80 FR 18324 - Anchorage Grounds; South Timbalier Anchorages; South of Port Fourchon, LA; Gulf of Mexico

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
Coast Guard

Federal Register Volume 80, Issue 65 (April 6, 2015)

The Coast Guard is considering establishing two new anchorage grounds in the Gulf of Mexico for the port of Port Fourchon, LA. These actions are being considered to help accommodate increased vessel volume and future increases and improve navigation safety for vessels transiting the Port Fourchon area, providing for the overall safe and efficient flow of vessel traffic and commerce. The Coast Guard is seeking comments and information about what form the proposed regulations should take and the actual need for them.

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 65 (Monday, April 6, 2015)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 18324-18326]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2015-07847]


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Proposed Rules
                                                Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________

This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains notices to the public of 
the proposed issuance of rules and regulations. The purpose of these 
notices is to give interested persons an opportunity to participate in 
the rule making prior to the adoption of the final rules.

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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 65 / Monday, April 6, 2015 / Proposed 
Rules

[[Page 18324]]



DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Coast Guard

33 CFR Part 110

[Docket Number USCG-2014-1009]
RIN 1625-AA01


Anchorage Grounds; South Timbalier Anchorages; South of Port 
Fourchon, LA; Gulf of Mexico

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS.

ACTION: Advance notice of proposed rulemaking.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Coast Guard is considering establishing two new anchorage 
grounds in the Gulf of Mexico for the port of Port Fourchon, LA. These 
actions are being considered to help accommodate increased vessel 
volume and future increases and improve navigation safety for vessels 
transiting the Port Fourchon area, providing for the overall safe and 
efficient flow of vessel traffic and commerce. The Coast Guard is 
seeking comments and information about what form the proposed 
regulations should take and the actual need for them.

DATES: Comments and related material must be received by the Coast 
Guard on or before June 5, 2015.

ADDRESSES: Documents mentioned in this preamble are part of Docket 
Number USCG-2014-1009. To view documents mentioned in this preamble as 
being available in the docket, go to http://www.regulations.gov, type 
the docket number in the ``SEARCH'' box and click ``SEARCH.'' Click on 
``Open Docket Folder'' on the line associated with this rulemaking. You 
may also visit the Docket Management Facility in Room W12-140 on the 
ground floor of the Department of Transportation West Building, 1200 
New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., 
Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
    You may submit comments, identified by docket number, using any one 
of the following methods:
    (1) Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov.
    (2) Fax: (202) 493-2251.
    (3) Mail or Delivery: Docket Management Facility (M-30), U.S. 
Department of Transportation, West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590-0001. Deliveries 
accepted between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except 
federal holidays. The telephone number is 202-366-9329.
    See the ``Public Participation and Request for Comments'' portion 
of the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section below for further instructions 
on submitting comments. To avoid duplication, please use only one of 
these three methods.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you have questions on this rule, 
call or email Lieutenant Commander (LCDR) Christopher Tuckey, Waterways 
Management, Eighth Coast Guard District; telephone (504) 671-2112, 
email [email protected] or Lieutenant (LT) Jon Scott, 
Chief, Waterways Management Division, Marine Safety Unit Morgan City, 
U.S. Coast Guard; telephone (985) 380-5334, email 
[email protected]. If you have questions on viewing or 
submitting material to the docket, call Cheryl F. Collins, Program 
Manager, Docket Operations, telephone (202) 366-9826.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Table of Acronyms

ANPRM Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
CFR Code of Federal Regulation
DHS Department of Homeland Security
FR Federal Register

A. Public Participation and Request for Comments

    We encourage you to participate in this rulemaking by submitting 
comments and related materials. All comments received will be posted 
without change to http://www.regulations.gov and will include any 
personal information you have provided.

1. Submitting Comments

    If you submit a comment, please include the docket number for this 
rulemaking, indicate the specific section of this document to which 
each comment applies, and provide a reason for each suggestion or 
recommendation. You may submit your comments and material online at 
http://www.regulations.gov, or by fax, mail, or hand delivery, but 
please use only one of these means. If you submit a comment online, it 
will be considered received by the Coast Guard when you successfully 
transmit the comment. If you fax, hand deliver, or mail your comment, 
it will be considered as having been received by the Coast Guard when 
it is received at the Docket Management Facility. We recommend that you 
include your name and a mailing address, an email address, or a 
telephone number in the body of your document so that we can contact 
you if we have questions regarding your submission.
    To submit your comment online, go to http://www.regulations.gov, 
type the docket number in the ``SEARCH'' box and click ``SEARCH.'' 
Click on ``Submit a Comment'' on the line associated with this 
rulemaking.
    If you submit your comments by mail or hand delivery, submit them 
in an unbound format, no larger than 8\1/2\ by 11 inches, suitable for 
copying and electronic filing. If you submit comments by mail and would 
like to know that they reached the facility, please enclose a stamped, 
self-addressed postcard or envelope. We will consider all comments and 
material received during the comment period and may change the rule 
based on your comments.

