, United States Environmental Protection Agency
\ Office of Water / Office of Wastewater Management /Water
Permits Division
^. A.O
Analysis of Ballast Water
Discharges into the Great Lakes
from Overseas Vessels from
2010 to 2013
EPA830-R-15-004
May 2015
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Analysis of Ballast Water Discharges
into the Great Lakes from Overseas Vessels Acknowledgements
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
EPA would like to thank Chris Wiley of Transport Canada and Whitman Miller and Mark
Minton of the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center for providing vessel data, their
advice, and review of this document. EPA would also like to thank Dr. Lisa Drake with the U.S.
Navy - Naval Research Laboratory and Dr. Sarah Bailey, Fisheries and Oceans Canada for their
review and comment on this document. EPA would like to acknowledge the significant
contributions made to this effort by James Schardt in EPA's Great Lakes National Program
Office. Finally, EPA would like to acknowledge the contractor support for this project provided
by individuals from Eastern Research Group, Inc.
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Analysis of Ballast Water Discharges
into the Great Lakes from Overseas Vessels
The primary technical contact for this document is:
Ryan Albert
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Wastewater Management (Mail Code 4203M)
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20460
11
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Analysis of Ballast Water Discharges
into the Great Lakes from Overseas Vessels Table of Contents
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
SECTION 1 INTRODUCTION 1
SECTION 2 OBJECTIVES, DATA SOURCES, AND APPROACH 4
2.1 Data Sources 4
2.2 Methods 5
2.2.1 Vessel Voyage Information 5
2.2.2 Ballast Tank Information 6
2.3 Data Quality 7
SECTION 3 ANALYSIS RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 8
3.1 Vessel Characteristics 8
3.2 Voyage Patterns 12
3.3 Ballast Water Discharges 18
SECTION 4 SUMMARY 25
SECTION 5 REFERENCES 26
Appendices
Appendix A: Data Tables Vessel Arrivals by Last and Arrival Ports;
Ballast Water Discharge Amount by Source Port
in
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Analysis of Ballast Water Discharges
into the Great Lakes from Overseas Vessels List of Tables
List of Tables
Page
Table 1. Types of Overseas Vessels Entering U.S. and Canadian Ports on the Great Lakes 9
Table 2. Tonnage, Lengths, Ages and Ballast Water Capacity of Overseas Vessels
Entering the Great Lakes from 2010 through 2013 10
Table 3. Ballast Water Capacities of the Three Primary Vessel Types Entering the Great
Lakes from Overseas 11
Table 4. Overseas Vessel Voyages Arriving at U.S. and Canadian Ports en route to the
Great Lakes 16
Table 5. Percentage of Overseas Vessels Making Multiple Voyages to the Great Lakes 17
Table 6. Ballast Water Discharges at U.S. and Canadian Ports on the Great Lakes from
Overseas Vessels 20
Table 7. Ballast Water Amounts Discharged into U.S. and Canadian Waters on the Great
Lakes from Overseas Vessels by Vessel Type 21
Table 8. Amount of Ballast Water Discharged into the U.S. and Canadian Waters of the
Great Lakes from the Top 12 Overseas Ports by Source Port 22
Table 9. Ballast Tank Exchange or Flushing for Overseas Vessels Entering the Great
Lakes 23
IV
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Analysis of Ballast Water Discharges
into the Great Lakes from Overseas Vessels List of Figures
List of Figures
Page
Figure 1. Total Number of Vessels Entering U.S. and Canadian Ports on the Great Lakes
by Year and Vessel Type from 2010 to 2013 9
Figure 2. Average Ballast Capacities of the Three Primary Vessel Types Entering the
Great Lakes from Overseas from 2010 to 2013 11
Figure 3. Most Common Vessel Routes from Countries Around the World into the Great
Lakes 12
Figure 4. Top 12 Last Ports of Call for Overseas Vessels Before Entering the Great Lakes
from 2010 to 2013 13
Figure 5. The Distance (nm) Between the Last Port and Ballast Water Discharge in the
Great Lakes from 2010 to 2013 14
Figure 6. The Number of Days Between Ballast Water Loading at Overseas Ports and
Ballast Water Discharge into the Great Lakes for 2010 Through 2013
(Regardless of Flushing or Exchange) 15
Figure 7. The Number of Days Between Ballast Water Exchange/ Flushing and
Discharge into the Great Lakes 15
Figure 8. Cumulative Number of Overseas Vessels Arriving at Great Lakes and St.
Lawrence Seaway Ports as the First Arrival Port from 2010 to 2013 17
Figure 9. Cumulative Amount of Ballast Water Discharged (in MT) from Overseas Ports
from 2010 to 2013 18
Figure 10. The Top 10 Great Lakes Ports Receiving Ballast Water Discharges from
Overseas Vessels from 2010 through 2013 19
Figure 11. Ballast Water Discharges by Vessel Type into U.S. and Canadian Great Lakes
Ports from Overseas Vessels 21
Figure 12. Bar Graph Showing Top 12 Overseas Ports where Ballast Water was Loaded
and Discharged into the Great Lakes from 2010 through 2013 22
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Analysis of Ballast Water Discharges
into the Great Lakes from Overseas Vessels Section 1-Introduction
SECTION 1
INTRODUCTION
Ballast water discharges are cited as one of the primary sources or vectors for the spread
of aquatic nuisance species (ANS) (National Research Council, 2008). Depending on where
ships take on ballast water, virtually all organisms in the water column, either swimming or
disturbed from bottom sediments, can be taken into ships' ballast tanks. These organisms include
holoplankton (free-floating), meroplankton (larval stages of bottom dwelling organisms), upper
water column nekton (active swimming), and demersal (near bottom dwelling) organisms
(California EPA, 2002). When live organisms in ballast tanks are transported between water
bodies and discharged, they have the potential to establish new populations and cause physical
and behavioral disturbances to the native organisms due to competition for food, space and other
valuable resources (Hayes and Landis, 2004).
