USCG Seeks Comments on Overhead Clearance Accidents

The U.S. Coast Guard, in the Code of Federal Regulations, has called for public comment on a petition that requests the Coast Guard to initiate a rulemaking to address the problem of overhead clearance (air-draft) accidents.

In its petition, which calls for vessel masters to be provided with accurate vertical air draft information, a maritime organization has described 16 overhead clearance accidents that it says were avoidable and that resulted in damage to or destruction of waterway infrastructure and inconvenienced the public.

The Coast Guard will consider all comments received in response to this notification in determining whether or not to initiate the requested rulemaking.

The USCG said comments and related material must either be submitted to its online docket via http://www.regulations.gov on or before March 20, 2014, or reach the Docket Management Facility by that date.

uscg.mil