As used in this subchapter:

Act means the Deepwater Port Act of 1974, as amended (codified at 33 U.S.C. § 1501 et seq.).

Adjacent Coastal State means any coastal State which:

(1) Would be directly connected by pipeline to a deepwater port, as proposed in an application;

(2) Would be located within 15 miles of any such proposed deepwater port; or

(3) Is designated as an Adjacent Coastal State by MARAD under 33 U.S.C. § 1508(a)(2).

Affiliate means a person:

(1) That has a direct or indirect ownership interest of more than 3 percent in an applicant;

(2) That offers to finance, manage, construct, or operate the applicant’s deepwater port to any significant degree;

(3) That owns or controls an applicant or an entity under paragraphs (1) or (2) of this definition; or

(4) That is owned or controlled by, or under common ownership with, an applicant or an entity under paragraphs (1), (2), or (3) of this definition.

Applicant means a person that is the owner of a proposed deepwater port and is applying for a license under this part for that port.

Application means an application submitted under this part for a license to own, construct, and operate a deepwater port.

Approval series means the first six digits of a number assigned by the Coast Guard to approved equipment. Where approval is based on a subpart of 46 CFR chapter I, subchapter Q, the approval series corresponds to the number of the subpart. A list of approved equipment, including all of the approval series, is available at: http://cgmix.uscg.mil/Equipment.

Approved means approved by the Commandant (CG-5P).

Area to be avoided or ATBA means a routing measure comprising an area within defined limits in which either navigation is particularly hazardous or it is exceptionally important to avoid casualties and should be avoided by all ships or certain classes of vessels. An ATBA may be either recommended (“recommendatory”) or mandatory. An ATBA is recommendatory when ships are advised to navigate with caution in light of specially hazardous conditions. An ATBA is mandatory when navigation is prohibited or subject to a competent authority’s conditions. ATBAs for deepwater ports are recommendatory.

Barrel means 42 U.S. gallons (approximately 159 liters) at atmospheric pressure and 60 °F (approximately 15.56 °C).

Captain of the Port or COTP means a Coast Guard officer who commands a Captain of the Port zone described in part 3 of this chapter and who is immediately responsible for enforcing port safety and security and marine environmental protection regulations within that area.

Certified industrial hygienist means an industrial hygienist who is certified by the American Board of Industrial Hygiene.

Certified marine chemist means a marine chemist who is certified by the National Fire Protection Association.

Certifying entity or CE means any individual or organization, other than the operator, permitted by the Commandant (CG-5P) to act on behalf of the Coast Guard pursuant to section 148.8 of this subpart. The activities may include reviewing plans and calculations for construction of deepwater ports, conducting inspections, witnessing tests, and certifying systems and/or components associated with deepwater ports as safe and suitable for their intended purpose.

Citizen of the United States means:

(1) Any person who is a United States citizen by law, birth, or naturalization;

(2) Any State, State agency, or group of States; or

(3) Any corporation, partnership, or other association:

(i) That is organized under the laws of any State;

(ii) Whose president, chairman of the board of directors, and general partners or their equivalents, are persons described in paragraph (1) of this definition; and

(iii) That has no more of its directors who are not persons described in paragraph (1) of this definition than constitute a minority of the number required for a quorum to conduct the business of the board of directors.

Coastal environment means the coastal waters including the lands in and under those waters, internal waters, and the adjacent shorelines including waters in and under those shorelines. The term includes, but is not limited to:

(1) Transitional and intertidal areas, bays, lagoons, salt marshes, estuaries, and beaches;

(2) Fish, wildlife, and other living resources of those waters and lands; and

(3) The recreational and scenic values of those lands, waters, and resources.

Coastal State means a State of the United States in or bordering the Atlantic, Pacific, or Arctic Oceans or the Gulf of Mexico.

Commandant (CG-5P) means the Assistant Commandant for Prevention, or that individual’s authorized representative, at Commandant (CG-5P), Attn: Assistant Commandant for Prevention Policy, U.S. Coast Guard Stop 7501, 2703 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20593-7501.

Confined space means a space that may contain a dangerous atmosphere, including a space that:

(1) Has poor natural ventilation, such as a space with limited openings, for example a cofferdam or double bottom tank; or

(2) Is not designed for continuous occupancy by personnel.

Construction means supervising, inspecting, actual building, and all other activities incidental to the building, repairing, or expanding of a deepwater port or any of its components. The term includes, but is not limited to, fabrication, laying of pipe, pile driving, bulk heading, alterations, modifications, and additions to the deepwater port.