In the Great Lakes, ballast water from ocean-going vessels known as seaway-sized
transoceanic vessels or "Salties" are a primary vector for introduction of ANS from regions
throughout the world. The vast majority of these vessels are bulk carriers (bulkers), although
there are also a small number of general cargo carriers, heavy lift ships, and tankers in service.
Unlike the larger bulkers that travel the Great Lakes (i.e., Lakers), Salties are small enough to
transit to the upper Great Lakes through the Welland Canal. Salties generally follow a "steel in -
grain out" trade pattern, whereby iron and steel and other high value cargos generally arrive from
Europe, and are off-loaded in a series of lower lake ports. These vessels then load products such
as grain and transport these materials back to ports in Europe (Cangelosi and Mays, 2006).
To reduce the chance that Salties will discharge living organisms into the Great Lakes
from ballast water tanks, USEPA,1 United States Coast Guard (USCG),2 and Transport Canada3
(TC) regulations and permits require all vessels entering waters under Canadian and U.S.
jurisdiction from outside the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) to conduct ballast water
1 Among other things, the EPA Vessel General Permit (VGP) requires all vessels that are equipped to carry ballast
water and enter the Great Lakes to conduct ballast water exchange and saltwater flushing. Eventually, vessels must
meet numeric ballast water treatment limits using one of several methods. Certain vessels must continue to exchange
ballast water if they use a shipboard ballast water treatment system to meet limits to minimize risk of invasion into
the Lakes.
2 Federal Register, Volume 77, #57, 17254-17320. Final Rule, Standards for Living Organisms in Ships Ballast
Water Discharged in U.S. Waters. March 23, 2012.
3Canadian Shipping Act, 2001, Ballast Water Control and Management Regulations, require vessels entering the
Great Lakes through the Saint Lawrence Seaway to report their status regarding exchange or flushing.
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Analysis of Ballast Water Discharges
into the Great Lakes from Overseas Vessels Section 1-Introduction
exchange4 (BWE), or ballast water flushing5 for vessels having no ballast on board (NOBOB),
prior to entering the Saint Lawrence Seaway System. Federal regulations and permit
requirements call for vessels to conduct mid-ocean BWE or ballast water flushing in an area 200
nautical miles (nm) from any shore such that resultant ballast water, or residual ballast water in
the case of NOBOB vessels, has a salinity of 30 parts per thousand (ppt) or greater.
BWE and ballast water flushing reduce invasion risk in two primary ways: 1) a large
percentage of the freshwater living organisms are physically removed from ballast tanks by
discharging them into the open ocean and replaced with marine or pelagic species (Choi, et al.,
2005; Wonham et al., 2005; Ruiz and Smith, 2005), and 2) for freshwater and brackish water
systems, a high salinity environment is created that causes osmotic shock to remaining fresh
water organisms hidden in ballast tank sediments (Hart et al, 1991). The combined physical
removal and mortality due to salinity shock is estimated to be at least 95 percent effective for
ships carrying ballast from fresh water ports (Gray et al., 2007; Bailey et al., 2006).
The effectiveness of BWE and seawater flushing is further evident when comparing the
current rates of invasions with those prior to development of the current BWE and/or seawater
flushing regulations. Researchers evaluated the annual discovery rate of new ANS in the Great
Lakes attributed to shipping and found a decrease starting in the mid-to-late 1990s that coincided
with the implementation of mandatory BWE requirements (Bailey et al., 2011).
To verify compliance with the regulatory requirements for BWE or flushing, the USCG
and Transport Canada's Marine Safety Division (TCMS) require vessels bound for the Great
Lakes from outside the EEZ to submit St. Lawrence Seaway Ballast Water Reporting Forms. For
vessels bound for U.S. ports on the Great Lakes, the St. Lawrence Seaway Ballast Water
Reporting forms must be faxed or emailed to the USCG office in Massena, NY, at least 24 hours
prior to arrival in Montreal. The reporting forms must indicate:
the overseas port where ballast water was loaded,
if exchange or flushing was conducted prior to entering the Seaway,
the longitude and latitude where exchange or flushing took place,
the method used for exchange or flushing (empty-refill or flow-through) and which
Great Lakes ports the exchanged or flushed ballast water will be discharged into, and
4 As defined by the VGP and U.S. Coast Guard regulations, "exchange" means to replace the water in a ballast tank
using either "flow through exchange" or "empty/refill exchange." "Flow through exchange" means to flush out
ballast water by pumping in water from the mid-ocean or "coastal exchange zone" (as applicable) into the bottom of
the tank and continuously overflowing the tank from the top until three full volumes of water have been changed to
minimize the number of organisms remaining in the tank. "Empty/refill exchange" means to pump out the ballast
water taken on in ports, estuarine, or territorial waters until the tank is empty, then refill it with water from the mid-
ocean or "coastal exchange zone" (as applicable); masters/operators should pump out as close to 100 percent of the
ballast water as is safe to do so. [adaptedfrom 33 CFR 151.2025]
5 As defined by the VGP and U.S. Coast Guard regulations, for vessels entering the Great Lakes, "saltwater
flushing" means the addition of "mid-ocean" water to empty ballast water tanks; the mixing of the added water with
residual ballast water and sediment through the motion of the vessel; and the discharge of the mixed water until loss
of suction, such that the resulting residual water remaining in the tank has either a salinity greater than or equal to 30
parts per thousand or a salinity concentration equal to the ambient salinity of the location where the uptake of the
added water took place.
