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Other examples of regulations include regulations regarding ballast water dumping, fire safety, small vessel regulations, vessel registration fees and Arctic shipping. [13] Other regulations have been repealed, such as regulations regarding anchorage, hull inspection, or navigation of minor waterways such as the St. Clair River or Burlington ...
The International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments (Ballast Water Management Convention or BWM Convention) is a 2004 international maritime treaty which requires signatory flag states to ensure that ships flagged by them comply with standards and procedures for the management and control of ships' ballast water and sediments. [2]
The Coast Guard issued ballast water regulations in 2012. [14] Under the authority of the Clean Water Act, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published its latest Vessel General Permit in 2013. The permit sets numeric ballast water discharge limits for commercial vessels 79 feet (24 m) in length or greater.
It specifies tanker design features that are intended to minimize oil discharge into the ocean during ship operations and in case of accidents. It provides regulations with regard to the treatment of engine room bilge water for all large commercial vessels and ballast and tank cleaning waste . It also introduces the concept of "special sea ...
Ballast water discharges by ships can have a negative impact on the marine environment. The discharge of ballast water and sediments by ships is governed globally under the Ballast Water Management Convention, since its entry into force in September 2017. It is also controlled through national regulations, which may be separate from the ...
Before the final ruling in ballast water standards in 2012, many vessels arriving from outside the EEZ were able to be exempted from safety regulations by exchanging ballast water mid-ocean. Vessels also had to report number of ballast water tanks, each tank's volume, and origin of the ballast water to be discharged.
This water, called ballast water, which contains aquatic organisms typical of the port of arrival, is stored in ballast tanks and is ultimately discharged at the port of departure when the ship is ready to be re-loaded. During this process, aquatic organisms capable of surviving in ballast water are released into new environments and can ...
Approximately 10 billion tons of ballast water is transported each year, accounting for 90% of our world trade. [2] Typically, ballast water discharge contains a variety of biological materials including non-native, invasive, and exotic species that can cause extensive ecological and economic damage to aquatic ecosystems.