Oyster Contamination Prompts Publication Of Discharge Rules

The U.S. Coast Guard has been prompted by the contamination of oysters in Mobile Bay, Ala., with vibrio cholera to publish IMO's "International Guidelines for Preventing the Introduction of Unwanted Pathogens from Ships' Ballast Water and Sediment Discharges." Adopted last July by the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC), the guidelines recognize a number of alternatives, including retention of ballast water, exchange of ballast water at sea, control of sediment uptake, and discharge of ballast water to reception facilities ashore. The Coast Guard is urging ship operators to adopt these guidelines in order to decrease the further introduction of cholera and pathogens in U.S. waters.

Ship operators should obtain a "Request for Compliance with IMO Voluntary Ballast Water Guidelines" and implement the IMO standards.

Operators can report their ballast water treatments by using the form in the guidelines and sendingit to the nearest U.S. Coast Guard Captain of Port.

For further information, contact: Lt. Jonathan C. Burton, MEPC Division (G-MEP) at (202) 267-0426.

Maritime Reporter Magazine, page 30, Mar 1992

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