By
Rebecca Gibson |
The US Coast Guard (USCG) has accepted nine ballast water treatment systems as alternate management systems (AMS) in compliance with the March 2012 rule for Standards for Living Organisms in Ships’ Ballast Water Discharged in US waters.
The USCG’s AMS acceptance is a temporary designation given to a ballast water treatment system approved by a foreign administration.
An AMS can be used to manage ballast water discharges in lieu of ballast water exchange, while the treatment system undergoes approval testing. It can be used for up to five years after the ship’s ballast water discharge standard compliance date specified in the final rule, allowing time for the completion of required land-based and shipboard testing.
“Compared with the existing requirement for mid-ocean ballast water exchange, these technological solutions reduce the ballast water exchange safety concerns for mariners and provide greater protection for the marine environment,” said Coast Guard Rear Admiral Joseph Servidio, Assistant Commandant for Prevention Policy.
“The Coast Guard AMS programme will allow ship owners and operators to install a ballast water treatment system and use it in US waters while it undergoes approval testing,” Servidio added.