2. Viewing Comments and Documents

    To view comments, as well as documents mentioned in this preamble 
as being available in the docket, go to http://www.regulations.gov, 
type the docket number in the ``SEARCH'' box and click ``SEARCH.'' 
Click on Open Docket Folder on the line associated with this advanced 
notice of proposed rulemaking. The following link should take you 
directly to the docket: http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=USCG-2014-1009. You may also visit the Docket 
Management Facility in Room W12-140 on the ground floor of the 
Department of Transportation West Building, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., 
Washington, DC 20590, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.,

[[Page 18325]]

Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.

3. Privacy Act

    Anyone can search the electronic form of comments received into any 
of our dockets by the name of the individual submitting the comment (or 
signing the comment, if submitted on behalf of an association, 
business, labor union, etc.). You may review a Privacy Act notice 
regarding our public dockets in the January 17, 2008, issue of the 
Federal Register (73 FR 3316).

4. Public Meeting

    We have not scheduled a public meeting at this time. Once a public 
meeting is scheduled, we will publish a notice in the Federal Register 
separate from this ANPRM but within the same Docket Number USCG-2014-
1009.

B. Regulatory History and Information

    As reflected in title 33 Code of Federal Regulation section 109.05 
(33 CFR 109.05), the Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard has delegated 
the authority to establish anchorage grounds to U.S. Coast Guard 
District Commanders. The Coast Guard establishes Anchorage Grounds 
under authority of the authority in section 7 of the act of March 4, 
1915, as amended (38 Stat. 1053; 33 U.S.C. 471) and places these 
regulations in Title 33 CFR part 110.1, subpart B. [CGFR 67-46, 32 FR 
17728, Dec. 12, 1967, as amended by CGD 86-082, 52 FR 33811, Sept. 8, 
1987; USCG-1998-3799, 63 FR 5526, June 30, 1998]. The Coast Guard is 
now considering a proposed rulemaking to establish two new offshore 
anchorage grounds. The two new anchorages are referenced in this 
document as South Timbalier Anchorage West and South Timbalier 
Anchorage East.

C. Basis and Purpose

    The legal basis and authorities for this advance notice of proposed 
rulemaking are found in 33 U.S.C. 471, 1221 through 1236; 33 CFR 1.05-
1, Department of Homeland Security Delegation No. 0170.1, which 
collectively authorize the Coast Guard to propose, establish, and 
define regulatory anchorages. The Coast Guard is now considering a 
proposed rulemaking establishing two offshore anchorage grounds; South 
Timbalier Anchorage West and South Timbalier Anchorage East.
    The Coast Guard received a request from the Greater Lafourche Port 
Commission and its users to consider the establishment of a suitable 
anchorage or anchorage areas offshore in the vicinity of Port Fourchon, 
LA to alleviate and provide relief to vessel traffic and congestion in 
the port of Port Fourchon, LA. The volume of vessel traffic through 
Port Fourchon has increased over 30 percent since 2009. We expect 
continued growth within the Port in the coming years. Additionally, 
vessels to service the deepwater oil and gas industry continue to grow 
larger in size. For these reasons, the Coast Guard is considering the 
request to establish new offshore anchorages. This request was 
presented and discussed at a Greater Lafourche Port Commission 
Committee meeting on September 24, 2014, and with the Louisiana 
Department of Natural Resources on November 13, 2014.
    The purpose of this ANPRM is to solicit input and comments on 
potential proposed rulemakings to help accommodate increased vessel 
volume and future increases and improve navigation safety for vessels 
transiting the Port Fourchon area, providing for the overall safe and 
efficient flow of vessel traffic and commerce. This objective would be 
to establish offshore anchorages intended to increase the safety of 
life and property on navigable waters, improve the safety of vessels 
operating, transiting, or anchored and moored in the vicinity of the 
port of Port Fourchon and provide for the overall safe and efficient 
flow of vessel traffic and commerce in the area.

