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Government Update By Dennis L. Bryant, senior maritime counsel, Haight Gardner Holland & Knight In the Maritime Transportation Security Act (MTSA), signed into law on November 25, 2002, Congress directed the U.S. Coast Guard to. among other things, establish a vessel security plan requirement for appropriate vessels oper- ating in United States waters. Congress broadly defined the vessels that should have security plans as those that the Secretary (of the Department in which the Coast Guard is operating) believes may be involved in a transportation security inci- dent. A 'transportation security incident' is defined as a security incident resulting in a significant loss of life, environmental damage, transportation system disruption, or economic disruption in a particular area. Because of the short deadlines imposed by the legislation, the Coast Guard will promulgate vessel security plan regulations following a series of pub- lic meetings, eschewing the usual process of proposing a rule and inviting comment thereon. In its recent notice of public meetings, the Coast Guard included commentary on certain aspects of the process, giving the regulated community some clues as to what the regulations may eventually entail. Regulated Community It appears that the Coast Guard will impose the vessel security plan require- ment on almost all commercial vessels operating in U.S. waters, including the following categories: • All foreign ships required to comply with the International Convention on the Dennis L. Bryant, Senior Maritime Counsel at the law firm of Haight Gardner Holland & Knight, Washington, D.C., is a contributing editor of MR/EN. MSHS COMPANIES THE summons PROVIDER Motor-Services Hugo Stamp, Inc. specializes in turnkey solutions for diesel engines, turbochargers and filtration equipment. MSHS also provides customs clearances and bonded storage. Turbocharger Service Two & Four Stroke Service Boll Filtration Service/Training Laser Alignment Service Factory-Trained Technicians Extensive Parts Inventory For information, call 1-800-622-6747 1 www.mshs.coi MOTOR-SERVICES HUGO STAMP, INC. AUTHORIZED DISTRIBUTORS & SERVICE CENTER • NAPIER • KBB • ABB • LASER ALIGNMENT • BOLL FILTRATION • DEUTZ ENGINE SALES AND SERVICE ISO 9002 Certified MAN B&W • SULZER Circle 247 on Reader Service Card 12 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News
