CARGO SHIPOWNERS MUST TEST 50 PERCENT OF CREW FOR DRUGS IN '99

Cargo shipowners will be required to administer random drug tests to at
least 50 percent of their crew in 1999, because too many crewmembers are
still testing positive, the Coast Guard said.

The agency announced that 1.59 percent of crewmembers tested positive in
random tests in 1997, mostly for marijuana or methamphetamines, down
slightly from 1.87 percent who tested positive in 1996.

The positive test rate would have to sink below 1 percent for two
consecutive years before shipowners would be allowed to reduce the overall
number tests they administer. If the rate falls below 1 percent for two
years, only 25 percent of crewmembers will have to be tested, said Lt.
Jennifer Williams, project manager, in the Coast Guard's office of
investigations and analysis.

She said breakdowns based on vessel type -- cargo, passenger, barge or
others -- are not available. Only crewmembers with direct responsibility
for safety aboard ship are required to be among the group from which the 50
percent selected for testing would be drawn. For cargo ships, that usually
includes the entire crew, she said.

Test rates have remained above the 1 percent threshold since the Coast
Guard began collecting statistics in 1994. That year, 1.63 percent of
crewmembers tested positive. In 1995, the figure had climbed to 1.75 percent.

"Obviously, the data show that people are still testing positive," she said.

The requirement that 50 percent of eligible crewmembers will have to be
subject to random tests in 1999 was published in the Dec. 14 Federal Register.

Regulations require marine employers to establish random drug testing
programs for covered crewmembers on all vessels.Employers are required to
collect and maintain a record of drug testing program data for each
calendar year, and must submit the data to the Coast Guard in an annual
report.Contact Lt. Williams, at (202) 267-0686.