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Analysis of Ballast Water Discharges
into the Great Lakes from Overseas Vessels Section 1-Introduction
the next vessel ports of call.
For vessels bound for Canadian ports on the Great Lakes, St. Lawrence Seaway Ballast
Water Reporting forms must be emailed to Transport Canada's office in Quebec 96 hours prior
to arrival in Montreal. The 96-hour reports sent to Transport Canada also require information on
where ballast water was loaded, if exchange or flushing was conducted prior to entering the
Seaway, the longitude and latitude where exchange or flushing took place, the method used for
exchange or flushing (empty-refill or flow-through) and the proposed ballast water discharge
port.
This document compiles and analyzes information on ballast water discharges from
ocean-going vessels entering the Great Lakes through the St. Lawrence Seaway System (SLSS)
from 2010 to 2013. The purpose of this analysis is to provide a series of tables, plots, and
graphics that for use as background when analyzing ballast mediated ANS invasion risks into the
Great Lakes by vessels arriving from outside the EEZ.6 EPA compiled the data used in this
analysis from the National Ballast Information Clearinghouse (NBIC), Transport Canada (TC),
and the Vessel General Permit (VGP) electronic Notice of Intent (eNOI) database.
This document includes:
a brief synopsis of the environmental issues and regulatory requirements for ocean
going vessels entering the Great Lakes with respect to ballast water,
a description of data sources,
methods used by EPA to extract and compile information on vessels entering the
Great Lakes and their ballast water management programs,
limitations and qualifiers for the data used in the analysis, and
results of the data analysis and discussion of findings.
6 The U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) extends no more than 200 nautical miles from the territorial sea
baseline and is adjacent to the 12 nautical mile territorial sea of the U.S., including the Commonwealth of Puerto
Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and
any other territory or possession over which the United States exercises sovereignty.
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Analysis of Ballast Water Discharges
into the Great Lakes from Overseas Vessels Section 2-Objectives, Data Sources, and Approach
SECTION 2
OBJECTIVES, DATA SOURCES, AND APPROACH
This document compiles information on overseas vessels entering U.S. waters of the
Great Lakes through the Saint Lawrence Seaway from 2010 to 2013 to address the following
questions:
How many overseas vessels enter the Great Lakes annually and from what countries
and/or ports?
What is the number of times the same vessel makes round-trip voyages between
overseas ports and the Great Lakes each year?
What types of vessels are entering the Great Lakes from overseas ports, what is the
average age of these vessels, and how much ballast water can they carry?
How many overseas vessels enter the Great Lakes annually having no ballast on
board (NOBOBs)?
Which Great Lakes ports are most frequented by overseas vessels and which receive
the greatest amounts of ballast water discharges from these vessels?
Which overseas ports are providing ballast water discharged into the Great Lakes and
what is the salinity of these overseas ports?
What is the distance and time interval between ballast water loading at overseas ports
and discharge into the Great Lakes, and what is the time interval between ballast
water exchange and/or flushing and discharge into the Great Lakes?
How many overseas vessels entering the Great Lakes are conducting flow-through
versus empty refill during ballast water exchange?
How many overseas vessels entering the Great Lakes have ballast water treatment
systems on board?
2.1 DATA SOURCES
Four data sources provided the information needed to answer the questions listed above.
The first and primary source of data was the National Ballast Information Clearinghouse
(NBIC).7 The NBIC is a joint program between the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center
(SERC) and the United States Coast Guard that collects, analyzes, and interprets data on the
ballast water management practices of commercial ships that operate in the waters of the U.S..
For vessels bound for the Great Lakes, the NBIC dataset is compiled from information provided
on the 24-hour St. Lawrence Seaway (SLS) Ballast Water Reporting forms or NBIC Ballast
Water Management Reporting Forms submitted to the U.S. Coast Guard.
7 National Ballast Information Clearinghouse. NBIC Online Database. Electronic publication, Smithsonian
Environmental Research Center & United States Coast Guard. Available from
http://invasions.si.edu/nbic/search.html: searched 21 December 2013.
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Analysis of Ballast Water Discharges
into the Great Lakes from Overseas Vessels Section 2-Objectives, Data Sources, and Approach
EPA's second source of information was provided by Transport Canada (TC).8 TC
receives 96-hour SLS Ballast Water Reporting forms and verifies the vessels have conducted
either ballast water exchange or ballast water flushing before allowing the vessel to proceed to
Canadian ports on the Great Lakes. Although the majority of 96-hour SLS Ballast Water
Reporting forms should also be provided to the NBIC, a significant number were found to be
absent from the NBIC dataset. Therefore, both data sources were required for a complete record.
