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Commercial Fisheries News
Volume 36 Number 5
January 2009
Coast Guard proposes use of AIS for fishing boats 65'-plus
WASHINGTON, DC – The Coast Guard has published its long-promised proposed rule to expand the requirement for use of automatic identification system (AIS) technology to include commercial fishing vessels 65' and over. The AIS requirement would apply to nearly all navigable US waters.
The proposed rule was published in the Federal Register on Dec. 16 with a public comment deadline of April 15.
The primary purpose of AIS is to alert other vessels and authorities to a vessel’s location and heading.
Operating on the VHF maritime band, AIS provides instant and continuous two-way communication. Each AIS device both transmits and receives more than 4,500 reports per minute with updates as often as every two seconds.
The Coast Guard first proposed expanding this requirement to include all fishing vessels in 2003. The industry strongly protested that the requirement was impractical, unnecessary, redundant, and – with a startup cost at the time of $9,000, plus monthly subscription fees – way too expensive.
This proposed rule applies only to larger fishing vessels, and the Coast Guard argued forcefully that the requirement would improve fishing vessel safety by preventing collisions and is a necessary step in the ongoing push to enhance national security.
Recounting on-the-water attacks against civilian and US military marine vessels across the world, the proposed rule stated that being fully aware of all activities in the maritime domain is key to preventing terrorist attacks.
The Coast Guard further stated that the cost of AIS systems has come down substantially since 2003.
“We welcome the advent of lower cost AIS Class B devices and the continual drop in price of AIS Class A devices – currently averaging approximately $3,000. Fishing vessels … will be less impacted by the current cost of AIS Class A devices and the potential to use even lower cost AIS Class B devices,” the agency said.
In its analysis, the Coast Guard estimated that the AIS portion of the proposed rule would affect approximately 16,323 US vessels, and the total initial-year cost to US vessel owners to comply would be approximately $69 million. The Coast Guard also is requiring certain vessels with a gross tonnage of 300 or more to issue notices of arrival and departures, referred to as NOAD.
Comment
The Coast Guard is encouraging public comment on the proposed rule and is offering several ways to go about it.
Internet – Submit comments online by going to <www.regulations.gov>. Type USCG-2005-21869 into the “Search Documents” box. Then scroll down the list until you find “Vessel Requirements for Notices of Arrival and Departure, and Automatic Identification System.” You can choose to read the Federal Register notice by clicking on “View this Document” or you can offer a comment by selecting “Send a Comment or Submission.”
Fax – Fax comments to (202) 493-2251; or
Mail – Mail comments to: Docket Management Facility (M-30), US Department of Transportation, West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE, Washington, DC 20590-0001.
The Coast Guard asks that you send in comments using only one of these choices and that you include the docket number, “USCG-2005-21869,” on all correspondence.
For more information on the NOAD portion of the proposed rule, call Lt. Sharmine Jones at (202) 372-1234 or e-mail her at <Sharmine.N.Jones@uscg.mil>. For more information on the AIS portion of the proposed rule, call Jorge Arroyo at (202) 372-1563 or e-mail him at <Jorge.Arroyo@uscg.mil>.
Extensive, user-friendly information on how AIS works, what it broadcasts, and the different types of AIS systems is available online at <www.navcen.uscg.gov>. Click on the “AIS” tab at the top of the page. /cfn/
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