MORE than 20 ballast treatment systems need to be installed every day between now and the end of the decade for shipowners to meet the requirements of the ballast water convention.
Forget the fact that it is not yet in force, it will be soon. Forget also the thorny issues of testing for compliance, there will be guidelines to help port state inspectors soon enough.
These are just side issues as the big problem is just the sheer manpower that will be needed to fit the systems. This is a mountain I do not think the industry can climb. Of the 20 a day, about 70% will be retrofits and experts like Cofely West and Goltens have said it can take up to a month for a riding team to plan the process and install the kit.
While they are doing this, they may find themselves being called on to do other environmental upgrades, such as the pre-installation of a scrubber system to remove SOx from the exhaust of ships operating in an emission control area.
The reason we have the problem is two fold. Shipowners will always wait until the last minute to make a change. Society does not pay them to be proactive. Society pays them to get stuff it needs to its door as cheaply as possible, yet expects them to use ships that will be compliant with tomorrow’s rules, despite them being ordered yesterday.
The second problem is that shipowners have had little to chose from. With ballast water this is evidenced by the reluctance of flag states to sign the convention into national legislation when they knew the rule could not be met.
It is like being told to wear a seatbelt before car makers had put seatbelts in cars.
A quick survey of the technology companies that have gained compliance for their treatment systems shows that only about 300 have been sold so far. This is woefully inadequate.
So this is why the whispering of one shipowner in the back of the room at a recent ballast water conference caught my ear.
Put systems in the ports and use fresh water, reformed grey water and treated sea water as ballast, he said. Ships have little room for the system onboard in the first place. Many have small engine rooms with piping snaking around everywhere, making it difficult for a system to be added to a ballast water piping system.
Despite his good ideas, even this shipowner knows that the convention will come into force soon and the fight will be on to hire those engineers to get the systems squeezed on to vessels, after the owner have been squeezed into paying for society’s expectations.
4 Comments
Gee if foreign imports had a harder time getting into our country, perhaps this would help get all of the money they claim is setting on the side lines, invested in American manufacturing. Although maybe there is hope as our president now has a non transparent military plan for ballast water, ya think he could surprize us after delaying action, disregarding the wish of the largest elected legislative voice of the American people, which overwhelming passed legislation in the House 395-7 while he was runing a green presidential campaign? After 21/2 years he may feel he has given China enough time to catch up on the technology they will need to install, as one of the biggest ship builders in the world, but then again since South Korea is China’s biggest competition and leading in this technology he may keep stalling, so they keep a lid on North Korea and continue buying our treasury notes. Then he could offer more stimulous to foster a temporary economic recovery based on China’s economy, providing easy re-election and prosperity until the next economic global crisis. NY laws effecting the economies of all the Great Lakes states and Canada in the presidential elaection year 2012 are what will determine the answers, if his now non transparent military plan is not revealed in a strong light. The question is will Governor Coumo cave in?
Despite NY governor spending large amounts of money to create ballast water laws, as the states Attorney General, I am willing to bet he will cave in favor of WHATEVER plan the Coast Guard comes up with.
Interesting Senator Boxer of California kills ballast water legislation passed in the house 395-7, back in 2008 that would have protected the whole country equally over her wish for California to be able to enact stronger laws. Now articles are saying California is backing down on its current ballast water laws for being to strict. NY laws will be next to go, making President Obamas week military plan look attractive. Senator Boxers position in 2008 killing ballast water legislation, to allegedly preserve her states rights to stronger laws, (despite president Obama’s reported rhetoric voicing support for legislation) was as the sponsor of the bill, former Rep Oberstar suggested “BS” and now it is being proven by California’s latest action.
Now after all the wasted money this administration created leaving the states to create useless laws, the Presidents delayed Coast Guard plan will provide a weakened standard with a longer time line and President Obama and the Coast Guard WILL BE PRAISED for creating protection, when THE REALITY will be, that the killing of the legislation, the house voted for in 2008 and the delayed weakened plan will favor the foreign shipping industry more than the American environment and human health. Nor will a weak military plan, be of any help to create quick protection, which would level the playing field for American manufacturing cost by ending the free pass given to foreign ships delivering foreign manufactured goods.
