27 Oct 2009

The Country List pick list has been updated to include Republic of Kosovo. The updated Country List can be downloaded via the Developer Resources section.

28 May 2009

The Person ID List pick list has been updated to include WHTI changes as well as upcoming Coast Guard regulation changes. For a summary of the updated pick lists, please follow this link.

The USCG InfoPath template has also been updated with the new Person ID List values. The download is available, for Version 4.6, in the Downloads section.

03 April 2009

Vessel Requirements for Notices of Arrival and Departure, and Automatic Identification System - USCG-2005-21869 in Seattle, WA.
Audio version available as well. Seattle, WA March 25 2009 CFR 164 Public Hearing.

18 March 2009

Vessel Requirements for Notices of Arrival and Departure, and Automatic Identification System - USCG-2005-21869. Audio version available as well. Washington DC March 05 2009 CFR 164 Public Hearing.

05 March 2009

The US Coast Guard issued a notice stating that it will hold a second public meeting to receive public comments on the proposal to amend its regulations relating to submittal of notices of arrival and departure (NOA/D) and to the Automatic Identification System (AIS). The meeting will be held in Seattle, WA on March 25, 2009. Written comments should be submitted by April 15. For additional information refer to 74 Fed. Reg. 9071.

19 February 2009

The US Coast Guard released its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on vessel requirements for notices of arrival and departure (NOAD) and the Automatic Identification System (AIS). The requirement to electronically submit an advance notice of arrival or departure would, under this proposal, be expanded to include all foreign vessels regardless of size departing to or coming from a US port or place and all US commercial vessels regardless of size coming to a US port or place from a foreign port. The AIS carriage requirement would be expanded for US vessels. AIS would be required on all domestic vessels of 500 GT or greater, regardless of its destination; all domestic vessels of 300 GT or greater on an international voyage; and all domestic vessels of 150 GT or greater when carrying more than 12 passengers on an international voyage. The exemption for fishing vessels and for small passenger vessels would be revoked. Dredges and floating plants operating near channels and vessels moving or carrying certain dangerous cargoes (CDC) would be required to carry AIS. The geographic limitation of the AIS requirement to VTS areas would be eliminated, making the carriage requirement applicable for covered vessels operating anywhere on the navigable waters of the United States. 73 Fed. Reg. 76295.

2 October 2008

Effective 1 January 2009 the United States Coast Guard (USCG) is going to begin rejecting Electronic Notice of Arrival and Departure (eNOAD) submissions that do not conform to the established USCG Business Rules and Extensible Markup Language (XML) Schema.  Beginning in 2009 the below three fields must meet the Business Rules or a submission will receive a "Failed Validation" message and will be automatically rejected.  These changes will improve the processing of eNOAD submissions by enforcing current business rules.

See Official USCG letter to 3rd party developers, here.

12 December 2006

The following eNOAD and InfoPath enhancements have been added:

• The online eNOAD Website, InfoPath (v4.0) template, and the eNOAD Business Rules have been upgraded to accept future CARICOM submissions. 

• Third-party developers, who are supporting eNOAD-enabled applications, should review the new items and determine if they should be added for their user base. 

• InfoPath users, who may have to submit CARICOM data, will need to download the new InfoPath (v4.0) template.

More information is available on the Developer Resources page under "Resource Files".  You will need to register if you have not already done so. 

If you have any questions regarding the eNOAD schema and business rules, please address them directly to techsupport@nvmc.uscg.gov.

26 October 2006

New CG Regulation has been released to further define "Port or Place of destination" in 33 CFR 160 in the download section.

6 September 2006

The following has been added to the FAQ section located here.

• Question: What is a port or place? Can I just put in the Sea Buoy or Pilot Station as my port or place of destination for ETA purposes?

  Answer: The port or place of destination is defined in 33 CFR 160.204 as "any port or place where a vessel is bound to anchor or moor."  Without a change to the actual regulatory language, the sea buoy or pilot station should not generally be applied to this definition unless it is the ultimate location where the vessel will be anchoring or mooring. All NOAs to U.S. ports or places should address where the vessel is bound to anchor or moor.

