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Final 2013 Vessel General Permit regulations become effective from 19th December 2013

The United States Coast Guard (USCG) recently re-issued their Vessel General Permit (VGP) requirements. The VGP regulates any ship related discharge into the sea in US waters. The 2013 regulations govern also ballast water discharge and all ship oil to sea interfaces. All ships sailing in US waters must comply with these regulations. As the 2013 VGP becomes effective on 19th December 2013, about 12,500 foreign flagged vessels are expected to be subject to VGP requirements and therefore required to obtain authorization under this new permit.

GL Academy has recently updated and enriched its training course Vessel General Permit: Environmentally sound trading in US waters. It provides detailed information on the VGP requirements in order to assist vessel personnel and operators in achieving compliance. The emphasis of the seminar is on:

    the identity of each eligible type of discharge,
    the effluent limits and best available management practices,
    planning and conducting inspections and monitoring,
    the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NDPES) reporting and
    recordkeeping

Source: GL Academy