E6-15494. Collection of Information Under Review by Office of Management and Budget: OMB Control Number 1625-0012

AGENCY:

Coast Guard, DHS.

ACTION:

Request for comments.

SUMMARY:

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the U.S. Coast Guard intends to submit an Information Collection Request (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to request a revision for the following collection of information: 1625-0012, Certificate of Discharge to Merchant Mariners. Before submitting the ICR to OMB, the Coast Guard is inviting comments on it as described below.

DATES:

Comments must reach the Coast Guard on or before November 20, 2006.

ADDRESSES:

To make sure that your comments and related material do not enter the docket [USCG-2006-25800] more than once, please submit them by only one of the following means:

(1) By mail to the Docket Management Facility, U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), room PL-401, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590-0001.

(2) By delivery to room PL-401 on the Plaza level of the Nassif Building, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. The telephone number is 202-366-9329.

(3) By fax to the Docket Management Facility at 202-493-2251.

(4) Electronically through the Web Site for the Docket Management System at http://dms.dot.gov.

The Docket Management Facility maintains the public docket for this notice. Comments and material received from the public, as well as documents mentioned in this notice as being available in the docket, will become part of this docket and will be available for inspection or copying at room PL-401 on the Plaza level of the Nassif Building, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. You may also find this docket on the Internet at http://dms.dot.gov.

Copies of the complete ICR are available through this docket on the Internet at http://dms.dot.gov,, and also from Commandant (CG-611), U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters, room 6106 (Attn: Ms. Barbara Davis), 2100 2nd Street, SW., Washington, DC 20593-0001. The telephone number is 202-475-3523.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Ms. Barbara Davis, Office of Information Management, telephone [phone], or fax [phone], for questions on these documents; or telephone Ms. Renee V. Wright, Program Manager, Docket Operations, 202-493-0402, for questions on the docket.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Public Participation and Request for Comments

We encourage you to respond to this request for comments by submitting comments and related materials. We will post all comments received, without change, to http://dms.dot.gov;​; they will include any personal information you have provided. We have an agreement with DOT to use the Docket Management Facility. Please see the paragraph on DOT's “Privacy Act Policy” below.

Submitting comments: If you submit a comment, please include your name and address, identify the docket number [USCG-2006-25800], indicate the specific section of the document to which each comment applies, and give the reason for each comment. You may submit your comments and material by electronic means, mail, fax, or delivery to the Docket Management Facility at the address under ADDRESSES; but please submit them by only one means. If you submit them by mail or delivery, submit them in an unbound format, no larger than 81/2 by 11 inches, suitable for copying and electronic filing. If you submit them by mail and would like to know that they reached the Facility, please enclose a stamped, self-addressed postcard or envelope. We will consider all comments and material received during the comment period. We may change the documents supporting this collection of information or even the underlying requirements in view of them.

Viewing comments and documents: To view comments, as well as documents mentioned in this notice as being available in the docket, go to http://dms.dot.gov at any time and conduct a simple search using the docket number. You may also visit the Docket Management Facility in room PL-401 on the Plaza level of the Nassif Building, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.

Privacy Act: Anyone can search the electronic form of all comments received in dockets by the name of the individual submitting the comment (or signing the comment, if submitted on behalf of an association, business, labor union, etc.). You may review the Privacy Act Statement of DOT in the Federal Register published on April 11, 2000 (65 FR 19477), or you may visit http://dms.dot.gov.

Information Collection Request

Title: Certificate of Discharge to Merchant Mariners.

OMB Control Number: 1625-0012.

Summary: Under 46, U. S. C. 10311, the Coast Guard prescribes the form of the Certificate of Discharge for Merchant Mariners. The Certificate provides merchant mariners with evidence of sea service to determine eligibility for various benefits, such as medical and retirement. The information collected is also used to show eligibility for an original, renewed, upgraded license or merchant mariner document, to develop maritime sea service statistics, and to provide information to the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) on the availability of mariners in a time of national emergency. The Coast Guard's Sea Service database captures the information from the Certificates of Discharge and is used by the Coast Guard's Regional Examination Centers to evaluate the qualifications of mariners who apply for originals, renewals, upgrades to their license or merchant mariners documents. The information from the database is compiled annually by MARAD to prepare Congressionally mandated reports on mariner availability. Currently, the CG Form 718A is only available in booklet format utilizing carbon copies. The Coast Guard is revising this form so that it may be provided to the maritime community for downloading via the internet. The new version still requires vessel master and discharged mariner signatures. This effort is intended to alleviate issues regarding form availability.

Need: The information is used primarily, on an as-needed basis, by mariners and the Coast Guard to establish sea service time and qualifications for issuing original, renewals or upgraded merchant mariner credentials; in claims against employers; in medical claims; and in qualifying for retirement benefits or insurance benefits.

Respondents: Masters or mates of shipping companies and merchant mariners.

Frequency: On occasion.

Burden Estimate: The estimated burden has decreased from 4,500 hours to 1,800 hours a year.

Dated: September 13, 2006.

R. T. Hewitt,

Rear Admiral, U.S. Coast Guard, Assistant Commandant for Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Information Technology.