• Question: If my vessel is carrying CDCs, do I have to submit a NOA every time my vessel moves from one berth to another berth? What if my vessel is not carrying CDCs - do I have to submit a NOA when transiting between ports or places within a single COTP zone?

  Answer: Vessels not carrying CDCs are not required to submit NOAs when transiting from one port or place to another port or place within a single COTP zone (33 CFR 160.203 (b) (2)). Vessels carrying CDCs do have to submit NOAs when transiting from one port or place to another within a single COTP zone. However, they should only do so if the vessel is actually moving from one port to another port. Moving from one dock to another dock, one berth to another berth, or one anchorage to another anchorage within one port is not considered a transit from a "port or place" to a different "port or place" and therefore, no NOA is required. If you are uncertain whether your movement is to a different port, you should contact the cognizant COTP to request clarification.

14 June 2006

The following has been added to represent new CBP contact information & CBP User Guide.

• Added CBP Vessel APIS Guide in PDF Format in the download section, explaining the System Identified Errors and Manifest Sufficiency Rates.
• Updated CBP Contact information on the main NVMC Homepage, Downloads, NVMC News & the Text Only version webpages.

9 May 2006 

Several upgrades have been made to the online eNOAD website. Details of each are listed below.

• Corrected a problem when choosing country "Congo" and port "Pointe Noire" on Last Five Foreign Ports page.
• Added instructional verbiage on Crew page that instructs user on how to safely modify the crew list for a COPIED arrival/departure.

• If an Initial eNOAD contains a previously used Notice ID, the NOA/D will not be committed to the system, and an e-mail will be sent to the Reporting Party, the 24-hour Point of Contact (POC), and to NVMC Technical Support and NVMC Watch indicating that an Initial eNOAD was submitted using a Notice ID that was previously used.

10 January 2006

Several upgrades have been made to the online eNOAD website. Details of each are listed below.

• A new print function for the eNOAD has been instituted. This new print function is easier to read and allows users to export to different formats (PDF, Excel, etc).
• The processing screen has been removed from the eNOAD site. The "Please Wait While We Process Your Record" screen has been removed from the eNOAD application in order to enhance performance.

27 October 2005

• Version 1.0 has been phased out and is no longer supported as of 1 October 2005.
• Version 2.0 will be phased out and no longer supported as of 1 January 2006. Please plan accordingly.

Please address any questions to techsupport@nvmc.uscg.gov.

12 October 2005

Several upgrades will be made to the online eNOAD website, the InfoPath template, and the XML Schema and Business Rules on or about 25 October 2005. Details of each are listed below.

The online Electronic Notice of Arrival/Departure (eNOAD) website will be updated on or about 25 October 2005 to include the following:

• Removal of "US to US" selection for Departures. Reason- Many people are confused about when departure notices are necessary (currently only needed for US to Foreign trips). This change should help users select the correct choice. Although not required, recommend 3rd party developers do the same.
• Addition of an Recognized Security Organization (RSO) list. Reason- Currently list only provides Flag Administration Countries although regulations allow for responibilities to be delegated to RSOs.
• User feedback indicator will be included after "Submit" button is activated to indicate that the data is being submitted.
• A new email receipt will be auto-generated and sent to Reporting Party and 24-hour contact that the eNOAD has been received but not yet processed. The NVMC will continue to send out the other email that you currently receive (notice has been processed.) The additional email will let the users know almost immediately that the information has been received (but not yet processed) by the NVMC. Additionally, by cc-ing the 24-hour contact (usually the agent), duplicate submissions for the same vessel/arrival should decrease. Important Note: While Departure Notices are sent to the NVMC, they are routed to CBP immediately and as such, fall outside of the USCG receipt process. We are investigating alternatives for future revisions.

