Safety Zone; ANCHOR Floating Production Unit (FPU) Outer Continental Shelf Facility, Green Canyon Block 763, Gulf of America

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Coast Guard

33 CFR Part 147

Safety Zone; ANCHOR Floating Production Unit (FPU) Outer Continental Shelf Facility, Green Canyon Block 763, Gulf of America

Coast Guard, Department of Homeland Security.

Final rule.

The Coast Guard is establishing a safety zone around the ANCHOR Floating Production Unit (FPU), located in Green Canyon Block 763 on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) in the Gulf of America. Establishing a safety zone around the facility will significantly reduce the threat of allisions, collisions, security breaches, oil spills, releases of natural gas, and thereby protect the safety of life, property, and the environment. This rule prohibits entry of vessels into this safety zone unless specifically authorized Commander, Coast Guard Heartland District or their designated representative.

This rule is effective September 17, 2026.

To view available documents, go to https://www.regulations.gov and search for USCG-2022-0982.

If you have questions about this rule, contact Mr. Steven Wilkes, Heartland District Western Rivers & Waterways Division, U.S. Coast Guard; telephone (206) 815-1119, or email [email protected].

CFR Code of Federal Regulations DHS Department of Homeland Security FPU Floating Production Unit FR Federal Register NPRM Notice of proposed rulemaking OCS Outer Continental Shelf Sec. Section U.S.C. United States Code

Chevron Corporation requested that the Coast Guard establish a safety zone around its ANCHOR FPU facility. There are safety concerns for vessels operating in close proximity to the facility, as well as the personnel aboard the facility and the environment that arise when unauthorized vessels operate in close proximity to the unit. On April 14, 2023, the Coast Guard published a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) titled Safety Zone; ANCHOR Floating Production Unit (FPU) Outer Continental Shelf Facility, Green Canyon Block 763, Gulf of Mexico (88 FR 22971). In that NPRM, we stated why we issued the NPRM and invited comments on our proposed regulatory action related to safety zone. Under the authority in 14 U.S.C. 544, the District Commander has determined that this rule is necessary to protect personnel, property, and the marine environment from potential hazards associated with FPU operations. These hazards include the threat of allisions, collisions, security breaches, oil spills, and releases of natural gas. No vessel or person, other than attending vessels, vessels less than 100 feet that are not towing, will be permitted to enter the safety zone without obtaining permission from the District Commander or their designated representative.

During the comment period that ended on May 15, 2023, we did not receive any comments. There are no substantive changes in the regulatory text of this rule from the proposed rule in the NPRM. References to the "Gulf of Mexico" in the NPRM have been changed to "Gulf of America" in the final rule. This rule establishes a safety zone on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) in the deepwater area of the Gulf of America at Green Canyon 763. The area of the safety zone is 500 meters (1640.4 feet) from each point on the ANCHOR FPU facility, which is located at 27[deg]12'23.0394" N, 91[deg]11'53.1594" W (NAD 83). No vessel, except attending vessels as defined in 33 CFR 147.20, or those less than 100 feet in length and not engaged in towing, will be permitted to enter the safety zone without obtaining permission from the District Commander or their designated representative.

We developed this rule after considering numerous statutes and Executive orders related to rulemaking. Below we summarize our analyses based on a number of these statutes and Executive orders.