Page 21: of Marine News Magazine (April 2018)

20 22

vessels – with the exception of bal- last water – from having to obtain an sVGP until December 18, 2017.

This exemption was not extended.

Thus, vessels less than 79 feet must now comply with the sVGP require- ments including ballast water man- agement. Given this long delay, and similar delays with implementation of the USCG BWT requirements, many vessel owners deferred taking compli- ance action, but the “do nothing” ap- proach is no longer an option.

VERLAPPING EGULATIONS

O R

One of the primary challenges fac- ing the industry is overlapping regu- lations. In addition to the USCG bal- last water regulations, the EPA’s VGP creates another layer of US federal regulation. The complexity increases with individual US States having the ability to attach state-speci