A new version (3.0) of the InfoPath template will be available on or about 25 October 2005. It is recommended that prior to installation of the new template, the old template is uninstalled to avoid any conflicts between the versions. The new functionality will include:

• Removal of "US to US" selection for Departures. See above.
• Replacing Flag Administration Countries with Recognized Security Organization (RSO) list. See above.
• Some minor cosmetic upgrades.
• Complete information (including changes in Version 3.0) and instructions will be available in the Release Notes document included with the new template (.msi file).
• A new email receipt will be auto-generated and sent to Reporting Party and 24-hour contact that the eNOAD has been received but not yet processed. The NVMC will continue to send out the other email that you currently receive (notice has been processed.) The additional email will let the users know almost immediately that the information has been received (but not yet processed) by the NVMC. Additionally, by cc-ing the 24-hour contact (usually the agent), duplicate submissions for the same vessel/arrival should decrease. Important Note: While Departure Notices are sent to the NVMC, they are routed to CBP immediately and as such, fall outside of the USCG receipt process. We are investigating alternatives for future revisions.
• A conversion tool is included in this release, as XML files created with Version 1.0 will not natively work in Version 3.0. The purpose of the conversion tool is to allow users of Version 1.0 to easily convert saved Version 1.0 XML files into a format that will be accepted by Version 3.0. 
• Note- Version 1.0 was phased out and is no longer supported as of 1 October 2005.
• Version 2.0 will be phased out and no longer supported as of 1 Jan 2006. Please plan accordingly.

For third party Developers - The XML Schema and Business Rules will be updated to include the following:

• Creation of a new Recognized Security Organization (RSO) list. See above. The new list can be used as picklist choices for the NOTICE | VESSEL | ISSC | FLAG_ADMINISTRATION section of the schema, but the prior list can be accepted as well. Please download "RSO.xml" from the Developer Resources, Resource File page. To view the list click here.
• Several new Foreign ports added to "Foreign_Port_List.xml". New list can be substituted for old list. A list of the NEW ports only is available from Developer Resources, Resource File page, "New_Foreign_Ports.xml" . For your convenience, only the additional foreign ports are listed here.
• Recommendation to remove "US to US" selection for Departures. See above.
• A new email receipt will be auto-generated and sent to Reporting Party and 24-hour contact that the eNOAD has been received but not yet processed. The NVMC will continue to send out the other email that you currently receive (notice has been processed.) The additional email will let the users know almost immediately that the information has been received (but not yet processed) by the NVMC. Additionally, by cc-ing the 24-hour contact (usually the agent), duplicate submissions for the same vessel/arrival should decrease. Important Note: While Departure Notices are sent to the NVMC, they are routed to CBP immediately and as such, fall outside of the USCG receipt process. We are investigating alternatives for future revisions.

Please address any questions to techsupport@nvmc.uscg.gov.

26 July 2005

Several updates have been made to the online Electronic Notice of Arrival/Departure (eNOAD) site, as noted below:

• The displayed saved and previously submitted eNOADs records has been increased from 4 records to 10 records. Also, the total number of pages displayed on the same screen has been increased from 20 pages to 40 pages. This limits the displayed values to 400 records total for each list. (the 401st entry will push the oldest eNOAD from the list.)
• Additional ID types of Govt Issued Picture ID(US) and Govt Issued Picture ID(Canada) has been added.
• Debark Country has been removed as a required field from crew and non-crew screens.
• Paging has been completely removed from the crew and non crew screens. Each list will now display all records on the same page.
• Cancun and Cabo San Lucas have been added under Mexico in the picklists.
• Willow Run Airport and Ecorse have been added under Michigan in the picklists.
• The Submit button will be disabled (grayed out) after the first click. This will help alleviate duplicate submissions.
• The Last 5 Foreign Ports datagrid display problem has been corrected.

