(a) Action by MARAD—Time Deadlines. Applications for enrollment of vessels in the MSP were due by October 15, 2004 to the Secretary, Maritime Administration, Room 7218, Maritime Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590. Any applications received before October 15, 2004 were deemed to have been submitted on October 15, 2004. Within 90 days after receipt of a completed application, the Secretary was obligated to approve the application, in conjunction with the SecDef, or provide in writing the reason for denial of that application. Execution of a standard MSP Operating Agreement took place reasonably soon after approval of the application. Contractors of MSP Operating Agreements were required to submit ownership information and signed charters to MARAD for approval by July 1, 2005.

(b) Action by the Applicant. Each applicant for an MSP Operating Agreement was required to submit an application under OMB control number 2133-0525 to the Secretary, Maritime Administration in the manner prescribed on that form. Application forms were made available from MARAD's Office of Sealift Support, or the application form could be downloaded from the MARAD Web site, http://www.marad.dot.gov, Information required included:

(1) An Affidavit of Section 2 Citizenship that comports with the requirements of 46 CFR part 355, if applying as a Section 2 Citizen. Otherwise, an affidavit which demonstrates that the applicant is qualified to document a vessel under 46 U.S.C. chapter 121 is required. If the applicant is a vessel operator and proposes to employ a vessel manager, then the applicant must supply an affidavit for the vessel manager that meets the same citizenship requirements applicable to the applicant;

(2) Certificate of Incorporation;

(3) Copies of by-laws or other governing instruments;

(4) Maritime related affiliations;

(5) Financial data:

(i) Provide an audited financial statement or a completed MARAD Form MA-172 dated within 120 days after the close of the most recent fiscal period; and

(ii) Provide estimated annual forecast of maritime operations for the next five years showing revenue and expense, including explanations of any significant increase or decrease of these items;

(6) Intermodal network:

(i) If applicable, a statement describing the applicant's operating and transportation assets, including vessels, container stocks, trucks, railcars, terminal facilities, and systems used to link such assets together;

(ii) The number of containers and their twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) by size and type owned and/or long-term leased by the applicant distinguishing those that are owned from those that are leased; and

(iii) The number of chassis by size and type owned and/or long-term leased by the applicant distinguishing those that are owned from those that are leased;

(7) Diversity of trading patterns: A list of countries and trade routes serviced along with the types and volumes of cargo carried;

(8) Applicant's record of owning and/or operating vessels: Provide number of ships owned and/or operated, specifying flag, in the last ten years, trades involved, number of employees in your ship operations department, vessel or ship managers utilized in the operation of your vessels, and any other information relevant to your record of owning or operating vessels;

(9) Bareboat charter arrangements, if applicable;

(10) Vessel data including vessel type, size, and construction date;

(11) Military Utility: Provide an assessment of the value of the vessel to DOD sealift requirements. Provide characteristics which indicate the value of the vessels to DOD including items of specific value, e.g., ramp strengths, national defense sealift features;

(12) Special Security Agreements: If applicable, provide a copy of any Special Security Agreement;

(13) If applicable, Certification from documentation citizen who is the demise charterer of the MSP vessel: In a letter submitted at the time of the application addressed to the Administrator and the Commander from the Chief Executive Officer, or equivalent, of a documentation citizen that is the proposed Contractor of an MSP Operating Agreement, provide a statement that there are no treaties, statutes, regulations, or other laws of the foreign country(ies) of the parent, that would prohibit the proposed Contractor from performing its obligations under an MSP Operating Agreement. The statement should be substantially in the following format:

(14) Agreement from the ultimate foreign parent of the documentation citizen: An agreement to be signed and submitted at the time of application from the equivalent of the Chief Executive Officer of the ultimate foreign parent of a documentation citizen not to influence the operation of the MSP vessel in a manner that will adversely affect the interests of the United States. The Agreement should be substantially in the following format:

(15) Replacement Vessel Plan and Age Waiver: If applicable, an applicant must submit a replacement vessel plan along with an age waiver request if the applicant seeks an age waiver for an existing vessel(s). The vessel replacement plan shall include the vessel's characteristics, a letter of intent or other document indicating agreement for purchase of vessel, and a forecast of operations for five years for the replacement vessel. The age restriction for over-age vessels shall not apply to a Participating Fleet Vessel during the 30-month period beginning on the date the vessel begins operating under an MSP Operating Agreement under the MSA 2003 provided that the Secretary has determined that the Contractor has entered into an arrangement for a replacement vessel that will be eligible to be included in an MSP Operating Agreement, and;

(16) Anti-Lobbying Certificate: A certificate as required by 49 CFR part 20 stating that no funds provided under MSP have been used for lobbying to obtain an Operating Agreement.