USCG Final Rule Exempts U.S. MODUs from Submitting NOAs When Moving from One OCS Block to Another

The U.S. Coast Guard has issued a Final Rule to implement Section 704 of the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2012, which specifically exempts U.S. mobile offshore drilling units and other U.S. vessels from any requirement to submit a Notice of Arrival when moving from one block on the Outer Continental Shelf to another. Although other regulations already exempt U.S. MODUs from having to file a NOA when arriving directly from a U.S. port or place, they did not expressly exempt MODUs from having to file NOAs when arriving from an OCS block area that might or might not meet the regulatory definition of a “U.S. port or place.” The new Rule is intended to remove the potential ambiguity and facilitate U.S. MODU operations on the OCS.