September 22 - In the USA, a proposal that may have led to significant changes in the manner in which the offshore industry operates on the Outer Continental Shelf has been withdrawn by the US Customs and Border Protection Agency.

The proposal intended there to be a stricter interpretation of a 1976 Jones Act ruling about the employment of a foreign-built vessel "in the construction, maintenance, repair and inspection of offshore petroleum related facilities." 

The US agency had proposed a stronger interpretation of equipment deemed necessary for the mission of the vessel.

But watch this space. Reports suggest that the US CBP intends to publish a new notice on the subject "in the near future."