Source: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2000/05/16/00-12283/tall-ships-delaware-delaware-river-wilmington-de
Timestamp: 2018-03-21 07:23:55
Document Index: 238264410

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 12311', '§\u2009110', '§\u2009110', 'arts 110', '§\u2009110', '§\u2009165']

Federal Register :: Tall Ships Delaware, Delaware River, Wilmington, DE
A Rule by the Transportation Department and the Coast Guard on 05/16/2000
This rule is effective from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. on June 23, 2000.
31091-31093 (3 pages)
CGD05-00-008
https://www.federalregister.gov/d/00-12283 https://www.federalregister.gov/d/00-12283
Start Preamble Start Printed Page 31091
The Coast Guard is establishing temporary regulations in the Delaware River, Wilmington, Delaware, for Tall Ships Delaware activities. This action is necessary to provide for the safety of life on navigable waters before, during, and after Tall Ships Delaware events. This action will restrict vessel traffic in the Delaware River between the mouth of the Christina River and New Castle, Delaware.
Comments and material received from the public, as well as documents indicated in this preamble as being available in the docket, are part of docket CGD05-00-008 and are available for inspection or copying at Coast Guard Marine Safety Office/Group Philadelphia, One Washington Avenue, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19147 between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
Lieutenant Junior Grade K. Codel, Coast Guard Marine Safety Office/Group Philadelphia, (215) 271-4991.
On April 7, 2000, we published a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) entitled Tall Ships Delaware, Delaware River, Wilmington, DE in the Federal Register (65 FR 18261). We received no letters commenting on the proposed rule. No public hearing was requested and none was held.
The Diamond State Port Corporation (Port of Wilmington) is sponsoring Tall Ships Delaware activities in the Delaware River, Wilmington, Delaware. The planned event includes a Parade of Sail from the confluence of the Christina River and the Delaware River, down river to New Castle, Delaware, and back to the mouth of the Christina River on June 23, 2000.
The purpose of these regulations is to promote maritime safety and protect participants and the boating public immediately prior to, during, and after the scheduled event. The regulations provide a safety buffer around the participating vessels during the parade of sail and modify existing anchorage regulations for the benefit of participants and spectators. The regulations will affect the movement of all vessels operating in the specified areas of the Delaware River.
We recommend that vessel operators visiting the Wilmington area for this event obtain an up to date edition of National Ocean Service Chart 12311 to avoid anchoring within a charted cable or pipeline area.
With the arrival of Tall Ships Delaware and spectator vessels in the Wilmington area for this event, it will be necessary to curtail normal port operations to some extent. Interference will be kept to the minimum considered necessary to ensure the safety of life on the navigable waters immediately before, during, and after the scheduled events.
The Tall Ships Delaware vessels are scheduled to arrive and moor at various locations along the Christina River by June 23, 2000. The lead vessel is scheduled to begin the Parade of Sail at 12 p.m. on June 23, 2000, and will follow a parade route of approximately 4 nautical miles on the Delaware River from the mouth of the Christina River, outbound to New Castle, Delaware, sailing outside the western side of the channel. The parade vessels will then cross the federal navigation channel of the Delaware River and return to the eastern side of the channel adjacent to the mouth of the Christina River sailing outside the eastern side of the channel. The parade vessels will then cross the navigable channel and enter the Christina River. After the parade, the larger Tall Ships Delaware vessels will moor at the Port of Wilmington on the Christina River. The remainder of the vessels will proceed up the Christina River to various mooring locations.
The safety of parade participants and spectators will require that spectator craft be kept at a safe distance from the parade route during these vessel movements. The Coast Guard will be using a moving safety zone around the Parade of Sail to keep all vessels not involved in the Parade of Sail a safe distance from the Tall Ships Delaware vessels. The Parade of Sail route is outside the federal navigation channel of the Delaware River, allowing the channel to remain open, except when the Parade of Sail is crossing the navigable channel. However, the Coast Guard expects that there will be increased vessel congestion in the vicinity of the federal navigation channel.
The Coast Guard is temporarily modifying the existing anchorage regulations found in 33 CFR 110.157 to accommodate Tall Ships Delaware Start Printed Page 31092vessels. A leg of the parade route runs through General Anchorage 6 (Deepwater Point Anchorage). Therefore, General Anchorage 6 will be closed to all vessels except Tall Ships Delaware vessels from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. on June 23, 2000. (A notice of proposed rulemaking affecting 33 CFR 110.157 has been published in the Federal Register at 65 FR 16361. Those proposed temporary regulations affect Anchorages 9-13 and would be temporarily added at § 110.157(d). Accordingly, this rule will be temporarily added at § 110.157(e).)
