PROBLEM: Year 2000 associated technology breakdowns will have a harmful effect on commerce and port safety on the Miami River. The Year 2000, or Y2K, dilemma threatens wide scale disruption to our daily lives and livelihoods. The heart of the problem is that solid state circuit and computer program designers designed both hardware (circuit board components) and software (computer programs) with only a two place numeric data field for the year. As we roll into the year 2000, it is feared that many solid state controlled systems and computer programs will fail to some degree unless the two place numeric year data field has been converted into a four place field. Non-compliant systems and circuits may see the change from "99" to "00" as change from 1999 to 1900, instead of to 2000. It is reported that most, if not all, solid state integrated circuit chips were designed and built with an internal date/clock function. Even if that portion of the chip is not directly "wired" into the circuit, it is possible that the non-Y2K compliant clock function could cause the chip to malfunction within its application. Organizations that rely heavily on the use of computer applications for arranging operational or delivery schedules or to receive transfers of data from other organizations must be concerned about whether those sources are Y2K compliant.

Oil Spill Recovery Rates On the Miami River The following information is provided for spills where cleanup was feasible and was performed by Coast Guard, State, responsible parties, and/or contractors. Spill size range: 10-200 gallons Average oil spilled: 150 gallons Average oil recovered: 45.3 gallons % oil recovered: 68% *Average size of all spills on Miami River is less than 5 gallons. Many are mystery spills and are not recoverable. Pollution Statistics Summary Coast Guard Coast Guard responses to reported oil or hazardous materials spills on the Miami River, January 1, 1995 ­ May 31, 1999. 1995: 76 1996: 48 1997: 46 1998: 52 1999 (Jan-May): 21

Vessels that have electronic circuitry integrated into electro-mechanical steering, engine and anchor system controls may experience sudden loss of response to inputs if associated circuit board imbedded chips are not Y2K compliant. Sudden loss of steering, engine and anchor system control, especially while transiting congested waterways, could have catastrophic results for both the vessel and others in close proximity. Marine navigational and communications systems may likewise be affected by the Y2K Dilemma.

SOLUTION: Vessel and waterfront facility owners and operators should determine the degree to which their systems may be affected by the Y2K dilemma.

Presently, the Coast Guard has focused on three critical Y2K periods: September 9, 1999; December 30, 1999 to January 2, 2000; and, February 29, 2000. During these periods, the maritime community should expect to be under tighter controls by the Coast Guard Captain of the Port.

Ideally, manufacturers should be asked to provide certification to the user that their equipment is Y2K compliant. Alternatively, date-sensitive systems should be tested by running the clock forward to December 31, 1999 to see if failures in a controlled test will occur. The Coast Guard has developed a risk assessment worksheet to determine the degree of risk posed by vessels and cargo handling operations. The worksheet differentiates by type of vessel, cargo carried, number of passengers on board, waterway, weather condition, cargo handled, and degree of Y2K compliance of critical control systems. If necessary, the Coast Guard Captain of the Port will prohibit the passage of vessels that score very high on the risk point scale. For vessels that score lower in risk that want to make passage along congested waterways, the

Designated Waterfront Facility Inspections & Discrepancies* 1994/95: 4.0 Avg. per Inspection 1995/96 : 1.6 Avg. per Inspection 1996/97: 1.4 Avg. per Inspection 1997/98: 1.8 Avg. per Inspection Since the QAT formation, the average number of discrepancies found during inspections and spotchecks has decreased by 55%. *Applies to 33 facilities on the Miami River that handle hazardous goods/dangerous cargo.

Captain of the Port may insist on additional ship personnel stationed at manual override stations for steering, engine control and anchoring systems; escort by tugs; and passage in good weather and daylight conditions only. Members of the maritime community will be issued the risk assessment worksheet by way of a Captain of the Port Marine Safety Information Bulletin as soon as the worksheet is made available by Coast Guard Headquarters.

PROBLEM: Substandard cargo vessels continue to dominate vessel examination activities.

The Caribbean Cargo Ship Safety Code (CCSSC) has had a great impact on the Miami River community in that the Coast Guard is seeing considerably fewer substandard vessels of less than 500 gross tons (GT). While in past years as many as 50 vessels at any given time were on hold due to safety deficiencies on the Miami River, today we see about half that number placed on hold. However, cargo demands continue to increase unabated, and the trend indicates a shift away from non-containerized cargo. Smaller vessels (such as those traditionally seen on the Miami River) may be decreasing in numbers, giving way to an increase in port calls by vessels more capable of carrying containerized cargo and achieving economies of scale (between 500 and 3,000 GT). These vessels fall under the safety requirements set forth in the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), resulting in a greater number of SOLAS detentions - which are increasingly the lion's share of River deficiencies - on vessels that frequent the Miami River.

However, a large fleet of non-SOLAS size vessels (those less than 500 GT) remains on the River. The historic problems experienced with these vessels could resurface or be further compounded if trade opportunities between the United States and Cuba were to become a reality. The need to serve an expanded market could give rise to more Flags of Convenience (FOCs) established in the Caribbean to cash in on the greater demand for tonnage. Furthermore, the eventual world-wide shortage of high quality, small tonnage (greater than 500 GT, less than 3,000 GT) vessels could result in a return to more low quality vessels calling upon the Miami River.

Phone: (305) 637-7977
Fax: (305) 637-7949
Email: [email protected]