Control means the direct or indirect power to determine the policy, business practices, or decisionmaking process of another person, whether by stock or other ownership interest, by representation on a board of directors or similar body, by contract or other agreement with stockholders or others, or otherwise.

Crude oil means a mixture of hydrocarbons that exists in the liquid phase in natural underground reservoirs, and remains liquid at atmospheric pressure after passing through surface separating facilities, and includes:

(1) Liquids technically defined as crude oil;

(2) Small amounts of hydrocarbons that exist in the gaseous phase in natural underground reservoirs but are liquid at atmospheric pressure after being recovered from oil well (casing head) gas in lease separators; and

(3) Small amounts of non-hydrocarbons produced with the oil.

Dangerous atmosphere means an atmosphere that:

(1) May expose personnel to the risk of death, incapacitation, injury, or acute illness; or

(2) May impair ability to escape from the atmosphere unaided.

Deepwater port:

(1) Means any fixed or floating manmade structures other than a vessel, or any group of structures, located beyond State seaward boundaries that are used or are intended for use as a port or terminal for the transportation, storage, or further handling of oil or natural gas for transportation to any State, except as otherwise provided in the Deepwater Port Act of 1974, as amended, and for other uses not inconsistent with the purposes of the Deepwater Ports Act, including transportation of oil or natural gas from the United States’ OCS;

(2) Includes all components and equipment, including pipelines, pumping stations, service platforms, buoys, mooring lines, and similar facilities, to the extent that they are located seaward of the high water mark;

(3) Includes, in the case of natural gas, all components and equipment, including pipelines, pumping or compressor stations, service platforms, buoys, mooring lines, and similar facilities which are proposed and/or approved for construction and operation as part of the deepwater port, to the extent that they are located seaward of the high water mark and do not include interconnecting facilities; and

(4) Must be considered a “new source” for purposes of the Clean Air Act, as amended (codified at 42 U.S.C. § 7401 et seq.), and the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, as amended (codified at 33 U.S.C. § 1251 et seq.).

District commander means an officer who commands a Coast Guard district described in part 3 of this chapter, or that individual’s authorized representative.

Emergency medical technician means a person trained and certified to appraise and initiate the administration of emergency care for victims of trauma or acute illness before or during transportation of the victims to a health care facility via ambulance, aircraft or vessel.

Engineering hydrographic survey means a detailed geological analysis of seabed soil samples performed to determine the physical composition, for example the mineral content, and structural integrity for the installation of offshore components and structures.

Governor means the governor of a State or the person designated by State law to exercise the powers granted to the governor under the Act.

Gross under keel clearance means the distance between the keel of a tanker and the ocean bottom when the tanker is moored or anchored in calm water free of wind, current, or tide conditions that would cause the tanker to move.

Hose string means the part of a single point mooring connection for oil or natural gas transfer made out of flexible hose of the floating or float/sink type that connects the tanker’s manifold to the single point mooring.

Hot work means work that produces heat or fire, such as riveting, welding, burning, or other fire-or spark-producing operations.

Lease block means an area established either by the Secretary of the Interior under section 5 of the OCS Lands Act, 43 U.S.C. § 1334, or by a State under section 3 of the Submerged Lands Act, 43 U.S.C. § 1311.

License means a license issued under this part to own, construct, and operate a deepwater port.

Licensee means a citizen of the United States holding a valid license for the ownership, construction, and operation of a deepwater port that was issued, transferred, or renewed under this subchapter.

Marine environment includes:

(1) The coastal environment, waters of the contiguous zone, the Exclusive Economic Zone, and the high seas;

(2) Fish, wildlife, and other living resources of those waters; and

(3) The recreational and scenic values of those waters and resources.

Marine site means the area in which the deepwater port is located, including the safety zone and all areas seaward of the high water mark in which associated components and equipment of the deepwater port are located.

Maritime Administration or MARAD means the Administrator of the Maritime Administration or that person’s designees, and includes the Associate Administrator, Port, Intermodal and Environmental Activities, Maritime Administration, or that individual’s authorized representative, at 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590, telephone 202-366-4721.

Metering platform means a manned or unmanned platform consisting of either a fixed or floating structure that serves as an interchange site for measuring the rate of transfer of natural gas from vessel to pipeline.

Natural gas means either natural gas, unmixed, or any mixture of natural or artificial gas, including compressed or liquefied natural gas.

Natural gas liquids means liquid hydrocarbons associated with or extracted from natural gas, for example ethane, propane and butane extracted from natural gas.

Net under keel clearance means the distance between the keel of a tanker and the ocean bottom when the tanker is underway, anchored, or moored, and subject to actual wind, waves, current, and tide motion.

