Thursday, 13th November 2008
This circular explains that from 19 December 2008, all commercial vessels 79 feet (24.08 meters) in length or greater with discharges of pollutants incidental to their normal operation, including but not limited to ballast water discharges, into the US three mile territorial sea or inland waters will become subject to the EPA final Vessel General Permit (VGP) requirements and will ultimately need individual permit coverage. It is not yet clear if the current VGP requirements will be amended before 19 December. This will become clear in early December 2009. Whatever the final regulations are, shipping companies should be aware of them now and prepare accordingly.