TC also provided EPA's third source of information: a copy of the inspection database
for years 2010-2013.9 This database contains information about vessel inspection dates and
ballast water management practices. Vessel inspections were required prior to entry into the
Great Lakes. EPA used the inspection dates and the International Maritime Organizations (EVIO)
numbers in this data source to identify vessels that entered the Great Lakes in 2010, for reasons
described in Section 2.2.1 of this report.
EPA's fourth source of information was EPA's 2013 VGP eNOI database.10 The eNOI
database includes information on nearly 30,000 vessels that discharge ballast water and other
vessel discharges into U.S. waters. The eNOI database contains information about onboard
treatment systems, including: system type, manufacturer, capacity, average and peak flow rates,
residual waste, sediment disposal methods, and cleaning frequency. In addition, the eNOI
database contains vessel characteristics (e.g., age, length, tonnage, flag, homeport, and dates of
the last and next scheduled dry dock). For this study, EPA matched the EVIO numbers in the
eNOI database to the EVIO numbers for vessels entering the Great Lakes provided in the
combined NBIC and TC dataset to determine the number and characteristics of overseas vessels
entering the Great Lakes between 2010 and 2013 with ballast water treatment systems on board.
2.2 METHODS
For this study, EPA created two composite datasets containing information for vessels
traveling to U.S. and Canadian ports within the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway system.
The first composite dataset, referred to as the vessel voyage information dataset, provided vessel
arrival information and was used to analyze voyaging patterns and vessel characteristics. EPA
identified and removed duplicate voyage data prior to data analysis and supplemented the data
with information from EPA's VGP eNOI database. The second composite dataset, referred to as
the ballast tank information dataset, provided information about ballast tanks for the vessels
arriving in the Great Lakes and was used to analyze ballast water sources, management practices,
and discharge amounts. Both datasets were culled to include only vessels that had voyages that
originated from ports beyond the EEZ and that traveled to ports west of Montreal. The following
subsections describe the methods used to create each of the datasets used in the analysis.
2.2.1 Vessel Voyage Information
To create the vessel voyage information dataset, EPA first combined all the NBIC data
and only the TC data for 2011 to 2013 for vessels entering the Great Lakes. The 2010 TC data
provided to EPA were excluded because they contained a large number of vessels that had
docked at Montreal and discharged ballast water without proceeding into the Great Lakes. To
8 Transport Canada dataset provided by Chris Wiley on August 26, 2014.
9 Transport Canada inspection record provided by Laurent Jean on January 8, 2014.
10 USEPA 2013 Vessel General Permit eNOI dataset provided by Jack Faulk on December 23, 2013.
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Analysis of Ballast Water Discharges
into the Great Lakes from Overseas Vessels Section 2-Objectives, Data Sources, and Approach
represent Great Lakes entry for 2010 arrivals, EPA included only records identifiable by IMO
and arrival dates within the inspection dataset, or with arrival ports, discharge ports, or last ports
within the Great Lakes. Specifically, EPA identified matching voyage records if the inspection
date (within the inspection database) and arrival date (from the TC database) for any specific
IMO occurred within one week. EPA did not use the inspection data for years 2011 to 2013.
EPA further reduced data from the NBIC and reduced TC databases to include only
arrivals from beyond the EEZ. Specifically, for the TC database, EPA retained data records if the
designated source of ballast water was listed as a non-U.S., non-Canadian port. For the NBIC
dataset, EPA retained data records for which the transit type was designated "overseas." In
addition, EPA retained records for which the transit type was designated "coastwise" or
"unknown," provided that at least one tank associated with the voyage contained ballast water
from a non-U.S., non-Canadian source port.
To create the composite vessel voyage information dataset, EPA converted the reduced
TC dataset from a tank-based organization to a voyage-based organization to match the vessel
arrival organization of the NBIC dataset.11 Specifically, EPA stripped the reduced TC dataset of
data specific to tanks (volume, source port, etc.) and retained the data unique to each vessel and
voyage. After linking to and combining the TC dataset with the NBIC dataset, EPA examined
the composite dataset to identify duplicate voyage records based on matching IMO, arrival-last-
next ports, and arrival dates. When identified as duplicates, the record with the most information
about the number of tanks on board, in ballast, discharged, exchanged, or handled with
alternative methods, was preserved, while the records with less information were removed from
the composite dataset. Vessel length and age were pulled from the eNOI record by IMO number
and inserted into the composite dataset.
2.2.2 Ballast Tank Information
To create the composite ballast tank information dataset, EPA combined the complete
reduced TC database (i.e., 2010 to 2013) with the reduced tank data table of the NBIC dataset to
form a composite dataset of tank information for voyages from beyond the EEZ and entering the
Great Lakes. No manipulation was necessary as both datasets were organized by tank. EPA was
unable to identify and remove duplicate records for this composite dataset. This was because
each vessel contains multiple tanks with many of these tanks having the same ballast water
capacity and likely filled and discharged at the same ports. Lacking a unique tank identifier, it
was not possible to distinguish between multiple reporting of the same tank (i.e., duplicate
records) and reporting of multiple tanks on the same ship (i.e., not duplicate records).
Accordingly, EPA retained all records, including an unknown number of duplicate records in the
composite dataset. As a result, the analysis of ballast water amounts unavoidably overestimates
the actual amounts, providing an upper bound to the amount of ballast water carried and
discharged in the Great Lakes.
