Contact: Ninth Coast Guard District Public Affairs Office
(216) 902-6020
| Ninth District External Affairs U.S. Coast Guard |
|
|
| News Release |
Date: April 1, 2009 Contact: Cmdr. Tim Cummins |
|
Great Lakes Ballast Water Working Group releases CLEVELAND - The Great Lakes Ballast Water Working Group (BWWG) releases the Great Lakes Ballast Water Management Report. BWWG meets regularly throughout the year to develop, enhance and coordinate bi-national enforcement and compliance efforts to reduce the introduction of aquatic invasive species via ballast water. The BWWG is comprised of: * U.S. Coast Guard - Ninth District http://cgweb.comdt.uscg.mil/g-ms/g-mso/estandards.htm * Transport Canada - Marine Safety http://www.tc.gc.ca/en/menu.htm * U.S. Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation http://www.greatlakes-seaway.com/en/environment/ballast-water/index.html http://www.tc.gc.ca/en/menu.htm * Canadian St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation http://www.greatlakes-seaway.com/en/environment/ballast-water/index.html Highlights from the report include a marked improvement over the prior year's inspection program statistics in a number of areas, including ship compliance rates. Some of those highlights are: * 99% of ships bound for the Great Lakes Seaway received a ballast tank exam. * A total of 6704 ballast tanks, onboard 364 different ships, were sampled and had a 98.6% compliance rate. * In addition, 100% of ballast water reporting forms were screened to assess ballast water history, compliance, voyage information and proposed discharge location. The BWWG anticipates continued high ship compliance rates for the 2009 navigation season. For the complete report, CLICK HERE For additional inquiries, contact Cmdr. Tim Cummins, through the Ninth Coast Guard District Public Affairs Office, at (216) 902-6020. ### Saving Lives and Guarding the Coast Since 1790.The United States Coast Guard: Proud History. Powerful Future. |
printer friendly