In an effort to make ballast water data available to state and federal entities and the public, NBIC has developed the Public Data Portal, featuring:
- The NBIC Public Database, a searchable database of individual ballast water management reports;
- Summary charts and tables visualizing patterns through time such as:
- Arrivals by ship type for state and coastal regions
- Ballast water discharge and management by ship type for state and coastal regions
- Nonindigenous species by vector for coastal regions
Data are accessible for all coastal states on a state-by-state basis. Note that inland ports and waterways, including those of the Great Lakes, have been incorporated into the NBIC database as of August 2004. Information on data availability from earlier Great Lakes arrivals can be requested by contacting the U.S. Coast Guard at (202) 267-4618.
As of July 2010, data from Ballast Water Management Reporting Forms from overseas arrivals (vessels that have operated outside the US and Canadian EEZs just prior to arrival) to the Hudson River (ports north of the George Washington Bridge) and the Saint Lawrence Seaway (Massena, NY and Montreal, ON) are included in the NBIC online database. Note: Ballast Water Management Reporting Forms for such arrivals are not reported directly to the NBIC, so data reported here may not be comprehensive. See 33 CFR 151 Subpart C for United States federal regulations pertaining to ballast water management for control of nonindigenous species in the Great Lakes and Hudson River.
Acknowledgement
Access to the data is given with the understanding that the data or analyses derived from the data will not be reproduced in any form without acknowledging the National Ballast Information Clearinghouse as the source. These conditions are specified in a data use statement. Users are required to agree to these conditions in advance of downloading data from the site.See the Glossary of Terms index page for definitions relating to the database search.
Data Use Agreement and Database Access
Data Release Policy
As part of its mission to provide society with knowledge to meet environmental challenges, the National Ballast Information Clearinghouse (a partnership of the U.S. Coast Guard and Smithsonian Environmental Research Center) makes information on ballast water activities of commercial ships operating in the U.S. available to the public. We ask all users to abide by the following conditions and policies:
Data Use Agreement
As a condition for access to the data provided by the National Ballast Information Clearinghouse, I agree to the following:
- I agree not to sell or distribute data provided by the National Ballast Information Clearinghouse.
- If data from the National Ballast Information Clearinghouse are used as part of any publication or public presentation, I will acknowledge the NBIC with the following citation:
National Ballast Information Clearinghouse 2023. NBIC Online Database. Electronic publication, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center & United States Coast Guard. Available from http://dx.doi.org/10.5479/data.serc.nbic; searched on May 28, 2023.
- In order to use data provided by the National Ballast Information Clearinghouse, I have read and agree to the Disclaimer listed below:
Disclaimer
The National Ballast Information Clearinghouse, U.S. Coast Guard, and Smithsonian Institution claim no guarantees for data accuracy or completeness, expressed or implied. All responsibilities for the use of these data will be solely those of the user.
The master, owner, operator or person-in-charge of any vessel equipped with ballast water tanks, that is bound for ports or places in U.S. waters, must ensure complete and accurate ballast water management reports (BWM reports) are submitted in accordance with 33 CFR 151.2041. However, completeness of reporting by vessel operators cannot be guaranteed by the NBIC. Therefore, data are released "as is" for public use and should be treated as preliminary, provisional data and used with appropriate caution.
The NBIC uses rigorous quality control and quality assurance measures when processing ballast water management data, thereby ensuring high fidelity between what is reported to NBIC and the content of the NBIC database. The QA/QC protocol includes direct communications with Ballast Water Management Reporting form submitters, including specific requests for re-submission when necessary. When a corrected BWM form is received by the NBIC, its content replaces that which was originally submitted and entered into the NBIC database previously.
In no event shall the National Ballast Information Clearinghouse, U.S. Coast Guard, or Smithsonian Institution, its sponsors, or their respective employees, agents, suppliers, or contractors be liable for any damages of any kind or character, including without limitation any compensatory, incidental, direct, indirect, special, punitive, or consequential damages, loss of use, loss of data, loss of income or profit, loss of or damage to property, claims of third parties, or other losses of any kind or character, even if the Smithsonian Institution and its sponsors have been advised of the possibility of such damages or losses, arising out of or in connection with the use of these data.
I understand the disclaimer and I agree to the data use conditions. I understand that by searching the NBIC ballast water management report database or the public data portal graphs and charts, or downloading any data provided by NBIC is considered an explicit agreement with the data release policy.
Search NBIC Public Database
Search the NBIC database in tabular form and download data
Interactive Graphs and Tables
Visualize NBIC summary datasets through interactive graphs and tables