11 The NBIC database consisted of two linked tables. The first table was organized by vessel arrival. The second
table was organized by ballast water tank. These tables were linked by an arrival ID number.
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Analysis of Ballast Water Discharges
into the Great Lakes from Overseas Vessels Section 2-Objectives, Data Sources, and Approach
2.3 DATA QUALITY
The NBIC data provided by SERC underwent their quality assurance and quality control
(QA/QC) processes. These processes included measures such as removing duplicate ballast water
reporting forms that were amended or were resubmitted; standardizing vessel types, port names,
dates, latitudes/longitudes and ballast water capacities and amounts; and removing duplicate tank
data reported on multiple ballast water reporting forms.
Ballast water management reporting forms are first submitted to the U.S. Coast Guard,
TC, and the Saint Lawrence Seaway Commission, and are then forwarded to the NBIC. Vessels
are required to report on all ballast water tanks, even if empty, and to project where the tanks will
be discharged in the Great Lakes. Ballast water reporting forms are also submitted directly to the
NBIC at each U.S. arrival port. As a result, the same discharge events can be reported twice -
once on the ballast water reporting form submitted to either the U.S. Coast Guard or TC before
the vessel enters the St. Lawrence Seaway, and again on the ballast water reporting form
submitted to the NBIC as the vessel transits within the Great Lakes to U.S. ports. The NBIC tries
to remove duplicate reported discharges; however, this reduction had not been completed for
2013 when the data was provided to EPA. In addition, vessels entering Canadian ports on the
Great Lakes are only required to submit ballast water reporting forms for their overseas arrival
and not for ballast water discharges within the Great Lakes. Therefore, the record of individual
port arrivals and ballast water discharges may be incomplete for the Canadian side of the Great
Lakes. EPA identified and removed duplicate transit records when combining the TC and NBIC
datasets as described in Section 2.2.1.
EPA identified an inconsistency between the total numbers of vessels entering the Great
Lakes from overseas or with overseas sources of ballast water found in this analysis (roughly 275
vessels annually) and the substantially higher number of nearly 400 vessel entries reported in the
annual reports of the Great Lakes Seaway Ballast Water Working Group.12 The vessel counts in
the annual reports were derived from the TC inspection record. Comparison of the two datasets
revealed that not all of the inspected vessels were included in the NBIC or TC datasets. In
addition, not all of the records for vessels entering the Great Lakes from overseas (or with
overseas ballast water) in the combined NBIC-TC dataset were found in the TC inspection
record. EPA did not investigate why records in the inspection database were excluded from the
provided NBIC and TC datasets; however, EPA notes that use of the inspection records was
limited to verification of Great Lake entry for TC transit records for 2010 as discussed in Section
2.2.1.
As discussed in Section 2.2.2, EPA was unable to identify and remove duplicate tank
records between the TC and NBIC data sources. Thus, the amounts of ballast water discharged
reported in this document represent an upper bound in the amount discharged.
12 The Great Lakes Seaway Ballast Water Working Group annual reports are available for download:
2010 (415 vessel transits): http://www.greatlakes-seawav.com/en/pdf/2010 BWRptEN.pdf
2011 (396 vessel transits): http://www.greatlakes-seawav.com/en/pdf/2011 BWRptEN.pdf
2012 (386 vessel transits): http://www.greatlakes-seawav.com/en/pdf/2012 BWRptEN.pdf
2013 (371 vessel transits): http://www.greatlakes-seawav.com/en/pdf/2013 BW Rpt EN.pdf
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Analysis of Ballast Water Discharges
into the Great Lakes from Overseas Vessels Section 3-Analysis Results and Discussion
SECTION 3
ANALYSIS RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Section 3 of this report presents information on vessels entering the Great Lakes and their
ballast water discharges. Section 3.1, Vessel Characteristics, provides information on the number
and types of overseas vessels entering the Great Lakes, their size and age, their ballast water
capacity and if they enter the Great Lakes ballasted or declare no ballast on board (NOBOB).
Section 3.2, Voyage Patterns, provides information on the last overseas ports the vessels visited
before entering the Great Lakes; overseas ports where ballast water was loaded; the distance the
vessels traveled from overseas to reach the destination port on the Great Lakes; and the vessels'
voyage time between the last overseas port and the Great Lakes port. Finally, Section 3.3, Ballast
Water Discharges, provides information on ballast water discharges into the Great Lakes,
including the amounts and discharge ports; if ballast water exchange or flushing was conducted
while in transit and the method; and if ballast water treatment is provided on any of the overseas
vessels entering the Great Lakes. EPA presents most of the information in a series of tables and
graphs (bar and box plots). Geographical Information System (GIS) maps show the routes
vessels travel from overseas ports into the Great Lakes and the amounts of ballast water
discharged into both U.S. and Canadian ports.
3.1 VESSEL CHARACTERISTICS
The types of vessels entering the Great Lakes are dictated by the types of cargo being
shipped from overseas. Table 1 lists the types and numbers of vessels entering the Great Lakes
from overseas from 2010 through 2013, while Figure 1 presents this data graphically. Three
major types of vessels entered the Great Lakes in nearly equal proportions. Bulkers13 were the
most common overseas vessels entering the Great Lakes during the period from 2010 through
2013, with the peak year for bulkers being 2013. General cargo vessels14 made up the second
largest type, with the peak year for general cargo vessels being 2010. Tankers15 entered the Great
Lakes at only slightly lower numbers than bulkers and general cargo vessels during most years,
and were the most common vessel type in 2012.
