Submit a Ballast Water Management Report via PDF
Download PDF BWMR Form Download PDF Instructions Download 36 Tank PDF BWMR Form BW History Sample Form
Extended form: The standard form can report the ballast water history of up to 20 tanks. The Extended Form can report up to 36 tanks.
Current BWMR form version: OMB number 1625-0069; expiration date, 31 July 2023.
Completion Instructions
Vessel Information
Vessel name: Enter the name of the vessel. For tug and barge combinations, please list multiple vessel names separated by a hyphen.
ID number: Select "IMO Number" or "Official Number" from the pull-down menu and enter the vessel identification number into the adjacent field. For tug and barge combinations, please list multiple vessel numbers separated by a hyphen.
Country of Registry: Select the country under whose authority the ship is operating from the pull-down menu.
Owner/operator: Enter the name of the registered owner(s) of the vessel. If under charter, enter operator name.
Type: Select specific vessel type from the pull-down menu. If exact vessel type is not available, select "Other".
Gross Tonnage: Enter the Gross Tonnage of the vessel. If reporting a tug-barge combo, report total combined gross tonnage.
Ballast water volume units: Select cubic meters, metric tons, or gallons from the pull-down menu. NOTE: this volume unit will be applied to all volume entries on the BWMR.
Total ballast water capacity: Enter the maximum total volume of ballast water that can be carried in the vessel. If reporting a tug-barge combo, report total combined ballast water capacity.
Number of tanks on ship: Enter the total number of ballast water tanks, cargo holds, and other spaces that are used for carrying ballast water.
Onboard BW Management System: If the vessel is equipped with an approved Ballast Water Management System, enter the US Coast Guard designated system identification number:
- For USCG Type Approved systems, the US Coast Guard Approval Number is on the certificate plate installed on BWMS and looks like: 162.060/#/#. See this list for USCG Type Approved Systems.
- For USCG accepted Alternative Management Systems the AMS ID is in the AMS Acceptance Letter and looks like: AMS-20##-XXX...XXX-001. See this list for USCG AMS Acceptance Letters.
- For vessels enrolled in the Shipboard Technology Evaluation Program, enter "STEP Vessel".
- Otherwise, enter "None".
Last Dry Dock Date: The date of last regularly scheduled out-of-water dry docking, or if the vessel has not yet been to dry dock, the delivery date. Please see the U.S. Coast Guard MSIB 013-15 and/or Maritime Commons Blog post of March 11, 2019 for more information on the definition of regularly scheduled out-of-water dry docking.
Voyage Information
Arrival port (port and state): Enter the name of the port or place that is the destination for this voyage. No abbreviations please. Select the matching state or territory from the pull-down menu.
Arrival date: Enter the date of arrival to the Arrival port. Use European date format (DD/MM/YYYY).
Last port (port and country): Enter the name of the last location at which the vessel called, either outside the US EEZ or the previous US location. No abbreviations please. Select the Country or US territory of the Last port from the pull-down menu.
Next port (port and country): Enter the name of the next location at which the vessel plans to arrive. Select the Country or US territory of the Next port from the pull-down menu.
Total ballast water on board: Enter the total volume of ballast water on board upon arrival into the arrival port. Do not count potable water. If reporting a tug-barge combo, report total combined ballast water on board.
Number of tanks in ballast: Enter the total number of ballast water tanks, cargo holds, and other spaces that are carrying ballast water upon arrival to the Arrival port.
Number of tanks discharged: Enter the total number of ballast water tanks, cargo holds, and other spaces carrying ballast water discharged at, or en route to, the arrival port.
Certificate of Accurate Information
Certificate of accurate information: By checking this box, you attest to the accuracy of the information provided and that the activities were in accordance with the ballast water management plan required by CFR 151.2050(g).
Responsible Officer's name and title: Type the name and title of the individual (i.e., master, owner, operator, agent, person in charge) responsible for the information provided on this form. A typed name in combination with the certificate of accurate information constitutes an official signature.
Report type: Choose "New report" or "Corrected report" from the pull-down menu. Choose "New report" for initial submissions for a particular arrival. Choose "Corrected Report" if a prior report was already submitted for this arrival, including instances of port rotations, information updates or error corrections. If an arrival is CANCELLED, yet a submission was already sent to NBIC, please email nbic@ballastreport.org, noting the vessel ID, arrival port and arrival date.
