ANNOUNCEMENTS

On January 1, 2019, the current ballast water management reporting form will expire.  However, after January 1, 2019, and until such time as the Coast Guard provides notice of a new form, vessel owner/operators should continue to use the existing form (dated Dec 31, 2018). Updates regarding the reporting form will be made available on the Coast Guard's Maritime Commons public information portal, http://mariners.coastguard.dodlive.mil/.

As of October 1, 2018, the US Coast Guard is eliminating the requirement for certain vessels that operate on voyages exclusively within a single Captain of the Port Zone to submit an Annual Ballast Water Summary Report for calendar year 2018.

Federal Register Link: https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2018-20374

Please see the Coast Guard Maritime Commons Blog entry for more information on this Final Rule.

In the US Coast Guard Maritime Commons blog, the USCG gives guidance on how to fill out the BW Management System section of NBIC's BW Management Report to indicate the management system currently in use. The Coast Guard writes:

In some cases, vessels are reporting enrollment in the Shipboard Technology Evaluation Program (STEP) when completing the “Onboard BW Management System” block. Currently, there are only 12 vessels enrolled in the STEP program. Vessels enrolled in STEP do so through the Coast Guard Office of Operating and Environmental Standards. Each STEP enrolled vessel has an installed BWMS that is undergoing type approval testing. Those 12 vessels are the only vessels authorized to select the STEP option on the Ballast Water Management Report form.

For the majority of vessels submitting reports to NBIC, the only appropriate entries for the “Onboard BW Management System” block of the NBIC Ballast Water Management Report are:

• For USCG Type Approved systems, the US Coast Guard Approval Number, found on the certificate plate installed on the BWMS, which looks like: 162.060/#/#.
• For USCG accepted Alternative Management Systems, the AMS ID, found in the AMS acceptance letter and looks like: AMS-20##-XXX…XXX-001.
• Enter “NONE” if no USCG Type Approved BWMS or accepted AMS is installed (e.g., compliance date has not passed or the vessel qualifies for a regulatory or route exemption).

For questions regarding the Ballast Water Management Report contact Mr. Brad McKitrick at Bradley.K.McKitrick@uscg.mil.

Please see the full text of the USCG Maritime Commons post for more information on how to select onboard BW management system options in the NBIC BW Management Report for vessel owners/operators using an installed ballast water management system.