The US Coast Guard is withdrawing its proposed rule concerning the extension of escort vessel requirements to waters of the United States generally. Such a rule is currently in place for single-hull oil tankers in Prince William Sound and Puget Sound. The proposal considered the possibility of extending the requirement to other US waters and to other vessels. The Coast Guard concluded that a rulemaking of national scope is neither necessary nor advisable given the existence of more locally-oriented options for considering escort vessel requirements. 74 Fed. Reg. 41646 (August 18, 2009).
(Source: Bryant’s Maritime News)