Commercial Vessel Ballast Water Management (2021-2022): Report to Congress June 3, 2024

Abstract

The 2018 Vessel Incidental Discharge Act (VIDA)1 requires an annual report on the effectiveness of national ballast water management (BWM) requirements. This report provides analyses of (1) the patterns of ballast water (BW) delivery and management; (2) Coast Guard’s compliance and enforcement actions regarding BWM regulations; and (3) patterns of biological invasions by marine and estuarine aquatic nuisance species (ANS). It covers the two-year period from January 2021 through December 2022 to demonstrate the effectiveness of the Coast Guard’s statutorily mandated BWM regulatory program and validates that enforcement efforts continue to increase BWM and reduce the risk of introducing ANS into U.S. waters.