D8 OCS Inspections History
After much consideration and in an effort to centralize points of contacts and interaction with industry and to promote consistency with inspections-related activities, the U.S. Coast Guard created the District Eight OCS OCMI. With the creation of this position, supporting staff positions were created at the District office and billets were reallocated among the six coastal units that had historically conducted the OCS inspections mission for the Coast Guard on the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. The core group of OCS inspectors were relocated to Sector New Orleans and conduct the majority of OCS inspections. The D8 OCS OCMI was added as 33 CFR 3.40-5 on April 15, 2015 via Federal Register Notice 80 FR 20162. See the discussion at 80 FR 20159 for additional information related to the creation of the D8 OCS OCMI zone.
Prior to the creation of the consolidated D8 OCS OCMI zone, OCS inspections were conducted by inspectors at six coastal Coast Guard offices located in Mobile, AL, New Orleans, LA, Morgan City, LA, Port Arthur, TX, Galveston/Texas City, TX and Corpus Christi, TX, with the majority of the workload handled by the inspectors assigned to the Morgan City office. With the consolidation, inspector billets were shifted from Morgan City to New Orleans (where much of the OCS work had occurred in the early stages of the program). In 2021, the Corpus Christ billet was moved to Texas City.
33 CFR 3.40-5 Eighth District Outer Continental Shelf Marine Inspection Zone.
(a) A separate marine inspection zone, with an office located in New Orleans, Louisiana, performs the OCMI functions defined in 33 CFR 1.01-20 for all MODUs and fixed and floating OCS facilities, as those terms are defined in 33 CFR 140.10, engaged in OCS activities wherever located in the Eighth Coast Guard District.
(b) Notwithstanding the OCMI inspection authority held by Eighth Coast Guard District Sector Commanders and Marine Safety Unit Commanders in §3.01-1(d), the Chief, Outer Continental Shelf Division at the Eighth Coast Guard District, shall serve as the Officer in Charge, Marine Inspection, for this Marine Inspection Zone and shall be known as the Eighth District Outer Continental Shelf Officer in Charge, Marine Inspection. The District Commander resolves any conflict between the functions of this marine inspection zone and any geographically based marine inspection zones described in 33 CFR 3.40-10, 3.40-15, 3.40-28, 3.40-35, 3.40-40, 3.40-60, or 3.40.65.
[USCG-2013-0491, 80 FR 20162, Apr. 15, 2015]