Total numbers of vessels entering the Great Lakes from overseas, or with overseas
sources of ballast water, were similar in 2010, 2012, and 2013. The number was slightly less in
2011. EPA notes that these totals are substantially lower than the nearly 400 vessel entries
reported in the annual reports of the Great Lakes Seaway Ballast Water Working Group; EPA
further discusses this inconsistency in Section 2.3.
13 Bulkers are merchant ships specially designed to transport unpackaged bulk cargo, such as grains, coal, ore, and
cement in its cargo holds.
14 General cargo vessels are merchant ships that transport packaged cargo and include container ships, freighters,
heavy lift ships, and roll-on/roll-off ships.
15 Tankers or tank ships are merchant vessels designed to transport liquids or gases in bulk. Major types of tankers
include oil tankers, petroleum tankers, chemical tanker, and gas carriers.
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Analysis of Ballast Water Discharges
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Section 3-Analysis Results and Discussion
Table 1. Types of Overseas Vessels Entering U.S. and Canadian Ports on the Great Lakes
Vessel Type
Bulker
General Cargo
Tanker
Other
Total
Number of Vessels Arriving from Overseas Ports (Per Year) a
2010
90
108
73
18
289
2011
71
95
69
3
238
2012
92
90
100
5
287
2013
123
73
87
2
285
Percentage of Total
Vessels by Type
(2010 - 2013)
34.2%
33.3%
29.9%
2.5%
Source: National Ballast Information Clearinghouse and Transport Canada.
a The number of arrivals reported here are based on analysis of the combined TC-NBIC dataset. These data have not
been validated by EPA. EPA discusses a discrepancy with the numbers reported by the Great Lakes Ballast Water
Working Group annual reports, which are based on the inspection database, in Section 2.3.
3CC
2C1C 2C11 2012
Bulker General Cargo Tanker Other
2013
Figure 1. Total Number of Vessels Entering U.S. and Canadian Ports on the
Great Lakes by Year and Vessel Type from 2010 to 2013
The length, beam (width), and draft of these overseas vessels determine which can
proceed past the ports on Lake Ontario and enter the upper Great Lakes (Erie, Huron, Michigan,
and Superior) through the Welland Canal.16 According to Cangelosi and Mays, overseas vessels
16 The Welland Canal can accommodate vessels having a maximum length of 740 feet, a maximum width of 78 feet,
and a maximum draft of 26 feet 3 inches. Source: Welland Canal Section of the St. Lawrence Seaway available at
http://www.greatlakes-seawav.com/en/pdf/welland.pdf.
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Analysis of Ballast Water Discharges
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Section 3-Analysis Results and Discussion
proceeding through the Welland follow a "steel in - grain out" pattern, arriving from overseas
ports loaded with products such as steel or other types of high value cargo, off-load the cargo in
Great Lakes ports such as Cleveland, Toledo, Detroit, and Chicago and then travel to ports such
as Duluth-Superior or Thunder Bay, Ontario to load grain before returning overseas (Cangelosi
and Mays, 2006).
Table 2 provides data on the vessels entering the Great Lakes, including total number of
unique vessels arriving from overseas, average weights (gross tons), length, age, number of
ballast water tanks, and total number of voyages with NOBOB. EPA notes that the number of
unique vessels identified in Table 2 is less than the number of vessels listed in Table 1 because
Table 1 captures multiple voyages of the same vessels to the Great Lakes each year. The age and
length of vessels entering the Great Lakes from 2010 through 2013 were determined by
comparing the vessel EVIO numbers in the NBIC and TC datasets with the 2013 VGP eNOI
dataset. As the 2013 VGP eNOI dataset generally does not include vessels that travel to Canada
but not the U.S., the ages and lengths represented here are not comprehensive. Four vessels with
lengths longer than 740 feet arrived in Montreal on four different voyages from 2010 through
2013. All other vessels bound for the upper Great Lakes from 2010 through 2013 were less than
740 feet in length.
Table 2. Tonnage, Lengths, Ages and Ballast Water Capacity of Overseas Vessels
Entering the Great Lakes from 2010 through 2013
Description
Total Number of Unique Vessels Arriving
in the Great Lakes from Overseas"
Average Tonnage of all Vessels Arriving
from Overseas (Gross Tons ± Standard
Deviation)
Average Length of all Vessels Arriving
from Overseas (Feet ±_Standard Deviation)
Average Age of all Vessels Arriving from
Overseas (Years ± Standard Deviation)
Average Number of Ballast Water Tanks
on all Vessels Arriving from Overseas
(Ballast Tanks ±_Standard Deviation)
Total Number of Voyages from Overseas
with NOBOB
Year
2010
201
12,963+6,748
506 + 93
10 + 7
19 + 5
39
2011
179
12,679+ 7,104
492 + 121
12 + 10
19+6
28
2012
207
14,296 + 8,782
524+115
12 + 9
18 + 5
58
2013
187
12,998 + 7,053
518+105
9 + 6
19 + 5
37
Source: National Ballast Information Clearinghouse, Transport Canada and VGP 2013 eNOI database.
a Unique vessels are those that arrived at least one time in the Great Lakes during the specified year. The numbers do
not reflect multiple visits to the Great Lakes from overseas by the same vessel during the sailing season.
