USCG Announces Changes to Civil Penalty Policies
The Coast Guard has expanded the scope of the Notice of Violation (NOV) program, building upon the success of the existing program in place since 1995. The NOV program is an expedited civil penalty assessment process that allows parties to pay the proposed penalty without further administrative process. The Coast Guard has also recently announced that it will be adjusting its fines and other civil monetary penalties for inflation. The changes to the monetary civil penalties for inflation are mandated by Congress at least once every four years. The changes to the NOV program took effect on January 5. Since its implementation, the NOV program has been used as the civil penalty process for small oil spills and minor pollution prevention regulation violations.
USCG Policy Addresses Navigation Equipment Requirements
The Coast Guard has extended its policy for resolving conflicts between domestic regulations and the 2002 amendments to the International Convention for Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS). Until the Coast Guard aligns domestic regulations on navigation equipment in titles 33 and 46 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) with the SOLAS requirements, vessel owners and operators do not need to comply with existing Coast Guard regulations in cases where they conflict with or duplicate SOLAS requirements, according to a July 14 Federal Register notice. This policy applies to automatic identification systems (AIS) and electronic chart display and information systems (ECDIS), and will remain in effect until titles 33 and 46 CFR are aligned with SOLAS.
