USCG Domestic and
International Ballast Water
Management Initiatives
LT Heather St. Pierre
Environmental Standards Division
U.S. Coast Guard
April 20, 2006
USCG
ANS Program
Outline
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Progress at IMO
Prevention Program Update
Compliance Program
Technical Developments
Future of Ballast Water Management
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IMO’s Marine Environment
Protection Committee
54th Session
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Continued development & review of the Ballast Water
Management Convention of 2004:
 Approval and oversight of prototype ballast water
equipment (G10)
Granted basic approval of two ballast water treatment
systems:
 Peraclean® Ocean – Germany
 Electro Clean System – Republic of Korea
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IMO’s Subcommittee on Bulk Liquids
and Gases - 10th Session
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Reviewed Guidelines for the BWM Convention:
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Ballast water sampling (G2)
Risk assessment under Regulation A-4 (G7)
Ballast Water Exchange Design (G11)
Sediment control on ships (G12)
Additional measures including emergency situations (G13)
Designation of areas for ballast water exchange (G14)
Text on Port State Control procedures forwarded to
the 14th Session of the Subcommittee on Flag State
Implementation (FSI 14)
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Future IMO Work
MEPC – 55th Session – October 9-13, 2006
 Review and Adoption of Guidelines:
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BW reception facilities (G5)
 Additional measures including emergency
situations (G13)
 Designation of areas for BW exchange (G14)
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BWM Convention Status
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Entry into force is 30 States/35% Tonnage
Ratifications:
Maldives
 Spain
 St. Kitts & Nevis
 Syrian Arabic Republic
 Nigeria
 Tuvalu
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 0.6% of world shipping tonnage
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Prevention: NOBOB
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Published policy outlining best management
practices:
Encourage mid-ocean exchange
 If no mid-ocean exchange, then saltwater flushing
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Environmental Assessment for policy: FONSI
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Regulatory Program
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Continued support of National Ballast
Information Clearinghouse (NBIC)
Monitor compliance through BW reports
 Observe ballast management practices,
patterns of BW movement and discharge
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Regulatory Program (Con’t)
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Ballast water discharge standard
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Environmental and regulatory analyses
underway
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Working on Draft Programmatic Environmental
Impact Statement (DPEIS)
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Regulation of BWM Will Be
Shared by Multiple Agencies
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Efficacy in reducing number of discharged
organisms--USCG (NANPCA)
Approval of HAZMAT to be stored on ships—
USCG (49 CFR)
Registration of chemicals for use in treating BW-EPA (FIFRA)
Acceptability of discharge WQ--States (FWPCA)
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Compliance Program
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Penalties for non-reporting and Mandatory
BWM
Reporting is up from less than 30% to well over
75%
 In 2005 – Overall rate of compliance = 97%
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 229 deficiencies
 19 cases of enforcement action
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Majority of deficiencies are related to BWM Plans or
on-board Recordkeeping.
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Technical Developments
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Ballast Exchange Assurance Meter (BEAM)
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Continuing test and verification work
Ballast Water Technology Test Facility
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Test facility operational
Selected candidate BW treatment technology to validate
Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) protocols
 Bal Pure 100 (Severn Trent DeNora)
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Testing to begin in summer
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Shipboard Technology Evaluation
Program (STEP)
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Goal: encourage development of BW
treatment technologies
Recently revised STEP application
documents
Held workshop in March
Received applications
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BWM System Development
Trends
Positives:
 Greater corporate investment
 Greater flow rate capabilities
 Investigation of process control
 Packaging & materials
 Safety & fail-safe features
 Participation by ship owners
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BWM System Development
Trends (cont.)
Areas still to be addressed:
 Validation/peer review
 Efficacy investigation
 Biocides
Regulatory constraints
 Disinfection byproducts
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Waste stream management
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Other Technical Issues
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BWM system approvals
Testing
 Environmental impacts
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Coordination of biocide use issues
BWD standard
Sampling
 Verification
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ANS Program Future
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Coordinate with other stakeholders to
develop & implement ANS prevention
and control strategies
Research collaboration with CG R&D
Center & international partners
ANS legislation on the horizon
Hull fouling
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For more information, please visit us
on the Web:
http://www.uscg.mil/hq/gm/mso/estandards.htm
USCG
ANS Program