2022 Marine Invasive Species Program Updates

Adoption of Federal Ballast Water Discharge Standards.

The Commission adopted regulatory amendments that will implement the federal ballast water discharge standards for vessels arriving at California ports, among other provisions. These changes will become effective on January 1, 2022. The adopted regulations amend sections 2291, 2292, 2293, 2294, 2295, 2296, and 2297 of Article 4.7 of Title 2, Division 3, Chapter 1 of the California Code of Regulations (CCR).

These amendments:

• Incorporate the federal ballast water discharge standards and implementation schedule into California law (2 CCR Section 2293 (a)).
• Delay the compliance dates for the existing interim and final California ballast water discharge performance standards to 2030 and 2040, respectively (2 CCR Sections 2293 (b) and (c)).
• Establish operational monitoring and recordkeeping requirements for vessels that use a ballast water treatment system to meet ballast water discharge performance standards (2 CCR Sections 2295 and 2297).
• Authorize Commission staff to collect ballast water and sediment samples for research purposes and compliance assessment (2 CCR Section 2294).

Staff presented webinars on November 18 and December 16 to provide further clarity for these regulations and to answer additional questions. The recorded webinars are available here.

Submission Requirement for the Marine Invasive Species Program Annual Vessel Reporting Form.

The Marine Invasive Species Program Annual Vessel Reporting Form (AVRF) must be submitted once per calendar year and at least 24 hours prior to a vessel’s first arrival at a California port. The AVRF must be submitted through the web-based platform https://www.MISP.IO. Note that the AVRF can be submitted earlier during the calendar year (e.g., submitted in January for a first arrival in March), if desired, and can be submitted by anyone affiliated with the vessel (e.g., ownership, management, crew, agent).

Vessel owners or operators that are unable to submit the AVRF via MISP.IO due to logistic or technological challenges should contact the Marine Invasive Species Program at bwform@slc.ca.gov as soon as possible to inquire about alternatives for AVRF submission.

Ballast Water Management Report Submission Requirements.

All vessels that arrive at California ports must submit the Ballast Water Management Report 24 hours prior to arrival at each port in California. If a vessel’s voyage is less than 24 hours, the report shall be submitted upon departure from the last port of call prior to arrival. If ballast water management or discharge information changes for an arrival, a corrected form must be submitted.

Vessels moving from one California port to another are required to file a separate Ballast Water Management Report for each port arrival. For reporting purposes, the following places are recognized as separate ports by the Marine Invasive Species Program. All terminals, berths, and anchorages within each port area are considered a part of that port.