The ballast water capacity data for various vessel types entering the Great Lakes from
2010 through 2013 are shown in Table 3 and Figure 2. The data show that bulkers have more
than double the ballast water capacities of general cargo ships and small tankers able to reach the
upper Great Lakes for most years. Average ballast water capacities for the bulkers entering the
Great Lakes from overseas between 2010 and 2013 ranged from 14,973 to 15,879 MT, while
general cargo ships averaged between 4,599 to 6,003 MT of ballast water. The ballast water
10
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Analysis of Ballast Water Discharges
into the Great Lakes from Overseas Vessels
Section 3-Analysis Results and Discussion
capacities of tankers entering the Great Lakes between 2010 and 2013 averaged 5,687 to 10,132
MT. In several cases, a few very large vessels of each type strongly influenced the means and
standard deviations.
Table 3. Ballast Water Capacities of the Three Primary Vessel Types Entering the Great
Lakes from Overseas
Year
2010
2011
2012
2013
Average Ballast Water Capacity by Vessel Type Arriving in the Great Lakes
(Metric Tonnes + Standard Deviation)
Bulkers
14,973 ±4,651
15,477 ± 4,477
15,039 ±4,536
15,879 ±3,813
General Cargo
4,599+1,419
6,003 + 4,228
5,247 + 2,676
5,008 + 2,712
Tankers
5,687 + 2,962
10,132 + 15,125
6,232 + 4,005
6,675 + 3,607
Source: National Ballast Information Clearinghouse and Transport Canada.
2C1C 2C11 2012
Bulkers General Cargo Tankers
2013
Figure 2. Average Ballast Capacities of the Three Primary Vessel Types
Entering the Great Lakes from Overseas from 2010 to 2013
11
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Analysis of Ballast Water Discharges
into the Great Lakes from Overseas Vessels
Section 3-Analysis Results and Discussion
3.2 VOYAGE PATTERNS
Vessels entering the Great Lakes from overseas generally originated in Western and
Northern Europe; however, a few vessels came from as far as Vietnam and South Korea. Table
A-l in Appendix A provides a list of the last overseas ports reported on the ballast water
reporting forms and the number of vessels originating from these ports from 2010 through 2013.
These data show that vessels arrived in the Great Lakes from 201 different ports around the
world.
Figure 3 is a map illustrating vessel routes from last ports of call to the Great Lakes. The
most common vessel routes are shown with the thickest vessel route lines. For visual simplicity,
routes originating from neighboring ports (within 100 km) are combined into single route lines
and routes from the least common countries are not included. This map represents a roughly
2/3rds of the vessel routes.
Figure 3. Most Common Vessel Routes from Countries Around the World
into the Great Lakes
Figure 4 is a bar graph showing the top 12 last overseas ports for vessels bound for the
Great Lakes for 2010 through 2013. These 12 ports alone account for 40 percent of the overseas
last ports for all vessels bound for the Great Lakes. Not all of the last ports are the ballast water
source ports. For example, none of the most prevalent last overseas ports are included in the top
12 overseas ballast water source ports. Hence, the last port is often not the ballast water source
port as a vessel may or may not take on ballast water at the last port. In addition, vessels may
carry ballast water from multiple ports and do not always discharge all of their tanks within the
Great Lakes.
12
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Analysis of Ballast Water Discharges
into the Great Lakes from Overseas Vessels
Section 3-Analysis Results and Discussion
Jl
u
J
7C
6C
50
40
30
2°
10
c
1111
111111111
-------
Analysis of Ballast Water Discharges
into the Great Lakes from Overseas Vessels
Section 3-Analysis Results and Discussion
8
E
(9
14,000
12,000
10,000
3,000
6,000
4.0OO
2,000
C
n=250
n=211
n=244
n=253
I
2010
2011
2012
2013
Figure 5. The Distance (nm) Between the Last Port and Ballast Water
Discharge in the Great Lakes from 2010 to 2013
The time between loading ballast water at an overseas port and discharging ballast water
into the Great Lakes can affect the efficacy of treatment. Longer storage time in ballast tanks can
reduce plankton densities as food supply and oxygen decline (Briski et al., 2013; Drake et al.,
2002). Conversely, longer residence times between treatment and discharge can allow organisms
to reproduce within the ballast tanks, increasing the risk of establishing new populations upon
release (Gollasch et al., 2000). Figure 6 is a box and whisker plot showing the time interval
between ballast water loading at overseas ports and ballast water discharge into the Great Lakes
for 2010 through 2013. On average, the time ballast water remains in ballast tanks on vessels
entering the Great Lakes from overseas is approximately 30 days but could range from as many
as 332 days and as few as 6 days, with a median duration of 23 days. The highest number of days
likely represents vessels retaining ballast on multiple voyages. Differences between the shortest
and longest time intervals also depend on the locations of the load ports and discharge ports.
Vessels loading ballast water in Asian ports and discharging in the western Great Lakes ports
such as Duluth-Superior have longer intervals between loading and discharge than do vessels
loading ballast water in Western Europe and discharging in ports on Lakes Ontario and Erie.
Figure 7 is a box and whisker plot showing the time interval between open-ocean ballast
water exchange or flushing and discharge. The time between open-ocean ballast water exchange
and discharge into the Great Lakes averages approximately 14 days, but could range from as
many as 102 days and as few as 1 day, with a median duration of 13 days.
