Ballast Water Management

Ballast water discharged from ships is one of the pathways for the introduction and spread of aquatic nuisance species (ANS). In response to national concerns, the National Invasive Species Act of 1996 (NISA) was reauthorized and amended the Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act of 1990 (NANPCA). NISA required the Coast Guard to establish national voluntary ballast water management guidelines. If the guidelines were deemed inadequate, NISA directed the Coast Guard to convert them into a mandatory national program. To comply with NISA, the Coast Guard has established both regulations and guidelines to prevent the introduction of ANS.

Under the initial nationwide program which began in 1998, a self-policing program was established where ballast water management (BWM) was voluntary for 24-30 months. However, the rate of compliance was found to be inadequate, and vessel operators often failed to submit mandatory ballast water reports to the Coast Guard. In 2004, the voluntary program became mandatory and current regulations are at 33 CFR 151 subparts C and D.

Ballast Water Discharge Standard:

The Coast Guard's final rule was published on March 23, 2012 in the Federal Register, and is effective 90 days after publication, or June 21, 2012.

The Coast Guard is amending its regulations on ballast water management by establishing a standard for the allowable concentration of living organisms in ballast water discharged from ships in waters of the United States.  The Coast Guard is also amending its regulations for engineering equipment by establishing an approval process for ballast water management systems.

The numerical limits set by the discharge standard in this Final Rule are supported by reports from the National Academy of Science and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Science Advisory Board in 2011 as the most stringent that vessels can practicably implement and that the Coast Guard can enforce at this time.

Documents and public comments are located in the official rulemaking docket USCG-2001-10486.  The following documents are available here:

1. Final Rule - Standards for Living Organisms in Ships' Ballast Water Discharged in U.S. Waters (Ballast Water Discharge Standard), 23 Mar 2012

2. Interim Guidance for Acceptance of Alternate Management Systems (AMS), Acceptance of Independent Laboratories (IL), and Type Approval of Ballast Water Management Systems (BWMS), 13 April 2012

3. Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), 28 Aug 2009

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) Program published a final protocol for verification of ballast water treatment systems.  This protocol was developed under a collaboration between EPA and the U.S. Coast Guard.

Generic Protocol for the Verification of Ballast Water Treatment Technology (September 2010)  http://www.epa.gov/nrmrl/pubs/600r10146/600r10146.pdf

The Coast Guard and the National Ballast Information Clearinghouse (NBIC) offer an Equivalent Reporting Program for vessels operating exclusively in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

This program offers an alternative for an Owner, Operator, Master, Agent, Person-in-Charge or Charterer of a vessel to submit required Ballast Water Management (BWM) Reports in a single batch report on a monthly basis, instead of on a port-to-port, pre-arrival schedule as required under 33 CFR 151.204(b).

To be accepted into this program, a BWM Equivalent Reporting Program Application must be filled out and emailed as an attachment to the Coast Guard’s Environmental Standards Division.

Each applicant vessel must operate exclusively within the EEZ or Canadian equivalent; must not have ever been listed on a Coast Guard Lookout List for failing to submit a BWM report or for submitting incomplete or inaccurate reports; have suitable capability for emailing the form as an attachment; and either make 10 or more BWM reports per calendar month or be part of a fleet of applicant vessels, owned by the same company, who make 50 or more BWM reports per calendar month.

To learn more about this program and download a BWM Equivalent Program Application and submission information, visit: http://invasions.si.edu/nbic/equivalentprogram.html

In a notice of policy, published in the Federal Register on August 31, 2005, the Coast Guard established best management practices for vessels entering the Great Lakes that declare No Ballast On Board (NOBOB). These best management practices are designed to reduce aquatic nonindigenous species (NIS) introductions into the Great Lakes.  A fact sheet is also available.

Compliance Guidance: