[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 73 (Monday, April 17, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Page 19742]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-5652]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Coast Guard

[USCG-2006-24443]


Ballast Water Reporting by Foreign-flag Vessels Bound for the 
Great Lakes.

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Coast Guard announces this notice as clarification of the 
ballast water reporting requirements for foreign-flag vessels bound for 
the Great Lakes from outside the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

DATES: This notice is effective on April 17, 2006.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you have questions about this 
notice, contact LT Keith Donohue, Environmental Standards Division, 
Coast Guard, telephone 202-267-0500, e-mail: [email protected]. 
If you have questions about viewing material on the docket, call Ms. 
Renee V. Wright, Program Manager, Docket Operations, telephone 202-493-
0402.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background and Purpose

    The reporting requirements of 33 CFR 151.2041 apply to all foreign-
flag vessels with ballast water tanks that are bound for the Great 
Lakes, unless exempted by 33 CFR 151.2010 and 151.2015. Foreign-flag 
vessels do not include U.S. and Canadian-flag vessels. These 
requirements were amended by the final rule entitled ``Penalties for 
Non-Submission of Ballast Water Management Reports,'' published in the 
Federal Register on June 14, 2004. See 69 FR 32864. That final rule 
mandated that all foreign-flag vessels must provide the complete 
information required in 33 CFR 151.2045 when bound for the Great Lakes 
from beyond the EEZ, and gave these vessels two options for doing so.
    The first option allows reports to be sent to the appropriate 
authority established in 33 CFR 151.2041(b)(1)(i) using the Coast Guard 
Ballast Water Reporting Form, OMB form Control No. 1625-0069.
    As an alternative, 33 CFR 151.2041(b)(1)(ii) allows foreign-flag 
vessels to complete the ballast water information section of the St. 
Lawrence Seaway ``Pre-entry Information from Foreign Flagged Vessels 
Form'' and submit it in accordance with the applicable Seaway Notice. 
However, the Coast Guard highlights through this notice that, if this 
second option is used, the owners and operators of these vessels must 
still ensure they provide all the information required by 33 CFR 
151.2045 to be in compliance with the ballast water reporting 
requirements. If the Pre-entry form used to make the applicable Seaway 
Notice does not provide ample space for all the information required by 
33 CFR 151.2045, the information must still be provided. This can be 
accomplished either with an annotated version of the Pre-entry form or 
an accompanying Coast Guard Ballast Water Reporting Form. Also, if the 
information required by 33 CFR 151.2041 is submitted within the Seaway 
Notice 96 hours prior to arrival and the vessel's ballast information 
subsequently changes, an amended form must be submitted before the 
vessel departs the waters of the United States.
    In addition, the Coast Guard published a Notice of Policy entitled 
``Ballast Water Management for Vessels Entering the Great Lakes that 
Declare No Ballast Onboard'' in the Federal Register on August 31, 
2005. See 70 FR 51831. The Coast Guard Ballast Water Reporting Form, 
with sections 4 and 5 properly completed, is the only means of 
documenting a vessel's implementation of the voluntary best management 
practices described in the August 31, 2005 Notice of Policy. See 70 FR 
51831.
    Finally, to further avoid confusion and reporting submission 
issues, the Coast Guard recommends each foreign-flag vessel that enters 
the Great Lakes from outside the EEZ should submit the required 
information using the Coast Guard Ballast Water Reporting Form to 
either the Coast Guard Captain of the Port Buffalo, Massena Detachment 
or the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation, at least 24 hours 
before the vessel arrives in Montreal, Quebec, in addition to the Pre-
entry form required by the applicable Seaway Notice. The fax number for 
the Coast Guard Captain of the Port Buffalo, Massena Detachment is 315-
769-5032, and the fax number for the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development 
Corporation is 315-764-3250.

    Dated: April 5, 2006.
H.L. Hime,
Acting Director of Standards, Assistant Commandant for Prevention, U.S. 
Coast Guard.
 [FR Doc. E6-5652 Filed 4-14-06; 8:45 am]
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