U.S. COAST GUARD SEEKS TO UPDATE HAZMAT RULES FOR BARGES

   The U.S. Coast Guard is seeking written comments from the industry to
help revise its rules for barges that carry hazardous bulk liquid cargoes.
   The current rules were first published in 1970. In 1993, the Chemical
Transportation Advisory Committee recommended several regulatory changes to the Coast Guard to reduce chemical spills and to clarify language in certain rules. The Coast Guard said it made these changes.

   Now the Coast Guard is under pressure to further revise its rules. The
Louisiana Governor’s Maritime Task Force wants to change the identification
signs on barges to those used by trucking and rail transportation.
   "The current warning sign system used on barges might not be
satisfactory for emergency responders who have been trained to recognize
the trucking and rail placarding system," the Coast Guard said.
   Other barge rules are being reviewed by the Coast Guard for their
adequacy in today’s industry, such as the use of red flags to indicate
transferring of hazardous cargo between barges. Metric measures for barges
are also under consideration.