Ballast Water Management

NATIONAL BALLAST WATER MANAGEMENT (BWM) PROGRAM
The unintentional introduction of non-indigenous species (NIS) into U.S. waters via the discharge of vessels ballast water has had significant negative effects on the nation’s marine and freshwater resources, biological diversity and coastal infrastructures. The Coast Guard is responding to these concerns through a comprehensive national BWM program. This program

(1) requires mandatory ballast water management on all vessels equipped with ballast tanks that operate on waters of the U.S.
(2) establishes additional practices for vessels entering U.S. waters after operating beyond the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and
(3) requires the reporting and recordkeeping of ballasting operations whenever a vessel equipped with ballast water tanks enters a U.S. port or place to anchor or moor. Since November 1, 2004, the Coast Guard has enforced mandatory ballast water management practices for all vessels equipped with ballast tanks bound for ports or places within the U.S. and or entering U.S. waters, regardless of whether a vessel operated outside of the EEZ of the U.S. or equivalent zone of Canada. This includes those ships that declare No Ballast On Board (NBOB), and for transits that occur between all Captain of the Port zones, including zones in the Great Lakes. If the voyage is less than 24 hours, the operator must report before departing the port or place of departure. If the voyage exceeds 24 hours, the operator must report at least 24 hours before arrival at the port or place of destination.

Mandatory Practices (33 CFR §151.2035(a)) include avoiding ballast operations in or near marine sanctuaries, marine preserves, marine parks or coral reefs, avoiding or minimizing ballast water uptake: where known infestations, harmful organisms and pathogens are located, near sewage outfalls, near dredging operations, where tidal flushing is poor or when a tidal stream is known to be more turbid, in darkness when organisms may rise up in the water column, in shallow water or where propellers may stir up the sediment, areas with pods of whales, convergence zones and boundaries of major currents, cleaning ballast tanks to remove sediment regularly; only discharging minimal amounts of ballast water in coastal and internal waters; rinsing anchors and anchor chains during retrieval to remove organisms and sediments at their place of origin; removing fouling organisms from hull, piping and tanks on a regular basis and dispose of any removed substances in accordance with local, state and federal regulations; maintaining a vessel specific ballast water management plan, train vessel personnel in ballast water and sediment management and treatment procedures.

Additional mandatory practices for all vessels arriving in U.S waters with ballast water that was taken on within 200 NM of any coast after operating beyond the U.S. EEZ must do one of the following: Conduct mid-ocean ballast water exchange prior to entering U.S. waters, retain the ballast water on board while in U.S. waters or use a Coast Guard approved method to treat the ballast water. BWM practices shall not jeopardize the safety of a vessel, its crew, or its passengers. Therefore, the master of a vessel will not be prohibited from discharging unexchanged ballast, in areas other than the Great Lakes and the Hudson River, if the master decides that the practice would be a threat to safety, stability, or security because of adverse weather, vessel design, equipment failure, or any other extraordinary condition. All vessels, however, must discharge only the minimal amount of ballast water operationally necessary and ensure ballast water records accurately reflect any reasons for not complying with the mandatory requirements. The only vessels that are exempt from the mandatory BWM reporting and record keeping requirements of 33 CFR 151.2041 and 151.2045 are:

• Crude oil tankers engaged in coastwise trade Cautionary Situations 99 of 111 Chapter XI
• DOD/Coast Guard/Armed Service Vessels,
• Vessel that operate exclusively within a single COTP zone do not have to submit BWM reports and do not have to maintain BWM records on board for two years.
• Vessels that operate in more than one COTP zone, but conduct all ballast operations (uptake and discharge) exclusively in one COTP zone, regardless of the number of voyages the vessel makes, are also not required to report of maintain BWM records under 33 CFR 151.2041 and 151.2043. Vessels engaged in the foreign export of Alaskan North Slope Crude Oil: These vessels must ensure compliance with the reporting and record keeping provisions of 33 CFR 151.2041 and 151.2045 in addition to the requirements of 15 CFR 754.2(j)(3).
Penalties for failing to comply with the Mandatory BWM Requirements:
Max: $27,500 per day
Willful violations = Class C Felony

Shipwreck: HOWARD M. HANNA JR.

This is an anniversary year for the former Great Lakes bulk carrier HOWARD M. HANNA JR. The 100th anniversary of its launching came on April 28 and, on June 3, it was 25 years since the vessel arrived at the scrapyard. Considering the adventures, it is amazing that this ship survived 75 years.