No anchoring area or NAA means a routing measure comprising an area within defined limits where anchoring is hazardous or could result in unacceptable damage to the marine environment. Anchoring in a no anchoring area should be avoided by all vessels or certain classes of vessels, except in case of immediate danger to the vessel or the person on board.

Officer in Charge of Marine Inspection or OCMI means an individual who commands a marine inspection zone described in part 3 of this chapter, and who is immediately responsible for the performance of duties with respect to inspections, enforcement, and administration of regulations governing a deepwater port.

Offshore competent person means an individual trained and designated by his or her employer in matters relating to confined space pre-entry testing and certification at a deepwater port, prior to entry. An offshore competent person should demonstrate proficiency in the following criteria:

(1) Hazard description and recognition;

(2) Hazard evaluation and measurement;

(3) Hazard prevention;

(4) Control and elimination; and

(5) Practical application simulation.

Oil means petroleum, crude oil, and any substance refined from petroleum or crude oil.

Operator means the person who is licensed under 33 U.S.C. § 1503 to own, construct, and operate a deepwater port, or that person’s designee.

Person means an individual, a public or private corporation, a partnership or other association, or a government entity.

Person in Charge (PIC) means an individual designated as a person in charge of transfer operations under § 154.710 for oil facilities or § 127.301 for liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities. Within this subchapter, other references to person in charge, without the use of the acronym PIC, will mean a person in charge of an operation other than transfer operations.

Personnel means individuals who are employed by licensees, operators, contractors, or subcontractors, and who are on a deepwater port because of their employment.

Pipeline end manifold means the pipeline end manifold at a single point mooring.

Platform means a fixed for floating structure that rests on or is embedded in the seabed or moored in place and that has floors or decks where an activity or specific function may be carried out.

Pumping platform complex means a platform or a series of interconnected platforms, exclusive of a deepwater port, consisting of one or more single point moorings or submerged turret loading buoys that can pump oil or natural gas and that has one or more of the following features or capabilities:

(1) Can handle the mooring and loading of small vessels;

(2) Has berthing and messing facilities; and

(3) Has a landing area for helicopters.

Reconnaissance hydrographic survey means a scientific study of fresh and saltwater bodies, currents and water content, cultural resources, seabed soils and subsea conditions, for example existing pipelines or subsea wells. A visual representation of the survey findings is normally depicted on a chart of the examined area.

Routing systems means any system of one or more vessel routes or routing measures aimed at reducing the risk of casualties. It includes traffic separation schemes, two-way routes, recommended tracks, areas to be avoided, no anchoring areas, inshore traffic zones, roundabouts, precautionary areas and deepwater routes.

Safety zone means a safety zone established around a deepwater port under part 150, subpart J, of this chapter. The safety zone may extend to a maximum distance of 500 meters (approximately 1,640 feet) around the facility, measured from each point on its outer edge or from its construction site, except as authorized by generally accepted international standards or as recommended by the International Maritime Organization. However, the zone may not interfere with the use of recognized sea lanes.

Single point mooring or SPM means an offshore berth that links an undersea pipeline to a moored tanker and allows for the transfer of oil or natural gas between the tanker and the pipeline.

Single point mooring oil transfer system or SPM-OTS means the part of the oil transfer system from the pipeline end manifold to the end of the hose string that connects to the tanker’s manifold.

Single (or multiple) point mooring natural gas transfer system or SPM-NGTS (or MPM-NGTS) means the part of the natural gas transfer system from the pipeline end manifold to the end of the hose string that connects to the tanker’s manifold.

State includes each State of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the territories and possessions of the United States.

Support vessel means a vessel working for a licensee at a deepwater port or cleared by a licensee to service a tanker calling at a deepwater port, and includes a:

(1) Tug;

(2) Line-handling boat;

(3) Crew boat;

(4) Supply vessel;

(5) Bunkering vessel;

(6) Barge; or

(7) Other similar vessel.

Survival craft means a craft described in § 149.303 of this subchapter.

Tanker means a vessel that calls at a deepwater port to unload oil or natural gas.

Vessel means every description of watercraft, including non-displacement craft e.g., wing-in-ground (WIG) craft, seaplanes) capable of being used, as a means of transportation on or through the water.

[USCG-1998-3884, 71 FR 57651, Sept. 29, 2006, as amended by USCG-2010-0351, 75 FR 36284, June 25, 2010; USCG-2013-0397, 78 FR 39175, July 1, 2013; USCG-2014-0410, 79 FR 38435, July 7, 2014; USCG-2020-0304, 85 FR 58279, Sept. 18, 2020]