We did not receive any comments on the proposed rule. No changes were made to the proposed rule.
The primary impact of these regulations will be on vessels wishing to transit the affected waterways during the Parade of Sail on June 23, 2000. Although these regulations prevent traffic from transiting portions of the Delaware River during the event, that restriction is limited in duration, affects only a limited area, and will be well publicized to allow mariners to make alternative plans for transiting the affected area. Moreover, the parade route will be outside the federal navigational channel allowing the channel to remain open with the exception of when the Parade of Sail actually crosses the channel. This should minimize the effect on non-participant and spectator vessels intending to transit the federal navigation channel.
This rule will affect the following entities, some of which may be small entities: The owners or operators of vessels intending to operate or anchor in portions of the Delaware River in the vicinity of Wilmington, Delaware. The regulations will not have a significant impact on a substantial number of small entities for the following reasons: the restrictions are limited in duration, affect only limited areas, and will be well publicized to allow mariners to make alternative plans for transiting the affected areas. Moreover, the parade route will be outside the federal navigational channel allowing the channel to remain open with the exception of when the Parade of Sail actually crosses the channel.
Under section 213(a) of the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996 (Pub. L. 104-121), we offered to assist small entities in understanding the rule so that they can better evaluate its effects on them and participate in the rulemaking process. No requests for assistance in understanding this rule were received.
We considered the environmental impact of this rule and concluded that, under figure 2-1, paragraphs (34)(g), of Commandant Instruction M16475.1C, this rule is categorically excluded from further environmental documentation. A “Categorical Exclusion Determination” is available in the docket where indicated under ADDRESSES. By controlling vessel traffic during these events, this rule is intended to minimize environmental impacts of increased vessel traffic during the transits of event vessels.
For the reasons discussed in the preamble, the Coast Guard amends 33 CFR parts 110, and 165 as follows:
Start Printed Page 31093 Authority: 33 U.S.C. 471, 1221 through 1236, 2030, 2035, 2071; 49 CFR 1.46 and 33 CFR 1.05-1(g).
2. From 12 p.m. until 4 p.m. on June 23, 2000 temporarily add § 110.157(e) to read as follows:
(e) Not withstanding the above, the following temporary regulations will be in effect from 12 p.m. through 4 p.m. on June 23, 2000 for Tall Ships Delaware: Anchorage 6 will be closed to all vessels except Tall Ships Delaware vessels. “Tall Ships Delaware vessels” includes all vessels participating in Tall Ships Delaware under the auspices of the Marine Event Permit submitted for the Port of Wilmington, Delaware, and approved by the Commander, Fifth Coast Guard District.
4. Add temporary § 165.T05-008 to read as follows:
Safety Zone; Tall Ships Delaware, Delaware River, Wilmington, DE.
(1) Captain of the Port means the Commanding Officer of the Coast Guard Marine Safety Office/Group Philadelphia or any Coast Guard commissioned, warrant, or petty officer who has been authorized by the Captain of the Port to act on his behalf.
(3) Tall Ships Delaware Vessels includes all vessels participating in the Tall Ships Delaware under the auspices of the Marine Event Permit submitted for the Port of Wilmington, Delaware, and approved by Commander, Fifth Coast Guard District.
(b) Location. The following area is a moving safety zone: All waters from 500 yards forward of the lead Tall Ships Delaware vessel to 100 yards aft of the last Tall Ships Delaware vessel, and extending 50 yards outboard of each Tall Ships Delaware vessel participating in the Parade of Sail. This safety zone will move with the Parade of Sail as it transits the Delaware River from the mouth of the Christina River outbound to New Castle, Delaware, returns to the mouth of the Christina River, and as each Tall Ships Delaware vessel moors in Wilmington, Delaware.
(2) No person or vessel may enter or navigate within this safety zone unless authorized to do so by the Coast Guard Patrol Commander. Any person or vessel authorized to enter the safety zone must operate in strict conformance with any directions given by the Coast Guard Patrol Commander and leave the safety zone immediately if the Coast Guard Patrol Commander so orders.
(4) The Coast Guard Patrol Commander will notify the public of changes in the status of this safety zone by Marine Safety Radio Broadcast on VHF-FM marine band radio, channel 22 (157.1 MHZ).
(d) Effective dates: These regulations are effective from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. on June 23, 2000.
[FR Doc. 00-12283 Filed 5-15-00; 8:45 am]