D. Discussion

    The Coast Guard is considering establishing two new offshore 
anchorages supporting the vessel traffic in and around the Port of Port 
Fourchon, LA area. Preliminary details describing and an image 
depicting these anchorages are provided below.
    The intended users of the proposed anchorages are Offshore Supply 
Vessels (OSV) and other vessels using or providing services within Port 
Fourchon, LA and on the outer-continental shelf.
    As described by the Executive Director of the Greater Lafourche 
Parish Port Commission (GLPC), the volume of vessel traffic through 
Port Fourchon has increased over 30 percent since 2009. The GLPC 
estimates significant, continued growth in the near future. Due to 
congestion, Port Fourchon tenant companies and users either direct 
vessels dynamically position within a berth, Belle Pass, Bayou 
Lafourche, or Flotation Canal or depart the port entirely until a berth 
is available. Vessels servicing the deepwater oil and gas industry in 
and around Port Fourchon continue to grow in length and tonnage. The 
largest OSV's are 300 feet and over 4,500 Gross Tons. OSV's within Port 
Fourchon are often moored three or four abreast, requiring constant 
shifting and repositioning of vessels, crewmembers, and dockworkers, 
greatly increasing the risks of collisions, groundings, or harm to 
personnel.
    The approximate depths of the proposed anchorages range from 36 
feet to 60 feet, which will accommodate a variety of vessel types and 
configurations. The nearest safety fairways are the Belle Pass Safety 
Fairway approximately 3 nautical miles to the east and the Southwest 
Pass to Gulf Safety Fairway approximately 50 nautical miles to the 
south.
    Based on National Automatic Identification System data, 
establishing an anchorage in the proposed location will have negligible 
effects on customary shipping lanes.

Contemplated South Timbalier Anchorage West Location

    We are considering proposing that the South Timbalier Anchorage 
West would cover an area 7 nautical miles long by 5 nautical miles 
wide. Also, we are contemplating the following boundaries for the 
anchorage:
     The western boundary would match the western boundary of 
South Timbalier blocks 16 and 33;
     The eastern boundary would match eastern boundary of South 
Timbalier blocks 18 and 31;
     The northern boundary would match the northern boundary of 
South Timbalier blocks 16, 17, and 18; and
     The southern boundary would match the southern boundary of 
South Timbalier blocks 31, 32, and 33.
    The anchorage we are contemplating may also be represented by 
drawing rhumb lines joining points at:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
               Latitude                             Longitude
------------------------------------------------------------------------
29[deg]2'0.492'' N                      90[deg]30'28.619'' W.
29[deg]2'0.492'' N                      90[deg]22'48.216'' W.
28[deg]57'13.895'' N                    90[deg]22'48.216'' W.
28[deg]57'13.895'' N                    90[deg]30'28.619'' W.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Contemplated South Timbalier Anchorage East Location

    We are considering proposing that the South Timbalier Anchorage 
East would cover an area 5 nautical miles wide by 5 nautical miles 
deep. The following are the contemplated proposed boundaries for the 
anchorage.
    The western boundary would match the western boundary of South 
Timbalier blocks 20 and 29.
    The eastern boundary would match the eastern boundary of South 
Timbalier blocks 21 and 28.
    The northern boundary would match the northern boundary of South 
Timbalier blocks 20 and 21.

[[Page 18326]]

    The southern boundary would match the southern boundary of South 
Timbalier blocks 29 and 28.
    The South Timbalier Anchorage East anchorage we are contemplating 
may also be represented may by drawing rhumb lines joining points at:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
               Latitude                             Longitude
------------------------------------------------------------------------
29[deg]2'0.492'' N                      90[deg]20'3.299'' W.
29[deg]2'0.492'' N                      90[deg]15'0.287'' W.
28[deg]57'13.895'' N                    90[deg]15'0.287'' W.
28[deg]57'13.895'' N                    90[deg]20'3.299'' W.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    We have also placed illustrations of the currently contemplated 
offshore anchorage grounds in the docket ( http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=USCG-2014-1009). Look for a supporting document with 
``Illustrations'' in its title.
    In a letter to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric 
Administration, the Coast Guard will request that the Office of Coast 
Survey ensure the suitability and safety of the contemplated anchorage 
grounds. Additionally, the Coast Guard is coordinating with the Bureau 
of Ocean Energy Management, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental 
Enforcement, and the State of Louisiana's Department of Natural 
Resources to verify the location of existing pipeline corridors.
    The contemplated anchorage area is larger than the envisioned final 
anchorage. This advance notice of proposed rulemaking is intended to 
prompt discussion and gather input from the affected marine industries 
to determine the most appropriate anchorage within the contemplated 
area.

E. Information Requested

    Public participation is requested to assist in determining the best 
way forward in developing a proposed rulemaking to establish these 
offshore anchorages. To aid us in developing a proposed rule, we seek 
any comments, whether positive or negative, including but not limited 
to the impacts anchorage areas may have on navigation safety and 
current vessel traffic in this area.
    Please submit any comments or concerns you may have in accordance 
with the ``submitting comments'' section above.
    This document is issued under authority of 5 U.S.C. 552; 33 CFR 
1.05-1, and 1.05-30.

    Dated: March 17, 2015.
K.S. Cook,
Rear Admiral, U.S. Coast Guard, Commander, Eighth Coast Guard District.
[FR Doc. 2015-07847 Filed 4-3-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 9110-04-P