In response to requests for information, the Coast Guard’s Marine Safety Center posted a list of manufacturer’s who submitted a Letter of Intent, or LOI, to pursue type approval for their ballast water management treatment system. The LOI is required to be submitted to the Coast Guard by the regulations in 46 Code of Federal Regulations Subpart 162.060-10(a).
The LOI notifies the Coast Guard of a manufacturer’s intention to conduct testing and submit a type approval application. To date, the Coast Guard has received twenty-four LOIs. A list of the manufacturers who submitted a LOI can be found on the Coast Guard’s Homeport website under the links on the left hand side of the screen for ‘Environmental’ and then ‘Ballast Water Management Program.’
“The submission of type approval applications to the Marine Safety Center is the prerogative of the ballast water management system manufacturers,” said Captain John Mauger, commanding officer of the U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Center. “The Marine Safety Center will type approve a ballast water management system when the vendor, working with an independent lab, provides a completed test report and evaluation in accordance with the requirements found in 46 Code of Federal Regulations Subpart 162.060.”
Further information about the ballast water treatment systems approval process can be found on the Homeport site as well. Questions regarding testing arrangements and schedules for specific ballast water management systems should be directed to the pertinent manufacturers.
“The Coast Guard is committed to ensuring protection of the maritime environment while also facilitating maritime commerce that is vital to our nation’s trade,” said Mauger. “The type approval process is a key element of our prevention program that enables us to meet both goals by validating that the systems meet the performance requirements of the ballast water discharge standards, while also providing a degree of certainty for ship-owners who ensure that the systems are operated and maintained in accordance with the manufacturer’s requirements.”
This blog is not a replacement or substitute for the formal posting of regulations and updates or existing processes for receiving formal feedback of the same. Links provided on this blog will direct the reader to official source documents, such as the Federal Register, Homeport and the Code of Federal Regulations. These documents remain the official source for regulatory information published by the Coast Guard.
