New ballast water regs a step in right direction
Regulations proposed by the U.S. Coast Guard to combat the spread of invasive species are better than what’s on the books now, but need to address the problem faster, according to comments submitted by the council.
Invasive species are organisms living in an environment or ecosystem to which they are not native. Invasive species can be transported in a variety of ways. A significant way aquatic invasive species are spread is by ships transporting cargo around the world.
Because empty cargo ships are too buoyant to balance safely during ocean voyages, they take sea water into holding tanks as “ballast water” for stability.
During this process, microorganisms, fish and shellfish are drawn into the tanks, then discharged with the ballast water when the ship reaches its destination and prepares to load cargo. Under current rules most ships are required to empty and refill their ballast tanks in the open ocean where there are fewer organisms in the water. This exchange helps reduce the number of such creatures discharged in the ballast water at the arrival port.
The new rules continue a previous exemption from the ballast water exchange requirements for North Slope crude oil tankers. Referred to as the “coastwise exemption,” the law states that the oil tankers that travel from ports in Washington state or California to Prince William Sound do not have to change their ballast water at sea.
This exception dates back to the mid-1990s, and is at odds with a requirement by the Environmental Protection Agency that does order these tankers to exchange ballast water.
Currently, tankers do follow the EPA rules, but the council has long sought an end to this exemption and called for this inconsistency to be cleared up before the new regulations become permanent.
While ballast water exchange reduces hitchhiking invaders, research has shown that this procedure is not 100 percent effective. Organisms that remain can cause a real threat to the receiving environments.
Crude oil tankers can carry 150,000-400,000 barrels, or 6-17 million gallons, of ballast water per trip. An estimated 260 tankers visit the Valdez terminal each year. About 86 percent of the ballast water discharged in the Valdez area is transported from Puget Sound, San Francisco, and Long Beach. These ports have well documented infestations of invasive species. These repeated, high-volume doses pose a serious risk for the waters of Prince William Sound, in the council’s view.
Green crabs, a species native to Europe, is a very real danger to Prince William Sound. While they have not been spotted in the Sound yet, they have been spreading farther north towards Alaskan waters every year. These tiny, voracious crabs have been known to spread through tanker ballast water and overrun native species.
Photo: European green crab found in Vancouver, B.C. waters during a 2008 citizens' council monitoring trip.
The Coast Guard’s proposed regulations would require the installation of special devices inside the holds to kill living organisms present.
The Coast Guard has set forth a two-stage process for shippers to comply. The first step would put in place rules followed by the International Maritime Organization, which are stricter than current U.S. standards. All vessels must comply with this interim standard by 2014, except Prince William Sound’s coastwise tankers.
The second step would require much stricter control over organisms in ballast water with a target date of 2016. By this date, tankers must have equipment installed which would effectively kill all organisms in ballast water. However, if the Coast Guard deems the more rigorous standards impractical to meet by the 2016 deadline, the agency could re-evaluate the second goal.
The council and other organizations believe that the process could, and should, be accelerated. The process for judging the standards as “practical” is seen as a loophole that could lead to protracted delays.
The council suggested the Coast Guard consider the use of existing shore-based facilities to help solve the problem. The council has proposed that facilities at the Valdez terminal could provide an opportunity to bring the Prince William Sound tankers into compliance ahead of a proposed 2016 deadline and at a reduced cost.
The oil terminal in Valdez is home to a facility designed to treat the oily ballast water that results when tankers carry it in empty crude oil tanks. The council believes the ballast water treatment facility could be modified to treat for invasive hitch-hikers.
The system already in place contains resources such as pipes to move ballast water from tanker holds to onshore tanks. The council encouraged the Coast Guard to examine the Valdez terminal to determine whether the ballast water facility could be modified to address the invasive species issue, which would avoid the need to install special equipment on tankers. If so, this work could be completed well ahead of a 2016 deadline.
The council believes that improving ballast water treatment technology sooner would help stop the spread of creatures such as the green crab, and protect the native species of Prince William Sound. Untreated ballast water from oil tankers could soon have a profound adverse impact to our region’s economy, fisheries, wildlife and recreational resources.