EPA's Vessel General Permit and Small Vessel General

Large Ferries 200a 15.5h 6,200 10.5 0.13
Medium Cruise Ships 325a 15.5h 10,075 10.5 0.22
Bulk Cargo and Other Carriers 663b 38i 50,355 10.5 1.1
Small Commercial Fishing
Vessels
Passenger Vessels (tour boats,
water taxis, etc.)
Utility Vessels (tug boats, offshore
vessels, etc.)
33k 4l 264 10.5 0.0057
45k 4m 360 10.5 0.0077
50k 4m 400 10.5 0.0086
a) Average length estimated from Figure 1.3 of USEPA’s Report to Congress (USEPA, 2010).
b) Average length for oil tankers and bulk cargo carriers from Chamber of Shipping of America, MSD Survey, 2010.
c) Average cruise ship length calculated from the following cruise ships: Carnival Freedom, Disy Magic, Golden Princess
and Freedom of the Sea.
d) Estimated draft for barges based on Barge Number 4727, Ingram, Nashville, TN.
e) Estimated draft for oil and gas tankers based on a Suezmax tanker,
http://people.hofstra.edu/geotrans/eng/ch5en/appl5en/tankers.html
f) Estimated draft for large commercial fishing boats based on trawlers, http://maritimesales.com/fishing%20vessels.htm
g) Estimated draft for large cruise ships based on Royal Caribbean Freedom of the Seas.
h) Estimated draft for large ferries and medium cruise ships based on Washington State Department of Transportation’s
M/V Sealth, passenger/auto ferry.
i) Estimated draft for bulk cargo vessels based on Golden Pegasus Navigation S.A High Glow vessel.
j) Average copper leaching rate from USEPA Underwater Ship Husbandry Discharges, (USEPA, 2011f).
k) Average length estimated from Figure 1.5 of USEPA’s Report to Congress (USEPA, 2010).
l) Estimated draft for small commercial fishing boats 30 to 40 feet in length,
http://pacificboatbrokers.com/fishing/licvess.asp.
m) Estimated draft for various passenger and utility vessels, http://www.taxi-boat.com/, http://commercial.apolloduck.com/,
http://allmandboats.com/.
n) Per EPA’s Notice of Intent database, very few barges use anti-fouling coatings. EPA assumes these barges are engaged
in coastwise trade of bulk cargo.
Bilgewater. Bilgewater is generated by all vessels and consists of water and other residue that
accumulates in a compartment of the vessel’s hull. The source of bilgewater is typically
drainage from interior machinery, engine rooms, and from deck drainage. EPA analyzed the risk
of this discharge in its BE due to the high number of vessels discharging, the large volume and
frequency of discharges, along with the potentially high risk posed by the concentration and
types of pollutant discharged.
The amount of bilgewater generated by a vessel varies based on vessel size, age, and the amount
below-deck mechanical systems; discharges typically occur several times per week (Table 8).
Cruise ship bilgewater volumes are estimated at 25,000 gallons per week (3,570 gal/day)
(USEPA 2008). Bilgewater discharges from fishing vessels are estimated to range from a few
gallons per day up to 750 gallons/day (USEPA 2010b). Bilgewater water discharges rates for
tour boats are approximately 11 gallons/day (0.04 m3/day) and for water taxis are approximately
34 gallons/day (0.13 m3/day). Tow and salvage boats discharge approximately 37 gallons/day
(0.139 m3/day) of bilgewater (USEPA 2010b). To estimate bilgewater flow rates for medium
cruise ships, large ferries, barges, cargo/bulk carriers, and oil tankers, EPA compared the vessel
gross tons (see Table 3-1) to large cruise ships and multiplied by the bilgewater generation rate
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