Page 10: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (August 2005)

10 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News systems.

The U.S. Coast Guard has standards applicable to potable water and waste- water systems at its units afloat and ashore, but has not utilized them outside the agency. The USCG Marine Safety

Center has developed rudimentary guidelines for review of potable water systems when those systems are includ- ed in ship construction plans submitted for agency review. Unfortunately, there is no requirement that a potable water system be included in the construction plans submitted to the Coast Guard and not all ship construction plans are sub- mitted to the Coast Guard for review.

The U.S. Navy, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, has a Manual of Naval

Preventive Medicine. One chapter of this manual is devoted to water supply afloat. It addresses such issues as receipt and transfer of potable water, storage and distribution, and disinfec- tion, among other things. One section is devoted to potable water on smaller ves- sels (yard craft, in Navy parlance) that lack their own water production capabil- ity. The manual also addresses recom- mended amounts of potable water for various uses on a per person per day basis: drinking (0.5 to 1 gallon); galley and scullery (1.5 to 4 gallons); personal and hygiene (5 to 20 gallons); and laun- dry (5 to 10 gallons).

Norway promulgated guidelines and regulations for potable water systems and potable water supply on offshore units, such as platforms and drills ships, operating under Norwegian jurisdiction.

The Norwegian Institute for Public

Health issued a lengthy checklist for design of potable water systems on off- shore units. For vessels and offshore units with water production systems, it recommends that there be at least two production units, each capable of pro- ducing at least 100% of the water need- ed, or three production units, each capa- ble of producing at least 50% of the water needed. The number and size of potable water tanks is to be based on the vessel's potable water production capa- bility and the size of the crew. The agency provides minimum standards for the vessel's potable water manual.

Finally, it includes a handy listing for a potable water quality criteria and recom- mended analysis program. This pro- gram addresses subjective factors such as smell, taste, and appearance, along with objective factors such as pH value, conductivity, free chlorine, color, e-coli count, copper, ammonia, benzene, lead, etc. The International Organization for

Standardization (ISO), located in

Geneva, Switzerland, has developed standards for potable water supply on ships and marine structures. These stan- dards come is two parts: (1) planning and design; and (2) method of calcula- tion. Classification societies include potable water systems in their rules and regulations for building and classing ships. The American Bureau of

Shipping (ABS) has also published a guide for crew habitability that address- es potable water systems and related issues.

Summary

Potable water is a basic human neces- sity - more important than food.

Crewmembers on ships have as much need for, and right to, potable water as persons ashore. It is assumed that the number of U.S. ships with inadequate potable water systems is very low, but the number should be zero. Guidance and basic regulations should resolve any problems. If nothing else, this rulemak- ing project can serve to focus the atten- tion of the industry on this important issue and lead ship owners and operators to double-check the potable water sys- tems on their vessels. This is a low cost effort that will pay important dividends - and one that everyone can fully support.

Comments on the rulemaking project should be sent to:

Docket Management Facility (USCG- 2005-20052)

U.S. Department of Transportation 400 Seventh Street, SW

Washington, DC 20590-0001

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Government Update

The U.S. Senate Committee on

Commerce, Science, and Transportation in July voted unanimously to approve the "Ballast Water Management Act of 2005" (S. 363), introduced by Senator

Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) and co-spon- sored by Senators Ted Stevens (R-

Alaska), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.),

Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), Paul

Sarbanes (D-Maryland), and Daniel

Akaka (D-Hawaii).

The legislation would amend the

Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance

Prevention and Control Act of 1990 to establish a new, national approach to addressing invasive species in ballast water.

Under the Manager's Amendment approved, the Coast Guard is authorized to direct $20 million annually, in fiscal years 2006 through 2010, toward inva- sive species mitigation. An additional $5 million per year is provided for the

Federal Ballast Water Demonstration

Project, led by the National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

The bill includes the following key provisions: • Ballast Water Exchange: S. 363 requires the exchange of ballast water containing invasive species with ocean water to reduce the number of such species. Certain exemptions, such as for safety of crew, passengers and vessels, are included. Vessels are also allowed to use ballast water treatment that is at least as effective as exchange, until more rig- orous treatment standards come into force. Ballast Water Treatment: S. 363 includes environmentally protective per- formance standards for ballast water treatment to be phased-in over time for all classes of vessels that use ballast water. Prior to the standards coming into effect, the Coast Guard is to conduct a feasibility review to evaluate whether they can be met, and can either acceler- ate or delay implementation based on such review. If feasibile technology exists that can perform better than the standards in the bill, the Coast Guard will adjust the standards accordingly. Technology: For vessels participat- ing in a pilot program approved by the

Coast Guard, S. 363 allows them to con- duct ship-board testing of ballast water treatment technologies likely to achieve or exceed the performance standards, and to use such technology for 10 years. Preemption, Relation to other

Federal Laws: S. 363 would preempt state and local laws with respect to bal- last water exchange and ballast water treatment requirements, to the extent that such laws were inconsistent with those requirements. Under this provi- sion, state or local measures, such as greater penalties or fees for violations, would be permitted.

Commerce Committee Approves Ballast Water Bill

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