In its latest policy letter, the US Coast Guard (USCG) has urged ship owners to use ballast water management systems (BWMS) more often.
Policy letter
The agency issued its latest guidance on inoperable systems in a letter, and points that BWMS, which are used more often – rather than just in US waters – are more reliable. It claimed that USCG representatives continually hear, how difficult the systems are to maintain, how they are only used on voyages to the US and that crew have little training on the machinery.
“For the systems to operate reliably, they must be used regularly by crew trained to use the system. Regular usage improves crew operational knowledge, thereby improving thee BWMS’ reliability.”, the letter concludes.
The body of the policy letter considers the alternative ballast water treatment methods available for ships, and questions, if a BWMS becomes inoperable, how ship operators should respond, while no alternative measures are carried out to meet USCG regulation, and finally, how the ship owners should communicate to the coast guard in these cases.
Response unit
The letter requires USCG units to respond promptly to a vessel, that has reported its BWMS inoperable, to ascertain alternative measures and a repair timeline. “While the USCG cannot require a vessel to provide repair details, doing so can help expedite… decision[s] on alternatives and route approval.”
Inoperable grounds
A lack of ‘consumables’ cannot be grounds for declaring a system inoperable, the agency notes. Nor will ships with inoperable systems from bankrupt BWMS suppliers receive special consideration when making alternative treatment arrangements.
The full letter can be viewed here.
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Source: United States Coast Guard (USCG)
