Page 41: of Marine News Magazine (October 2011)

www.marinelink.com MN41enforcement efforts ? as well as education and outreach to maritime stakeholders ? should be taken to increase safe- ty.? He said that Coast Guard Area Contingency Plans and the BOEMRE Offshore Response Plans are being evaluated, compared and harmonized to respond to inci- dents involving vessels engaged in oil and gas drilling activities on the U.S. outer continental shelf. In July, the Coast Guard published a policy letter, detail- ing procedures for evaluating risks of foreign, flagged mobile offshore drilling units or MODUs operating on the U.S. outer continental shelf. According to Rhynard, the policy letter considers man- agement, flag, recognized organization, vessel history and MODU characteristics in coordinating the examination of MODUs. Also in July, the Coast Guard formed an Outer Continental Shelf Activities Matrix Team to devel- op oversight recommendations for foreign flag MODUs offshore. In response to demand from the offshore market, the Coast Guard in April additionally approved, effective this December, a number of Safety of Life at Sea lifeboats for average occupant weights that are higher than the cur- rent standard of 181.5 pounds, Rhynard said. BOEMRE BECOMESTWOENTITIES? BOEM ANDBSEEBOEMRE ceased to exist on Oct. 1, and was replaced by the newly created BOEM and BSEE, announced more than a year ago. BOEM will ensure that the nation's off- shore resources are developed in an environmentally and economically responsible way. Its functions include leas- ing, plan administration, resource evaluation, environ- mental studies, economic analysis and renewable energy. BSEE is responsible for enforcing safety and environmen- tal regulations. It oversees all field operations, including permitting and research, inspections, oil spill response, offshore regulato- ry programs, and training and environmental compliance functions. ?In BOEM, we have created a structure that ensures that sound, environmental reviews are conduct- ed,? Bromwich said. BOEM is preparing for a Western Gulf of Mexico lease sale this December and for a consol- idated, Central Gulf sale late next spring. The first Gulf oil lease sale since the 2010 BP spill is scheduled for Dec. 14. ?In shaping BSEE, we took a broad look at the best practices of domestic and international regulators to cre- ate strong enforcement mechanisms across the bureau,? Bromwich added. LATE -YEARMARINEOUTLOOK ISTEPID Maritime industry members are adjusting to recent rules affecting offshore oil companies. Based on the slow approval of drilling permits and year-end weather factors, 2011 should wrap up on a subdued note. The marine business will keep an eye on oil finds in the Gulf and new oil-lease sales, along with crude oil prices ? which have declined since this spring.MN#10 (32-49):MN 2011 Layouts 10/5/2011 10:39 AM Page 41