The Latest on Ballast Water Mismanagement
On October 5, 2015, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit issued a 65-page decision holding that, for the most part, the 2013 Vessel General Permit (VGP) promulgated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), was arbitrary, capricious and not in accordance with the law. The court declined, though, to vacate the VGP, but allowed it to remain in effect until the EPA issues a new VGP. The 2013 VGP had adopted, almost completely, the standards established in the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments…
SeaKing Electrical Strikes Transatlantic Service Agreement
Merseyside based SeaKing Electrical has secured a transatlantic service agreement with a manufacturer of green technology for the maritime sector. The Birkenhead and Aberdeen business will be supporting Hyde Marine Inc. with its delivery of Ballast Water Treatment Systems (BWTS). Hyde Marine is based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S., where the company designs and manufactures the Hyde Guardian GoldTM BWTS that combines efficient filtration and Ultraviolet (UV) disinfection of seawater. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of the New York Stock Exchange listed Calgon Carbon Corporation (NYSE: CCC). SeaKing managing director Dave Gillam said the “green water” systems are set to play a major role in the global shipping sector.
California SLC Recommends Delay BWT Standards
The California State Lands Commission's (SLC) report '2013 Assessment of the Efficacy, Availability, and Environmental Impacts of Ballast Water Treatment Systems for Use in California Waters' concludes that no shipboard ballast water treatment systems are currently available to meet all of California’s performance standards for the discharge of ballast water. Commission staff reviewed 75 shipboard ballast water treatment systems for this analysis, however, significant limitations in the existing data hamper the ability of Commission staff to determine if shipboard ballast water treatment systems are available to meet California’s performance standards.
USCG Seeks Ballast Water Treatment Testing Participants
The U.S. Coast Guard announced the beginning of a program aimed at facilitating the installation of experimental shipboard ballast water treatment systems. Foreign and domestic vessel owners that participate in the program may be granted equivalencies to U.S. ballast water regulations for participating vessels. The Shipboard Technology Evaluation Program (STEP) is one of several Coast Guard initiatives aimed at reducing the introduction of nonindigenous species (NIS) to U.S. waters through ballast water. The impacts of NIS on our environment, food supply, economy, health and overall biodiversity of our waterways are significant and increasing. "This is one of the many things we are doing to protect our waters," said Capt.
