On March 26, 1996, the Coast Guard published a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) in the Federal Register (61 FR 13284) on the implementation of the 1995 STCW amendments. We received over 500 comment letters in response to the NPRM and held four public meetings. The Coast Guard published an interim rule with request for comments in the Federal Register on June 26, 1997 (62 FR 34506). The interim rule incorporated the 1995 STCW amendments into U.S. regulation. The 1995 STCW Amendments require that candidates for certification must establish their competence in a wide range of subjects, depending on the function or functions they will be performing and the level of responsibility they will have on seagoing ships. The STCW amendments include standards of competence in the form of tables that identify areas of knowledge, understanding, and proficiency, which must be demonstrated, and describe general criteria for assessing whether an individual meets the standards. The interim rule, amending 46 CFR Parts 10, 12 and 15, addresses standards by requiring ``practical demonstrations'' in the presence of a ``designated examiner.'' A public listening session was held December 16, 1998 in Washington, D.C. to hear comments regarding implementation requirements for STCW. Over 80 members of the maritime and training communities attended this meeting, which had been announced in the Federal Register on November 23, 1998 (63 FR 64752). Comments raised at the meeting indicated that standard performance measures for the mariner competencies listed in STCW have been difficult to determine. Several comments indicated that national work groups comprised of members of the maritime and training communities would be better able to identify and propose these measures. Since the interim rule came into force (July 28, 1997), numerous efforts have been initiated to establish performance measures to be used in conducting assessment of an individual's proficiency and skills. These have included efforts undertaken by individual companies and training institutions, as well as broader efforts organized by the Coast Guard's Merchant Marine Personnel Advisory Committee (MERPAC). MERPAC is an advisory committee that provides advice on matters concerning personnel in the U.S. merchant marine such as standards for training, qualifications, certification, and fitness. MERPAC began to address the need to ensure that all seafarer demonstrations of competency are evaluated using the same minimum guidelines by developing performance measures for one specific competency within STCW: basic safety training. Documentation of basic safety training is necessary for all persons assigned shipboard duties or responsibilities. These measures establish baseline criteria for use in conducting assessments of the required practical demonstrations in the four areas of basic safety training: personal survival techniques, fire prevention and fire fighting, elementary first aid, and personal safety and social responsibility. MERPAC has recommended that the Coast Guard adopt these performance measures for use in the assessment of practical demonstrations. See ADDRESSES for a copy of the measures. Formation of Work Groups Individuals and organizations involved in developing the performance measures for basic safety training have suggested that the development of these measures for all of the essential competencies identified in STCW is a daunting task. They have suggested that this work could be accomplished much more efficiently if it were shared among those parties interested in ensuring that the STCW requirements are implemented properly in the United States. In response to these suggestions, the Coast Guard is establishing a network of work groups under MERPAC to carry out the basic work of developing performance measures. These work groups will focus on specific competencies under STCW, with the aim of generating draft national performance measures for further consideration by the industry and the public. The Coast Guard will coordinate these work groups by identifying participants for each group, by suggesting areas of focus, and by providing guidance to promote consistency in the work. The work groups will develop performance measures for each of the competencies identified in the STCW Convention. These competencies, shown in the order currently considered to be most critical to timely implementation of the Convention, are: 1. Basic Safety Training. 2. Ratings, Navigation Watch. 3. Ratings, Engineering Watch. 4. Officer in Charge (OINC) Navigation Watch > 500GRT. 5. Bridge Teamwork Procedures and Resource Training. 6. OINC Engineering Watch, Manned Engine Room. 7. Designated Duty Engineer, Periodically Manned Engine Room. 8. All Licensed and Unlicensed Competencies; Offshore Supply Industry. 9. OINC Navigation Watch/Master < 500 GRT, Near Coastal. 10. Master and Chief Mate > 500 GRT. 11. Chief and Second Engineer > 3000 KW. 12. All Medical Care & First Aid Training. 13. GMDSS Radio Maintainer and Restricted Operator. 14. All Survival & Rescue Boat Training. 15. Training for roll-on roll-off vessels: Master, Officers, Ratings. 16. Tanker Training: Master, Officers, Ratings. 17. Advanced Fire-Fighting Training. 18. GMDSS Radio Operator. The work groups will be assembled and will start work immediately following the closing date of March 1, 1999. Each interested party should provide the following information to the point of contact listed in ADDRESSES: name, address, telephone and fax numbers, e-mail address, and work group(s) on which he or she would like to participate. Interested parties may participate on more than one work group, provided they are able to meet work group scheduling commitments. The size of each work group may be limited as needed to ensure that the groups remain manageable. Most business of the work groups should be conducted electronically or via mail; however, in cases where face-to- face meetings are feasible, these are welcome as well. Work group members will not be compensated for travel nor time related to work group activity. Adoption of Performance Measures The proposed performance measures developed by the work groups will be reviewed by MERPAC and then forwarded to the Coast Guard with their recommendations. The criteria will then be published by the Coast Guard in the [[Page 7229]] Federal Register for general comment, to allow people and organizations that did not participate on the work group to offer comments on the proposals. Following review of the public comments, the Coast Guard will establish final measures and publish them for general use by training providers in developing and providing courses and programs. The National Maritime Center will consider alternative measures, but will use those adopted by the Coast Guard as accepted minimum performance measures. Request for Comments on Basic Safety Training The performance measures for basic safety training were developed by a work group comprised of members of the training and industry community, and were recommended to the Coast Guard for consideration by MERPAC. The Coast Guard now seeks public comment, written data, views or arguments regarding these measures before they are published for general use by the maritime community. Persons submitting comments should include their names and address, identify this notice [USCG- 1999-5080] and the specific section of the document to which each comment or question applies, and give the reason for each comment. Please submit all comments and attachments in an unbound format, no larger than 8\1/2\ by 11 inches, suitable for copying and electronic filing to the Document Management Facility at the address under ADDRESSES. Persons wanting acknowledgement of receipt of comments should enclose stamped self-addressed postcards or envelopes. The Coast Guard will consider all comments received during the comment period. Dated: February 8, 1999. Joseph J. Angelo, Acting Assistant Commandant for Marine Safety and Environmental Protection. [FR Doc. 99-3421 Filed 2-11-99; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4910-15-P