Submitted by and Contact Information: Enter the name and contact information for the individual (i.e., master, owner, operator, agent or person in charge) that submitted the BWMR to the NBIC.
Ballast Water History
Record all tanks to be discharged inside US territorial waters (12 nautical miles), either en route to, or at the arrival port.
NOTE: US Coast Guard NOBOB policy also requires vessels entering the Great Lakes and Hudson River (north of the George Washington Bridge) after operating beyond the U.S. EEZ to report the Ballast Water History of empty BW tanks that underwent an alternative management (e.g., Salt Water Flush, conducted a mid-ocean exchange the last time the tanks contained ballast water).
Events
The following events can be selected in the Event pull-down menu. Combination events (e.g., Source+Treatment, Discharge+Treatment) are included to simplify reporting by allowing a single selection for concurrent events.
Discharge– Discharge of ballast water.
Discharge to US waters– Discharge of ballast water inside US territorial waters (within 12 nautical miles). This option is included in the first event line of each tank as a reminder that only tanks discharging water within coastal waters of the US should be reported on the BWMR.
Discharge + Treatment– Discharge of ballast water where the treatment is applied during discharge (e.g., UV treatment systems that treat during source events and treat again during discharge).
Discharge to Facility– Discharge to an approved ballast water reception facility or another vessel for the purposes of treating the BW to prevent the introduction of aquatic invasive species.
Empty-Refill Exchange–To pump out the ballast water taken on in ports, estuarine, or territorial waters until the pump(s) lose suction, then refilling the ballast tank(s) with mid-ocean water.
Empty-Refill + Treatment–To pump out the ballast water taken on in ports, estuarine, or territorial waters until the pump(s) lose suction, then refilling the ballast tank(s) with mid-ocean water. The ballast water treatment is applied during refill.
Flow-Through Exchange– To flush out ballast water by pumping in mid-ocean water at the bottom of the tank and continuously overflowing the tank from the top until three full volumes of water has been changed to minimize the number of original organisms remaining in the tank.
Flow-Through + Treatment– To flush out ballast water by pumping in mid-ocean water at the bottom of the tank and continuously overflowing the tank from the top until three full volumes of water has been changed to minimize the number of original organisms remaining in the tank. The ballast water treatment is applied during the ballast water exchange.
Onboard Treatment– The ballast water treatment system is operated independent of source, discharge, or exchange events.
Salt Water Flush– "Salt Water Flush" is a US Coast Guard's Best Management Practice for vessels with empty ballast water tanks entering the Great Lakes and Hudson River (north of the George Washington Bridge). Salt water flushing is defined as the addition of mid-ocean water to empty ballast water tanks; the mixing of the flush water with residual water and sediment through the motion of the vessel; and the discharge of the mixed water.
Source– The uptake of ballast water.
Source + Treatment– The uptake of ballast water where the treatment is applied during uptake (e.g., UV treatment systems that treat during source events and treat again during discharge).
Source from PWS– The source of the ballast water is a US Public Water System.
Tank Information
Tank name/number: Enter the specific name and number of the tank, including its location/side (center, port, or starboard), e.g., WT 1P.
Tank capacity: Enter the maximum volume that the tank or hold can carry.
Ballast Water Events
1. Discharge Events
Event: Select either "Discharge to US waters", “Discharge+Treatment”, "Discharge to facility", or “Discharge” from the pull-down menu. Use the top (default) line of the tank block for the most recent discharge event.
Date: Enter the date that ballast water is discharged, using DD/MM/YYYY format.
Location: Enter the port or place name (including state, territory, or country), or latitude and longitude of the location where ballast water is discharged. Discharge to Facility should report the location and name of the facility.
Volume: Enter the volume of ballast water that is discharged.
2. Management Events—The activities required for the prevention of biological introductions from unmanaged ballast water
- For discharge to a shore-based facility or another vessel for treatment select "Discharge to facility" in the Discharge Events section above
- For ballast water from a US Public Water System select "Source from PWS" in the Source Events section below.
- For salt water flushing of empty ballast tanks select "Salt Water Flush" in the first event line.
- If ballast water management was NOT CONDUCTED, skip to the Source Events section below.