HOWARD M. HANNA JR. was a product of the Cleveland Shipbuilding Company of Cleveland, Ohio. The 500 ft long by 54 ft wide freighter was ordered by the Richardson Transportation Company and the 5,905 gross ton steamer was soon hauling iron ore, coal and grain. It had a carrying capacity of 9,200 tons deadweight or 323,000 bushels of grain.

Ninety-five years ago this fall the worst storm in Great Lakes history packed hurricane force winds, mountainous waves, rain and then blinding snow, as a massive low pressure area pummeled the Great Lakes region from November 8 to November 11, 1913. In its wake, there were about a dozen ships on the bottom with no survivors, while others were beat-up and aground.

The coal-laden HOWARD M. HANNA JR., enroute from Lorain, Ohio, to Fort William, Ontario, passed Port Huron, Michigan, and entered Lake Huron in the early hours of November 9.

Those on board had no idea of what was ahead. While even bigger ships were overwhelmed and disappeared beneath the waves, the HOWARD M. HANNA JR. was caught in the trough, rolled menacingly, and came ashore near Port Austin, Michigan. The vessel sustained smashed windows and other topside damage. The hull cracked at the 17th hatch, the ship was flooded aft and the stack toppled. Fortunately all 25 sailors on board survived the terrifying ordeal and were saved.

Winter was coming and efforts to refloat the battered hull did not succeed until the following year. During the cold weather season most of the cargo of coal disappeared, a pail at a time, to heat local homes. In 1914 HOWARD M. HANNA JR. was taken to Collingwood and then on to
Midland for reconstruction. It did not resume service until 1915 when the ship joined the Great Lakes Transit Company as GLENSHEE.

Another grounding in the St. Mary's River on October 13, 1916, was not as serious but the ship needed to be lightered before floating free on October 15. The vessel joined Canada Steamship Lines in 1926 and was renamed MARQUETTE on October 1. It carried some ore between
Marquette, Michigan, and Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, before tying up for the winter at Huron, Ohio. When the vessel sailed the following spring, CSL had renamed it GODERICH and it continued to work in the iron ore trade. Sixty-five years ago, on June 5,1943, GODERICH was in a collision with the American freighter FRANK ARMSTRONG in the St. Mary's River. The latter was one of sixteen Maritime Class ore carriers authorized by the United States Maritime Commission in World War Two and was on its maiden voyage. Both ships received significant
damage.

Another collision on July 25, 1945, involved the W.W. HOLLOWAY in Lake Superior and also required a stop for repairs. At the end of the 1962 season, GODERICH was tied up at Quebec City, Quebec, pending a sale for scrapping in Europe. The Algoma Central and Hudson Bay Railway Company stepped up with an offer that was accepted and the ship resumed trading on their account as AGAWA, 45 years ago, in April 1963. AGAWA operated through the 1967 season and laid up at Goderich with a load of grain. The local storage ele- vators were inadequate for seasonal demands and AGAWA was sold to the Goderich Elevator Company in 1968 for use as a storage barge.

Renamed LIONEL PARSONS, the ship worked another 15 years in this capacity until, at the age of 75, it was no longer needed. The tug W.J. IVAN PURVIS powered the last trip up the lakes, through the Soo Lock and on to Thunder Bay, Ontario, arriving June 3, 1983. There the survivor of the Great Storm, several collisions, groundings and a near sale for overseas scrapping, was soon dismantled.

Ship gets pulled across Atlantic by Kite

Germany's SkySails and Beluga Shipping have been testing the concept of partially powering a cargo vessel using a giant kite. The multi-pur­pose heavy lift vessel Beluga SkySails left the port of Bremer haven for Guanta in Venezuela during mid-January equipped with a computer-controlled kite measuring 160 square meters (1,722 square feet), which the ship's owners are hoping will cut fuel consumption by as much as 20 percent and help reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

The multi-purpose vessel Beluga SkySails has become the first ship to use the new SkySails towing kite concept on a commercial voyage. The vessel's captain, and his crew underwent several months of intensive training prior to the voyage covering all aspects of launching, retrieving and stowing the kite. The ship was chartered to transport approximately 10,000 tons of cargo to Venezuela, most of it consisting of components for a particleboard plant that will be used for a government-sponsored housing project.

The maiden voyage marks the beginning of the practical testing during regu­lar shipping operations of the SkySails System," During the next few months we will finally be able to prove that our technology works in practice and significantly reduces fuel consumption and emissions.

ROUGH DAY