Rear Adm. Thomas signs the first round of E-zero certificates for qualifying ships under the QUALSHIP 21 initiative.

Submitted by Lt. Samuel Danus, Foreign and Offshore Vessel Compliance Division

This month, Rear Adm. Paul Thomas, assistant commandant for prevention policy, began signing certificates for ships receiving the E-Zero designation on their QUALSHIP 21 certificate. These ships were automatically screened for eligibility by the Foreign and Offshore Vessel Compliance Division (CG-CVC-2) as part of the initial launch of the program.

There are approximately 10,000 distinct foreign ships that call to U.S. ports annually. Of those, only 1,500 meet the stringent criteria for enrollment in the QUALSHIP 21 program. The new E-Zero designation further recognizes QUALSHIP 21 ships for achievement of a higher level of environmental compliance and sustained performance. Approximately 15 percent of existing QUALSHIP 21 ships will receive the E-Zero designation. This designation signifies they have not been subject to any worldwide MARPOL detentions or any environmental deficiencies in the U.S. in the past three years as well as other criteria. The Coast Guard looks forward to seeing that percentage rise.

A complete list of ships with the E-Zero designation will be posted at the end of each month. While CVC-2 is conducting the initial screening process, eligible shipping companies are welcome to submit their applications immediately in order to receive the E-Zero designation, especially if up for QUALSHIP 21 certificate renewal.

For more information regarding eligibility requirements, please review the QUALSHIP 21/E-Zero pamphlet.

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.