In addition, a new version (2.0) of the InfoPath template is now available, which includes several of the above fixes as well as adding some new functionality. It is recommended that prior to installation of the new template, the old template is uninstalled to avoid any conflicts between the versions. The new functionality includes:

7 February 2005:
If you are not receiving any NVMC emails even though you are certain you're using the correct email address, it is likely that a spam-filter or junk-filter is preventing the NVMC messages from appearing in your Inbox. Several major email providers (such as Hotmail, MSN, and AOL) have built-in spam-blocking features that will intercept - and in many cases, actually delete - messages.

Please check with your mail provider and have them manually walk you through the steps necessary to make sure spam and junk filters have been disabled on your account. Due to the wide variety of email providers and spam/junk mail options, NVMC representatives cannot walk you through this directly, but the support team for your mail provider should be able to.

In addition to turning off junk filters, please add the following email addresses to your "Safe" list, "Contact" list, or the equivalent for your mail service, so that you will be guaranteed to receive any email sent from these addresses: sans@nvmc.uscg.gov , nvmc@osc.uscg.mil

1 February 2005:
Homeland Security agencies improve customer service by combining maritime industry data submission requirements. Following this link for the official press release. Visit the Downloads page for more information about the new submission methods.

Microsoft's Infopath 2003 is required in order for the below .msi file (template) to function.  More product information and a trial version can be found on Microsoft's site here.

eNOAD InfoPath v4.6 - Updated 11 September 2008

eNOAD Submissions, Updating

How do I submit a Notice of Arrival/Departure (NOAD) report?

Notification should be made via the Internet using the electronic Notice of Arrival/Departure (eNOAD), It was designed to transmit the required data in an XML format that allows for quick, automatic processing. Additionally, there is a Microsoft InfoPath template available that meets the current CBP electronic reporting requirements. The XML schema for the NOAD is also available if your company chooses to create their own system to submit the required data.

What is the best method to report an NOA (Internet, fax, phone or email)?

The preferred method of submission is electronically, using the eNOAD web format. If information is faxed, faxes must be clear enough for NMVC staff to read. Telephone updates regarding minor changes are accepted, however, extensive amounts of information (crew lists, dangerous cargo, etc.) must be transmitted via email. Information faxed or telephoned does not meet CBP's electronic reporting requirement.

Can the NVMC verify via email that an NOA has been received immediately after it has been faxed?

No. The NVMC receives over 600 NOA submissions each day via Internet, fax, email and phone. The volume of work required to process this number of submissions precludes verifying receipt for faxes. However, submissions sent through the eNOAD system will receive a confirmation receipt. After the data has been verified, the submitter will receive an email detailing any discrepancies, or a simple notification that the correct information was received.

What information must be reported when submitting an update or a change to an NOA report?

When submitting a change to a submitted NOA, you need to submit only the name of the vessel, original NOA submission date, the port of arrival, the specific items to be corrected, and the new location or position of the vessel at the time of reporting (§160.208(a)). There is no requirement to provide an update to an NOA for the following changes: in arrival or departure times that are less than six (6) hours; in vessel location or position of the vessel at the time of reporting; and, to crewmembers' position or duties on the vessel (§160.208(a)).

If my vessel plans to visit multiple U.S. ports, can the reporting source send one 96-hour notice of arrival?

Yes and No. If submitting a NOA via fax or e-mail, the submitter may enter additional U.S. ports in the Consecutive Port of Call for Current Voyage blocks of the NOA form and update the voyage information as needed. If submitting via the eNOAD system (including InfoPath), the system is setup to require a new arrival notice for each port call. Although this may appear more cumbersome, the eNOAD is designed to allow you to 'copy' all the non-unique data over to a new notice, requiring minimal effort to add an additional port of call to a voyage.

I currently submit my information to a Marine Exchange. Can I continue to do so?

Yes. Verify with your local marine exchange that they will be forwarding the information to the NVMC in the correct format. The responsibility for ensuring that an NOA report is provided to the NVMC remains with the vessel owner/operator or agent.

Should an agent wait and send both the NOA and a crew list at the same time, or submit them as they become available?

To be considered a complete notice, all information should be submitted in accordance with the time requirements outlined in §160.212.

