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RRegulatoryBALLAST WATER TREATMENTThe New Ballast Water Management Regulation ComethReady or not, here it comes. Are you ready?By Christopher R. Schulz & Randy KullmannIn March 2012, the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) amendedits regulations on ballast water management by establishingstandards for the allowable concentration of marineorganisms in ballast waters discharged in ports and coastalareas of the United States. The new regulation includes proceduresfor independent testing and approval of ballast watertreatment (BWT) systems to be installed on ships to meet thesestandards. According to the USCG, the new requirements willbe more effective than ballast water exchange (i.e., fl ushingour ballast water and replacing it with mid-ocean water whilein transit) in controlling the introduction and spread of nonindigenousspecies (NIS) in waters of the United States. Therequirements of the Ballast Water Management (BWM) Regulation(Federal Register, Vol. 77, and No. 57), treatment optionsto meet these requirements, and what ship owners shouldbe doing now to comply should all be key concerns for today’socean operators.BWM Regulatory SummaryApplicability: The regulation applies to all U.S. and foreigncommercial vessels equipped with ballast tanks that dischargeballast water into U.S. waters, operate outside the U.S. ExclusiveEconomic Zone (i.e. more than 200 nautical miles fromU.S. shorelines), and practice ballast water exchange. It alsoapplies to ships that do not operate beyond the EEZ but takeon and discharge ballast water in more than one Captain of thePort Zone and are larger than 1,600 gross register tons. U.S.Department of Defense or USCG vessels, crude oil tankersengaged in coastwise trade, or vessels that operate exclusivelywithin one USCG Captain of the Port Zone are exempt fromthe regulation.Implementation Schedule. The new requirements will bephased in for different types of vessels, as follows;• New Vessels (commissioned on or after Dec 1, 2013):on delivery• Existing Vessels ( 5,000 cubic meters ballast watercapacity): 1st dry dock after Jan 1, 2016Time extensions may be granted by the USCG case by caseif the ship owner or operator can document that BWM regulatorycompliance is not possible. However, extension requestsmust be made at least 12 months prior to the scheduled implementationdates cited above.Ballast Water Discharge Standard: The ballast water dischargestandard replaces ballast water exchange to significantlyimprove protection of ecosystems within U.S. waters.The requirements, based on organism size and use of indicatororganisms, are equivalent to the IMO discharge standard adoptedby other countries:Size-Based Organisms:• For organisms >= 50 um (zooplankton):< 10 organisms per cubic meter (applies to zooplankton)• For organisms < 50 um to >=10 um: < 10 organismsper milliliter (applies to phytoplankton)Indicator Organisms:• < 1 coliform forming unit (CFU) Vibrio cholera per 100 mL• < 250 CFU Escherichia coli per 100 mL• < 100 CFU enterococci per 100 mLAs noted in the BWM regulation, the USCG plans a “practicabilityreview” no later than January 1, 2016, to determinewhether an even tighter discharge standard is warranted basedon available treatment technologies for shipboard applications,environmental impacts and cost.Ballast Water Management Requirements. To meet the newdischarge standard, a seagoing commercial vessel must employone of the following BWM methods:• Install and operate a BWT system approved by theUSCG to meet the regulation’s ballast water dischargestandards at all times.• Install and operate an alternative management system(AMS) that has been type-approved by a foreignadministration in accordance with testing requirementsof the International Maritime Organization (IMO), forup to five years from the BWM compliance date for thatparticular vessel.• Only use water from a U.S. public water system forballast water provided that the ballast tanks have beenpreviously cleaned and no seawater subsequentlyintroduced into ballast tanks or supply lines.• Discharge of ballast water to an onshore receptionfacility for treatment.For most vessels, only the first two methods will be feasiblefrom logistical, safety and operating cost standpoints. And becauseof the tight regulatory implementation schedule, it is anticipatedthat most vessels will install an AMS for short-term54 | Maritime Professional | 4Q 2013