Proposed Changes to United States Outer Continental Shelf (US OCS) Electronic Notice of Arrival (NOA) Application

The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is inviting comments on proposed amendments to the computer application for electronic Notice of Arrival (NOA) on the United States Outer Continental Shelf (US OCS). Members will be aware that vessels, facilities and mobile offshore drilling units (MODUs) operating on the United States OCS are required to submit advance information to the Coast Guard regarding the vessels, voyage, cargo and crew prior to engaging in OCS activities. The Notice of Arrival (NOA) requirement was introduced in 2011, to implement the maritime security provisions of the Security and Accountability for Every (SAFE) Port Act of 2006. However, there have been a number of implementation problems, particularly for the smaller US registered supply vessels, which have struggled to comply with the requirement to submit the information electronically and within the required timeframes. As part of efforts to improve the system, the Coast Guard is inviting comments on the following proposed amendments to the e-NOAD-OCS application:

• The addition of one data field to consist of a free-form block that will allow additional voluntary information (e.g. route information, day planning) to be collected;
• The ability to submit up to five consecutive ports or places on the OCS; and
• Ways to enhance the quality, utility and clarity of information submitted through the e-NOAD-OCS application.

Further details are provided in the attached Federal Register Notice. The proposed changes are unlikely to resolve the main implementation problems, but any efforts to streamline and improve the system would no doubt be welcome. The deadline for comments is 19 November 2012. If you would like IMCA to submit comments on your behalf, please provide any feedback to Emily Comyn by the close of Tuesday 13 November 2012.

Originally issued with the following reference(s): IMCA CNA 07/12