OTHERWISE, select a management event:
Event: Select "Empty-refill exchange", "Flow-through exchange", "Onboard treatment", “Empty-refill+Treatment”, “Flow-through+Treatment”, or "Salt Water Flush" from the "Select event" pull-down menu.
NOTE: "Salt Water Flush" is a US Coast Guard's Best Management Practice for vessels with empty ballast water tanks entering the Great Lakes and Hudson River (north of the George Washington Bridge). Salt water flushing is defined as the addition of mid-ocean water to empty ballast water tanks; the mixing of the flush water with residual water and sediment through the motion of the vessel; and the discharge of the mixed water.
Date: For "Onboard Treatment" enter the date treatment was started. For "Empty-refill exchange", "Flow-through exchange" or "Salt Water Flush" enter the date on which BW Management was completed. For BW exchange combination events (“Flow-through exchange+Treatment” or “Empty-refill+Treatment”), enter the completion date of exchange.
Location(s): If BW is managed by "Empty-refill exchange", "Flow-through exchange" or "Salt Water Flush" while underway, enter the latitude and longitude of both the start point and end point, separated by a "/". Do not include locations when “Onboard Treatment” is reported as a stand alone event.
Volume: Enter the full volume of ballast water that is pumped and/or gravitated INTO the tank during "Empty-refill exchange", "Flow-through exchange" or "Salt Water Flush". For "Onboard Treatment" enter the volume treated. Combination events (+Treatment) share the same volume. Where the volume of events (exchange and treatment) differ, report as solitary events instead.
3. Source Events
Event: Select either "Source", “Source+Treatment”, or "Source from PWS" from the "Select event" pull-down menu. "Source from PWS" indicates that a US public water system is used. If there were multiple sources for a tank, report each one on a separate line.
Date: Enter the date on which the ballast water is taken into the tank (DD/MM/YYYY format).
Location: Enter the port or place name (with state or territory, and country) or latitude and longitude where ballast water is taken into the tank.
Volume: Enter the volume of water that is taken into the tank from the source location.
NOTE: If the five lines in a tank block are not enough to report all of the ballast water events for a single tank, please use the on-line reporting application, which supports unlimited tank events.
If BW Management was *not* conducted for this tank, select one of the following reasons: If ballast water management did not occur on water discharged into the waters of the United States, select from:
- Mid-Ocean Source—water was entrained over 200 nautical miles from any land
- Route Exemption—lack of sufficient time in transit beyond 200 nautical miles of any land to conduct a complete BWE
- Safety Due to Weather—vessel normally conducts BWE when able to do so safely
- Safety Due to Design—vessel never conducts BWE due to prohibition by class
- Regulatory Exemption—exemption listed in 33 CFR--PART 151.2015
- Equipment Failure
- None/Not Applicable
Submit the form to NBIC
Send the completed Ballast Water Management Report to NBIC using one of the following methods:
Option #1: The "Submit report via e-mail" button on the first page of the form will automatically prepare an e-mail with an attachment that contains the data you entered. This attachment is much smaller than the form itself -- just 10 to 15 KB. Note: this button may not work with all shipboard e-mail systems.
Option #2: Clicking the "Submit report on-line" button will send the data from the report directly to NBIC and return a PDF-format receipt.
Example Forms
Illustrated examples of how to report ballast water history are shown in this BW History Sample PDF.
Paperwork Reduction Act Notice
An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number.
The Coast Guard estimates that the average burden per response is 40 minutes for a Ballast Water Management Report. You may submit any comments concerning the accuracy of this burden estimate or any suggestions for reducing the burden to: Commandant (CG-OES), U.S. Coast Guard Stop 7509, 2703 Martin Luther King Jr Ave SE, Washington, DC 20593-7509 or Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reduction Project (1625-0069), Washington, DC 20503.
Privacy Act Statement
Authority: 33 U.S.C. §1251.
Purpose: The Coast Guard will use the information provided on ballast water reporting form to evaluate vessel ballast water management practices.
Routine Uses: Authorized Coast Guard personnel will use this data in efforts to reduce discharge of aquatic nuisance species into U.S. waters from vessels and to prevent future damage caused by such discharges. For more information on how USCG uses this information, please see DHS/USCG/PIA-008 Marine Information for Safety and Law Enforcement (MISLE), available at https://www.dhs.gov/privacy.
Disclosure: Furnishing this information is mandatory; failure to furnish the requested information is a violation and may incur civil penalties.