Coast Guard Rule on Vessel Documentation Renewal Issued
The U.S. Coast Guard's final rule on vessel documentation renewal fees was published in the Federal Register Tuesday.
The Coast Guard is amending its regulations to separately list an annual fee for renewals of endorsements upon the Certificate of Documentation. The Coast Guard is required to establish user fees for services related to the documentation of vessels.
This final rule separately lists a fee of $26 to cover the current costs of the vessel documentation services provided by the Coast Guard. It will increase the annual Certificate of Documentation fee collections so that they more accurately reflect the actual costs to the Coast Guard of providing the documentation services.
The Coast Guard sets fees at an amount calculated to achieve recovery of the costs of providing the service. This is consistent with the user charges principles set forth in OMB Circular A-25. The Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 (46 U.S.C. 2110) requires the Coast Guard to charge a fee for services but limits charges to no more than the overall cost of the program.
The fees will become effective 90 days after the rule is published. The final rule may be found at https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2014/08/12/2014-18999/vessel-documentation-renewal-fees.