MEMBER ALERT Shipowners Claims Bureau, Inc., Manager One Battery Park Plaza 31 st Fl., New York, NY 10004 USA Tel: +1 212 847 4500 Fax: +1 212 847 4599 www.american-club.com American Club Member Alert – Marc h 13, 201 7 1 MARCH 13, 2017 USCG BALLAST WATER MANAGEMENT PROGRAM COMPLIANCE UPDATE Reference is made to Circular No. 01/17 of January 16, 2017 entitled International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast water and sediments, 2004 and US Ballast Water (BWM) Regulations. Members should note that on March 6, 2016, the US Coast Guard Marine Safety Center released Marine Safety Information Bulletin 03-17 Ballast Water Management (BWM) Extension Program Update, in response to an increase in extension requests and questions regarding previous guidance. The bulletin provides clarification of the procedures for requesting extensions in compliance with Ballast Water Management regulations contained in 33 CFR part 151. Members are reminded that U.S. Coast Guard type-approved Systems are now available. A list of approved systems can be found by going to US Coast Guard Maritime Information Exchange, CGMIX, Equipment Search and selecting Ballast Water Management Systems-162.060 in the drop down menu. Members are asked to note the above, but if further assistance is required, your Managers will be pleased to provide it. This release has been issued for public information and notification purposes only. Marine Safety Information Bulletin Commandant OES-MSIB Number: 003/17 U.S. Coast Guard Date: March 6, 2017 Office of Operating and Environmental Standards E-Mail: environmental_standards@uscg.mil 2703 Martin Luther King Jr Ave, SE, STOP 7509 Washington, DC 20593-7509 Ballast Water Management (BWM) Extension Program Update Vessel owners/operators are required to comply with the U.S. ballast water regulations provided in Title 33 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 151, Sections 151.1510 or 151.2025. Upon a vessel’s compliance date, these regulations require use of one of the approved ballast water management methods listed in the regulations. One of the approved methods is installation and operation of a U.S. type-approved ballast water management system (BWMS). Information about Coast Guard type-approved BWMS is available at the Coast Guard “Maritime Commons” blog, Maritime Information Exchange (CGMIX), and Homeport internet portal. 33 CFR 151.2036 allows the Coast Guard to grant an extension of a vessel’s compliance date to an owner/operator who has documented that, despite all efforts, compliance with one of the approved ballast water management methods is not possible. This bulletin provides new guidance with regard to compliance date extension requests. If a type-approved system is not available for a vessel, and compliance with the other approved ballast water management methods is not possible, the vessel owner/operator may apply for an extension of the vessel’s compliance date. Whether a type-approved system is “available” will be based on evidence submitted by the vessel owner/operator with the application for extension. The length of compliance date extensions, when granted, will be based on the availability of Coast Guard type-approved systems and detailed installation plans. Vessel owners and operators should anticipate that this will not typically align with scheduled dry docking. Vessels having a compliance date before and including December 31, 2018: These requests will be evaluated as follows: 1) Extension r