Mandatory Ballast Water Management Program

The U.S. Coast Guard is proposing to require mandatory ballast water management practices for all vessels equipped with ballast tanks bound for ports or places within the United States or entering U.S. waters. This proposal, which largely would make the program currently in place in the Great Lakes applicable nationwide, is one part of a set of projects to reduce the risk of unintentional introduction of non-indigenous aquatic species into U.S. waters.