USCG’s blog includes articles related to ballast water to provide updates and information about the Coast Guard’s ballast water regulations and implementation. The following article includes a comparison between US Regulations and the International Convention regarding the Ballast Water Management. The discharge standards required by U.S. regulations are the same as the standards proposed in the International Maritime Organization, or IMO, Ballast Water Convention. However, there are differences found in the testing and verification protocols as well as confusion about the definition of “viable” as meaning living and non-viable as meaning dead.
Testing and verification protocols
In 2005 and as updated in 2008, IMO released G8 Guidelines for the type approval of ballast water management systems, or BWMS, by flag administrators. These non-mandatory guidelines are open to wide interpretation by flag administrations because the guidelines do not specify that type-approval testing should be conducted by an organization independent of the manufacturer. U.S. type-approval testing procedures are mandatory and specify testing that is independent from manufacturers. USCG procedures are also very detailed and require more testing than foreign type-approval procedures. As such, ship owners are concerned there could be significant variation in the robustness and quality of data generated during type-approval testing.
The IMO Marine Environmental Protection Committee is currently reviewing and revising the G8 Guidelines. IMO intends to provide more robust and standardized testing procedures. USCG expects that the G8 guidelines will better align with some aspects of Coast Guard test requirements. This may not be the case for all aspects because administrations seem to be supporting the continued use of “viable” rather than “alive” when evaluating BWMS efficacy.
What happens when the IMO Ballast Water Management Convention is ratified?
The IMO announced that a number of countries recently acceded to the IMO ballast water management convention. Subject to verification of the gross tonnage data relating to their registered fleets, the convention may enter into force as early as fall of 2016. U.S. regulations will not change following enforcement of the convention. Ships operating in U.S. waters will have to comply with U.S. requirements, including using one of the ballast water management practices described in 33 CFR Part 151.2025 and 2050. The Coast Guard will continue to work out the intersection of the international treaty with our domestic laws and regulations, including ongoing efforts to support the update of the G8 Guidelines.
Also read the other USCG articles regarding ballast water regulations
Source: USCG’s blog
