Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 121 / Friday, June 22, 2018 / Notices 29131 

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND 

SECURITY 

Coast Guard 

[Docket No. USCG–2018–0278] 

Notice of Policy Implementing the 2016 

Amendments to STCW in Support of 

the Polar Code 

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS. 

ACTION: Notice of policy; request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: The Coast Guard is 

announcing the availability of CG–MMC 

Policy Letter No. 02–18 titled 

‘‘Guidelines for Qualifications of 

Personnel for Issuing STCW 

Endorsements for Basic and Advanced 

Polar Code Operations.’’ This policy 

provides guidance for the issuance of 

Merchant Mariner Credential 

endorsements in accordance with the 

International Convention on Standards 

of Training, Certification and 

Watchkeeping for Seafarers, 1978, as 

amended, for Basic and Advanced Polar 

Code Operations. This policy is effective 

today, but the Coast Guard requests 

public comments on it. 

DATES: This policy is effective on June 

22, 2018. 

Comments and related material must 

be received by the Coast Guard on or 

before September 20, 2018. 

ADDRESSES: Policy Letter No. 02–18 is 

available in docket number USCG– 

2018–0278 on http://

www.regulations.gov. You may also 

submit comments identified at that 

same online docket. See the ‘‘Public 

Participation and Request for 

Comments’’ portion of the 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for 

further instructions on submitting 

comments. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

information about this policy, contact 

Cathleen Mauro CG–MMC–1 by phone 

at (202) 372–1449 or by email at 

Cathleen.B.Mauro@uscg,mil. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

International Maritime Organization 

(IMO) adopted the International Code 

for Ships Operating in Polar Waters, 

commonly referred to as the Polar Code, 

to address safety and environmental 

requirements for ships and the level of 

training required for deck officers 

serving on them. The Polar Code came 

into force on January 1, 2017. 

The International Convention on 

Standards of Training, Certification and 

Watchkeeping for Seafarers, 1978, as 

amended, (STCW) Convention and Code 

is the instrument that provides the 

international standards for seafarer 

training. Through the work of the IMO’s 

Sub-committee on Human Element, 

Training and Watchkeeping, 

amendments to the STCW Convention 

and Code were developed to define the 

training requirements supporting the 

implementation of the Polar Code. 

These amendments provide minimum 

standards of competence, sea service 

and training requirements for 

certification at the basic and advanced 

levels. They also contain transitional 

provisions for mariners with experience 

operating in polar waters to meet the 

new requirements. These amendments 

enter into force on July 1, 2018. After 

this date, deck officers on ships 

operating in polar waters will be 

required to have a Merchant Mariner 

Credential (MMC) endorsement in Basic 

or Advanced Polar Code operations. 

To address the gap between the time 

the Polar Code entered into force 

(January 2017) and the time the 

supporting STCW amendments enter 

into force (July 2018), the Coast Guard 

provided CG–OES Policy Letter No. 01– 

16, ‘‘Guidelines for Training of 

Personnel on Ships Subject to the Polar 

Code’’ (81 FR 7552, Feb. 12, 2016). 

CG–OES Policy Letter No. 01–16 was 

an interim measure to ensure there 

would be sufficiently trained U.S. 

mariners by the time the Polar Code 

entered into force. The Coast Guard did 

not issue endorsements to mariners who 

completed training in accordance with 

that policy. 

Cognizant of the approaching date 

that the STCW amendments enter into 

force, the Coast Guard will issue STCW 

endorsements in Basic and Advanced 

Polar Code Operations to mariners who 

have voluntarily fulfilled the STCW 

requirements and who request the 

endorsement. CG–MMC policy letter 

No. 02–18 provides information on how 

to request the endorsement. These 

endorsements are not currently 

mandated by Coast Guard regulation; 

however, since the United States is 

signatory to the STCW Convention, 

vessel owners and operators should be 

aware that their vessels are subject to 

foreign port state control actions 

including detention if mariners are not 

compliant with the STCW Convention 

and Code. 

The policy letter is effective today, 

and the National Maritime Center is 

now accepting applications for Polar 

Code Operations endorsements. We 

request public comments on the policy 

letter, including the instructions for 

requesting endorsements, so that we 

may improve the letter if needed. 

Public Participation and Request for 

Comments 

We view public participation as 

essential to effective policy 

development, and will consider all 

comments and material received during 

the comment period. If you submit a 

comment, please include the docket 

number for this action, and indicate the 

specific section of CG–MMC Policy 

Letter No. 02–18 to which your 

comment applies. Please make your 

comments as specific as possible, and 

include any applicable supporting data 

or other information, such as cost 

information, you may have. 

We encourage you to submit 

comments through the Federal 

eRulemaking Portal at http://

www.regulations.gov, using the 

instructions on that website. If your 

material cannot be submitted using 

http://www.regulations.gov, contact the 

person in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT section of this document for 

alternate instructions. Additionally, if 

you go to the online docket and sign up 

for email alerts, you will be notified 

when comments are posted or if a final 

rule is published. 

We accept anonymous comments. All 

comments received will be posted 

without change to http://

www.regulations.gov and will include 

any personal information you have 

provided. For more about privacy and 

the docket, visit http://

www.regulations.gov/privacyNotice. 

Authority: We issue this notice of policy 

availability under the authority of 5 U.S.C. 

552(a) and 46 U.S.C. 7101. 

Dated: June 19, 2018. 

Jeffrey G. Lantz, 

Director of Commercial Regulations and 

Standards. 

[FR Doc. 2018–13465 Filed 6–21–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 9110–04–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Land Management 

[LLNM006200 L99110000.EK0000 XXX 

L4053RV] 

Crude Helium Auction and Sale for 

Fiscal Year 2019 Delivery 

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of auction and sale. 

SUMMARY: The Secretary of the Interior 

(Secretary), through the Bureau of Land 

Management (BLM) New Mexico State 

Office, is issuing this Notice to conduct 

an auction and sale from the Federal 

Helium Program, administered by the 


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