Will NOA information be accepted by Coast Guard Captain of the Port (COTP)?

No. COTPs are able to access the SANS database in a read-only mode and are therefore unable to enter any NOA data. For this reason COTPs will return any NOA to the submitter and request that the reporting party forward the information to the NVMC. The one exception to this is vessels less than 300 gross tons operating in the Seventh Coast Guard District. These vessels should continue to submit NOA information to the local Captain of the Port (COTP).

Who is responsible for submitting NOAs for barges?

If you are the owner, operator, master, agent, or person in charge of a towing vessel, and that vessel is controlling a barge, or barges, required to submit an NOA, you must submit an NOA containing the information required for the towing vessel, and each barge under its control (§160.202(d)). The towing vessel name should be used in the reporting details and the barge name and Official number should be entered into the cargo details section of the eNOAD.

What is a port or place? Can I just put in the Sea Buoy or Pilot Station as my port or place of destination for ETA purposes?

The port or place of destination is defined in 33 CFR 160.204 as "any port or place where a vessel is bound to anchor or moor." Without a change to the actual regulatory language, the sea buoy or pilot station should not generally be applied to this definition unless it is the ultimate location where the vessel will be anchoring or mooring. All NOAs to U.S. ports or places should address where the vessel is bound to anchor or moor. Further clarification of “Port or Place” and other regulatory interpretations can be found on USCG Homeport webpage. http://homeport.uscg.mil/mycg/portal/ep/home.do

How do I cancel the arrival?

Cancellation of a submitted eNOAD can be made by simply entering the word CANCELLED into the Place, City, Anchorage, or Facility fields in the arrival details of the eNOAD and resending the record as an update.

What if vessel is diverting from a previously scheduled port?

For vessel that are diverting from intended arrival port simply enter the new port, new ETA and facility into the arrivals section of the eNOAD and resend as an update. We strongly recommend contacting the local USCG at the new arrival port as a courtesy indicating change of orders for the vessel.

Are the Panama and Suez Canals considered a foreign stop?

If the vessel is locking or transiting only and any anchorages are required for locking or transiting then it is not considered a foreign stop. Stoppage for not limited to cargo work, crew changes, or bunkering would be considered a foreign stop and would then require an initial Foreign to US eNOAD.

Does the NVMC clear vessels to enter the Port?

No. The NVMC is a submission processing center and cannot act on behalf of the local USCG Command with regard to permissions to enter the port. The NVMC is limited to processing and providing assistance to the public in meeting the regulatory requirements for submitting arrival notices.

My vessel does not have five foreign ports visited, how can I comply?

There may be many reasons why the vessel cannot meet the requirements outlined in the previous foreign ports visited section of the eNOAD. The vessel may be a new build or a pleasure yacht that has been to one but less than five foreign ports. You may enter amplifying information in the cargo description window in the cargo details section of the eNOAD.

Can the NVMC tell me if my departure notice is received?

No. Departure notices are sent electronically to USCBP APIS automatically before reaching the NVMC systems.

eNOAD

What is an eNOAD?

The United States Coast Guard (USCG) has developed the Electronic Notice of Arrival/Departure (eNOAD) application—accessible via the World Wide Web (WWW)—to provide you, the representative of a vessel, with the means of fulfilling the arrival and departure notification requirements of the USCG and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) online. The eNOAD application provides an easy-to-use and efficient method for reporting the vessel arrival and/or departure information required by the USCG and other Federal agencies for vessels visiting U.S. ports. It was developed to enable an eNOAD to be submitted directly to the NVMC via the Web (even while the vessel is underway), thereby avoiding faxes, scanners, and telephones. It provides a means for managing and storing recently submitted company, vessel, personnel, and arrival information.

Additionally, this eNOAD application allows a previously submitted eNOAD to be updated and a partially completed eNOAD to be saved and submitted at a later date. Utilizing these features makes completing and submitting subsequent eNOAD s faster and easier.

