EPA's Vessel General Permit and Small Vessel General

� Vessel owners/operators are required to submit monitoring data to EPA annually; all
monitoring data must be submitted electronically unless exempted
Fish Hold Effluent. Fish hold effluent is the seawater, ice-melt or ice slurry from fish hold tanks
and may be discharged into waters of the US. These discharges may contain biological wastes,
metals, nutrients, detergents and disinfectants.
For vessels covered under the VGP, EPA requires vessel owners/operators to minimize the
discharge of fish hold water and/or ice while in port. They prohibit the discharge of unused bait
overboard, unless that bait was caught in the same water body or watershed. The discharged of
unused bait purchased from a bait shop or dealer is prohibited. The EPA requires all reasonable
steps to be taken to prevent the discharge of excess fish hold water and ice while the vessel is
stationary at the pier. If fish waste is contained in the fish hold effluent, they prohibit fish hold
effluent from being discharged while in port, unless a physical separation method is used (e.g.,
filters or removal of residuals). They prohibit the discharge of fish hold effluent (including dirty
ice) if unloading catch at a land-based seafood processing facility or pier. They prohibit the
discharge of fish hold effluent (including dirty ice) if a shore-based discharge facility is available
and meets the following standards:
� Its use is economically achievable, and
� The facility has a valid NPDES permit, or
� That facility discharges to an NPDES-permitted sewage treatment facility.
VGP Vessel-Class-Specific Requirements
Large and Medium Cruise Ships (100 people or more)
Graywater Management. The EPA requires vessel owners/operators to use appropriate onshore
reception facilities for graywater while their vessel is pierside unless they meet stringent
treatment requirements found in the VGP. If such facilities are not reasonably available and the
vessel does not have the capacity to treat graywater, EPA requires the vessel to hold the
graywater until the vessel is underway and not in waters subject to the VGP. The EPA considers
appropriate reception facilities those authorized for use by the port authority or local
municipality and that treat the discharge in accordance with its NPDES permit. The EPA
prohibits the discharges of untreated graywater from all large cruise ships and most medium
cruise ships while operating within 3 nm from shore.
While operating in nutrient-impaired waters, EPA requires large cruise ship operators to:
� Not discharge any graywater in nutrient-impaired waters subject to this permit unless the
length of voyage in that water exceeds the vessel’s holding capacity for graywater; and
� Minimize the discharge of any graywater into nutrient-impaired waters subject to this
permit, which may require minimizing the production of graywater; and
� If a vessel’s holding capacity for graywater is exceeded, treat such excess graywater
(above the vessel holding capacity) by a device to meet the standards prior to discharge
into nutrient-impaired waters subject to the VGP; or
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