It really is not funny how our politicians waste our money to posture their political stature. Odd Paterson, governor of NY, ask by President Obama to step aside created strong ballast water laws- GONE!, Strickland strong advocate for ballast protection- GONE!, Oberstar creator of national ballast legislation h.r.2830- GONE! Granholm strong advocate for national ballast water regulation mentioned for Obama positions,- GONE- PASSED OVER! Governor Schwarzenegger strong environmental advocate for ballast water, GONE!- coinciding with a newly created weakening of California’s ballast water laws. Senator Boxer the killer of national ballast water laws RETAINED!, with large show of support from President Obama during elections.
It should be obvious to those who have tried to achieve strong protection for all American waters from foreign shipping pollution, that once a new weak purposal from the Coast Guard is official, it will kill the topic, and foreign shipping will have prevailed allowing continued destruction, unabated by the prospect of future stronger protection.
Predictably, it looks as though NY is slowly trying to save face and back down on ballast water despite the money spent creating and defending these laws, illustrated by the 2012 date for compliance reportedly extended by a year and a half. Odd when I wrote to Governor Paterson in 2008 about H.R.2830 and how our state would be represented, a Mr. Tierney from the NY DEC wrote back to me by US mail, on the Governors behalf claiming how great this state ballast legislation would be in comparison to H.R.2830 which would have been well under way by now. I wrote Mr. Tierney back, expressing concern on how they planed on enforcing these State laws, but never received an answer.
Senator Boxer subsequently killed legislation H.R.2830 for the whole country back in 2008, while the three top officials of this administration were all Senators. She allegedly believed it to weak for her states rights. Now California is backing down from her position as well as NY is backing down because the stricter laws can not be met??? “according to the shipping industry”? So now three years later all we have is a still purposed plan being concocted by the military, which so far appears as little more than following the international Maritime Organization lead of delay.
Our politicians need to act mandating technology other than the ocean flushing, which only uses dilution as the solution for pollution. Flushing dose not address all problems associated by ballast discharges. Just using salinity alone dose not address ocean invasive’s and other substances such as tar balls that can also be taken on during ocean flushing. Human health will continue being at risk and destruction of our waters will continue as shipping traffic continues to increase if our politicians do not start acting prudently.
We are still without comprehensive ballast water policy, law,or regulation to address all the dangers of ballast water discharges.
One can only pray this administration is more concerned about Japan’s nuclear contaminated water in the Pacific arriving in ballast water, than were while watching ballast systems for tar balls going to Lake Pontchartrain. They were warned about both. The administration is obviously following an international approach through the Coast Guard plan relying on the IMO for direction and enforcement. This is obvious by the failure of this administration to coordinate the EPA and Homeland Security, with a Coast Guard plan, (which sadly only follows the IMO). Within a four year term in office under President Obama’s administration despite previously passed legislation in the House 395-7, (killed by Senator Boxer, a political friend of the President) the EPA had to be sued, in order to even address, the need to create a standard. Environmentalist, still only achieved a promise from the EPA to draw up a standard, after the next presidential election, when there may be a new administration policy. This administration has effectively continued the delay created by the military under this commander and chief using the guise of more and more study.
Regardless of IMO regulations, international law or treaties, each IMO foreign sea captain works for a different economic interest and performs under independent governance while controlling the ships functions to create profit for foreign economic interest. Currently we are protected by only foreign sea captains integrity and ability to perform costly, often dangerous, ineffective ocean flush’s. The Coast Guards historic known disinterest continues, illustrated by their failure to try and protect our country at a higher standard than the IMO an organization of foreign business interests. Sadly they have the only infrastructure to protect with testing and inspection. Standards that require mandatory technological hardware to clean ballast water from all substances are needed along with an infrastructure for enforcement, commanded by a leader who cares.
We needed a President who will direct Congress to address the issue with legislation authorizing the Coast Guard to protect our citizens health from ballast water. A comprehensive plan of zero tolerance for all types of ballast pollution including the human pathogens and virus now being allowed dumped in our waters. (not a promise for after the next presidential election cycle)