Any NOA and/or NOD submitted via the eNOAD application constitute the official NOA and/or NOD, and duplicate submissions through other means are not required. Therefore, submitting an eNOAD eliminates duplicate handling of the NOA and/or NOD.

What happens after I submit my eNOAD?

Once the eNOAD is completed and submitted via the Web, the data is sent automatically to the NVMC, where it is reviewed for completeness. When it is determined that the eNOAD is complete and it is validated by the NVMC, the information is entered in a central USCG database. An e-mail message confirming receipt of the complete eNOAD is sent to the Reporting Party and the 24-Hour Point of Contact e-mail addresses listed in the eNOAD. If the eNOAD contains any missing, incomplete, or inaccurate informational items an incomplete confirmation e-mail will be returned requesting correction. The incomplete message contains information in the Additional Comments section about what information is needed to complete the eNOAD. The missing information is to be provided via update as soon as possible to ensure the vessel is not delayed or denied entry into the port. If a confirmation e-mail message is not received within 2 hours of submitting the eNOAD, call the NVMC for verbal confirmation at the number listed in the Contact Numbers section.

Why am I locked out of my account?

Your account will be locked if no activity is registered over 45 days. To unlock your account have your user name ready and call (800) 708-9823. The duty officer will issue you a temporary password via e-mail address indicated in your account. Once received you should click on the link that came with the e-mail. This will open a log on window. Enter your user name and temporary password. This will take you to a page that will allow you to change your temporary password to a new permanent password.

Which vessel identification number should I use for the eNOAD?

The IMO number must be used if one is assigned, otherwise use the U.S. Official Numbers, Foreign Official number, or U.S. State Certificate of Numbers. Do not use Hull Identification Numbers.

Why did I receive an auto reject message?

Submission failed because certain business rule violations were detected. Effective 1 January 2009 the United States Coast Guard (USCG) is going to begin rejecting Electronic Notice of Arrival and Departure (eNOAD) submissions that do not conform to the established USCG Business Rules and Extensible Markup Language (XML) Schema. Beginning in 2009 three fields indicated in the news section under Automatic Rejection of Business Rules Violations letter dated 10/2/2008 12:00:00 AM must meet the Business Rules or a submission will receive a "Failed Validation" message and will be automatically rejected. These changes will improve the processing of eNOAD submissions by enforcing current business rules.

Time Requirements

What if I am unable to meet the 96-hour reporting requirement or the voyage is less than 96 hours?

If your voyage time is 96 hours or more, you must submit an NOA at least 96 hours before entering the U.S. port or place of destination. However, if your voyage time is less than 96 hours, you must submit an NOA before departure, but at least 24 hours before entering the U.S. port or place of destination (§160.212 (3)). The only exception to this requirement is for towing vessels operating solely between ports or places in the continental U.S. Towing vessels in control of a vessel carrying Certain Dangerous Cargo (CDC), and operating solely between ports or places in the continental U.S. must submit an NOA before departure, but at least 12 hours before entering the U.S. port or place of destination (§160.212 (a) (2)). Only passenger vessels employed in the exploration for, or in the removal of oil, gas, or mineral resources on the continental shelf are exempt from the NOA (§160.203(a) and (a)(1)). The COTP, in accordance with §160.214 is the only person who can authorize a waiver from this requirement. If your vessel cannot comply with this subpart, you would need to apply for a waiver with the cognizant COTP.

A vessel is destined for a U.S. port from a Canadian port and the transit time is less than 24 hours. Does the vessel have to comply with the NOA submission time requirement outlined in §160.206?

Yes. However, if your voyage time is less than 96 hours, you must submit an NOA before departure, but at least 24 hours before entering the port or place of destination.

CBP Requirements

In §160.206(c) if 33 CFR Part 160, it states that I may submit a copy of INS Form I-418 to meet the requirements of entries (4) and (5) in Table 160.206. There is no place on INS Form I-418 for place embarked; do I still need to provide this information on a separate form?

