2012-5077. Fees for Sanitation Inspections of Cruise Ships

AGENCY:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), located within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), announces fees for vessel sanitation inspections. These inspections are conducted by CDC's Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP). VSP assists the cruise line industry in fulfilling its responsibility for developing and implementing comprehensive sanitation programs to minimize the risk for acute gastroenteritis. Every vessel that has a foreign itinerary and carries 13 or more passengers is subject to twice-yearly inspections and, when necessary, re-inspection.

DATES:

These fees are effective March 2, 2012.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

CAPT Jaret T. Ames, Chief, Vessel Sanitation Program, National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4770 Buford Highway NE., MS-F-59, Atlanta, Georgia 30341-3717, phone: [phone] or 954-356-6650, email: [e-mail].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Purpose and Background

CDC established VSP in the 1970s as a cooperative activity with the cruise ship industry. VSP assists the cruise ship industry to prevent and control the introduction, transmission, and spread of gastrointestinal illnesses on cruise ships. VSP operates under the authority of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 264, “Control of Communicable Diseases”). Regulations under 42 CFR 71.41 (Foreign Quarantine—Requirements Upon Arrival at U.S. Ports: Sanitary Inspection; General Provisions) states that carriers arriving at U.S. Ports from foreign areas are subject to sanitary inspections to determine whether there exists rodent, insect, or other vermin infestations, contaminated food or water, or other sanitary conditions requiring measures for the prevention of the introduction, transmission, or spread of communicable diseases.

The fee schedule for sanitation inspections of passenger cruise ships inspected under VSP was first published in the Federal Register on November 24, 1987 (52 FR 45019). CDC began collecting fees on March 1, 1988. This notice announces fees that are effective March 2, 2012.

The following formula is used to determine the fees:

The average cost per inspection is multiplied by size and cost factors to determine the fee for vessels in each size category. The size and cost factors were established in the proposed fee schedule published in the Federal Register on July 17, 1987 (52 FR 27060). The fee schedule was most recently published in the Federal Register on November 26, 2008 (73 FR 72053). The current size and cost factors are presented in Appendix A.

Fee

The fee schedule (Appendix A) will be effective March 2, 2012 through September 30, 2012. The fee schedule has not changed since October 1, 2006. If travel expenses continue to increase, the fees may need to be adjusted before September 30, 2012, because travel constitutes a sizable portion of VSP's costs. If a fee adjustment is necessary, a notice will be published in the Federal Register 30 days before the effective date.

Applicability

The fees will apply to all passenger cruise vessels for which inspections are conducted as part of CDC's VSP.

Dated: February 22, 2012.

Tanja Popovic,

Deputy Associate Director for Science, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Appendix A

Size/Cost Factor

Vessel size	GRT 1	Approximate cost per GRT (in U.S. dollars)
Extra Small	<3,001	0.25
Small	3,001-15,000	0.50
Medium	15,001-30,000	1.00
Large	30,001-60,000	1.50
Extra Large	60,000-120,000	2.00
Mega	>120,001	3.00

Fee Schedule

Vessel size	GRT 1	Fee (in U.S. dollars)
Extra Small	<3,000	1,300
Small	3,001-15,000	2,600
Medium	15,001-30,000	5,200
Large	30,001-60,000	7,800
Extra Large	60,001-120,000	10,400
Mega	>120,001	15,600
1 Gross register tonnage in cubic feet, as shown in Lloyd's Register of Shipping.
Inspections and re-inspections involve the same procedures, require the same amount of time, and are therefore charged at the same rates.