Submitting a complete eNOAD meets the reporting requirements of both CBP and USCG. Information received through the eNOAD system is automatically forwarded to both USCG and CBP.

Which submission formats meet the electronic reporting requirements of both USCG and USCBP?

Submissions received through the eNOAD web format or via the InfoPath template (available exclusively on the NVMC Downloads page) fulfill those requirements. Also, many third party applications based on the eNOAD XML schema also meet those requirements. You may also build your own system based on the eNOAD XML schema to generate notices for electronic submission. The responsibility for ensuring that an NOA/D report is provided to the NVMC remains with the vessel owner/operator or agent.

Cargo Requirements

What is required as a description of general cargo?

If your vessel is required to submit an NOA, you must submit a general description of cargo, other than certain dangerous cargo, or CDC, carried onboard the vessel (§Table 160.206(3) (i)). Vessels must list the type of cargo onboard. For example, grain, oil, lumber, steel, scrap metal, etc. Simply stating "general cargo" does not meet the Coast Guard's requirement.

If my vessel is carrying CDC, and I comply with the requirement to electronically submit a cargo manifest to Bureau of Customs and Border Protection (BCBP), do I still need to submit the name and amount of CDC to the NVMC?

Yes. For a vessel carrying CDC, you also submit to the NVMC the name, UN Number, and the amount of each CDC carried onboard.

If my vessel is carrying CDCs, do I have to submit a NOA every time my vessel moves from one berth to another berth? What if my vessel is not carrying CDCs - do I have to submit a NOA when transiting between ports or places within a single COTP zone?

Vessels not carrying CDCs are not required to submit NOAs when transiting from one port or place to another port or place within a single COTP zone (33 CFR 160.203 (b) (2)). Vessels carrying CDCs do have to submit NOAs when transiting from one port or place to another within a single COTP zone. However, they should only do so if the vessel is actually moving from one port to another port. Moving from one dock to another dock, one berth to another berth, or one anchorage to another anchorage within one port is not considered a transit from a "port or place" to a different "port or place" and therefore, no NOA is required. If you are uncertain whether your movement is to a different port, you should contact the cognizant COTP to request clarification.

Crew Requirements

If a crewmember on a vessel changes positions during the vessel's voyage, is an update to the NOA report required?

No. There is no requirement to provide an update to an NOA for the following changes: in arrival or departure times that are less than six (6) hours; in vessel location or position of the vessel at the time of reporting; and, to crewmembers' position or duties on the vessel (§160.208(a)).

Should an agent wait and send both the NOA and a crew list at the same time, or submit them as they become available?

To be considered a complete notice, all information should be submitted in accordance with the time requirements outlined in §160.212.

Hazardous/Non-Operating Requirements

To whom should I report a notice of hazardous conditions aboard the vessel?

If your vessel has a hazardous condition either aboard your vessel, or caused by your vessel or its operation, as per 33 CFR 160.215 you must immediately notify the nearest COTP or U.S. Coast Guard Sector Command (Compliance with this section does not relieve responsibility for the written report required by 46 CFR 4.05-10).

How do I request a deviation to enter for non-operating navigational safety equipment?

The process for requesting a deviation from the regulations regarding non-operation of navigational safety equipment found in 33 CFR 164.53 is unchanged and should continue to be made through the cognizant COTP. However, the NOA submitted to the NVMC must also list any non-operating equipment required under 33 CFR 164.35.

Water Ballast Requirements

How do I comply with the Coast Guard's Ballast Water Reporting requirements?

Information on how to comply with the Coast Guard Ballast Water Reporting requirements contained in 33 CFR 151.2041 can be found at the National Ballast Information Clearinghouse (NBIC) web site at http://invasions.si.edu/NBIC/bwform.html or from the Coast Guard's Office of Operating and Environmental Standards web site at http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g-m/mso/bwm.htm. If you have further questions you may contact the Environmental Standards division by e-mail at EnvironmentalStandards@comdt.uscg.mil or leave a voice mail on the Environmental Standards Information Line at 202-372-1402.

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