14
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Analysis of Ballast Water Discharges
into the Great Lakes from Overseas Vessels
Section 3-Analysis Results and Discussion
B.
o
L.
I
- 1 qp
Z
1 rr
en
n=954
^
-
n=431
H
n=3SS n=631
i
2010 2011 2012 2013
Figure 6. The Number of Days Between Ballast Water Loading at
Overseas Ports and Ballast Water Discharge into the Great Lakes for
2010 Through 2013 (Regardless of Flushing or Exchange)
&
+-
o
k
Jj 5O
E
9
z
ir
n=954 n=406
n=3S6 n=629
P T T 1
2010 2C11 2012 2013
Figure 7. The Number of Days Between Ballast Water Exchange/ Flushing
and Discharge into the Great Lakes
15
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Analysis of Ballast Water Discharges
into the Great Lakes from Overseas Vessels
Section 3-Analysis Results and Discussion
Within the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway, 45 U.S. and Canadian ports received
overseas vessels headed for the Great Lakes from 2010 through 2013. Table A-2 in Appendix A
lists each port and the number of overseas vessels that docked at each from 2010 through 2013.
Information on the total number of vessels entering the Great Lakes and their destination port
(U.S. or Canadian) is provided in Table 4. The data shows that on average, 275 overseas vessel
arrivals are recorded for the Great Lakes annually. This number includes a count of each
separate voyage. The data in Table 4 also show that far more overseas vessels docked at
Canadian ports than U.S. ports when first arriving on a voyage into the Great Lakes between
2010 and 2013.
On the U.S. side of the Great Lakes, the port at Cleveland, Ohio on Lake Erie received
the largest number of overseas vessels between 2010 and 2013, followed by Duluth-Superior on
Lake Superior, and Toledo on Lake Erie. The ports at Hamilton, Ontario and Toronto on Lake
Ontario received the largest number of overseas vessels docking at Canadian ports between
2010 and 2013. Of the ports in the Great Lakes and on the St. Lawrence Seaway, the port at
Montreal received the greatest number of overseas vessels docking between 2010 and 2013 en
route to other Great Lakes ports, receiving more than two and a half times more overseas vessel
arrivals than any other port. Figure 8 is a bar graph representing the number of vessels docking
at each Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway port from 2010 through 2013 en route to the
Great Lakes. Figure 8 represents the first arrival port recorded in the datasets for vessels
entering the Great Lakes.
Table 4. Overseas Vessel Voyages Arriving at U.S. and Canadian Ports en route to the
Great Lakes
Arrival Country
Total Overseas Vessel Voyages to All Great
Lakes Ports3
Total Overseas Vessel Voyages to U.S Great
Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway Ports
Total Overseas Vessel Voyages to Canadian
Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway Ports
Number of Overseas Vessel Arrivals (Per Year)
2010
289
70
218
2011
238
66
170
2012
287
78
207
2013
285
77
205
Source: National Ballast Information Clearinghouse and Transport Canada.
a Note that the total number of arrivals includes 8 voyages with the arrival port designated as the St. Lawrence
Seaway. As such, these vessel voyages are not represented in the total arrivals at either U.S. or Canadian ports.
16
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Analysis of Ballast Water Discharges
into the Great Lakes from Overseas Vessels
Section 3-Analysis Results and Discussion
5SC
S 250
5
g 200
I
'S 150
|
| 100
sc
in
^
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Analysis of Ballast Water Discharges
into the Great Lakes from Overseas Vessels
Section 3-Analysis Results and Discussion
3.3 BALLAST WATER DISCHARGES
Figure 9 is a map of the Great Lakes depicting the cumulative amount of ballast water
discharged (in MT) at each U.S. and Canadian port by overseas vessels during the four-year
period. Larger amounts of ballast water discharges are depicted by larger diameter markers for
each port. Figure 10 is a bar graph listing the top 10 U.S. and Canadian Great Lakes ports
receiving ballast water from overseas vessels from 2010 through 2013. Duluth-Superior,
Thunder Bay, and Hamilton stand out for receiving the largest amounts of ballast water
cumulatively during the four year period. Though variability exists from year to year, these three
ports consistently receive the largest amount of ballast water. Table 6 shows the amount of
ballast water discharged (in metric tons (MT)) at U.S. and Canadian ports from overseas vessels
into the Great Lakes each year from 2010 through 2013.18
Thunder Bay
204,236 MT
Marathon
1.268MT
Valleyfield
14,916 MT
Duluth-Superior
344,979/WIT
Sault Ste. Marie
12,404 MT
Cote'-Sainte-
Catnerme
4.955 MT
Ogdensburg
Clarkson 4,519 MT
6,650 MT
Menominee^ M
Marinette
10,317 MT
Hamilton
191,517 MT
Goderich
18,828 MT
Green Bay
382 MT
Sarnia
26,051 MT
Windsor
50,095 MT
Milwaukee/
, 41,580MTV_/
|
ChicagoV
Nanticoke
Erie 1 872 MT
Figure 9. Cumulative Amount of Ballast Water Discharged (in MT) from Overseas
Ports from 2010 to 2013
Table 7 shows the distribution of ballast water discharges into the Great Lakes by vessel
type, and Figure 11 is a bar chart showing total discharges by vessel type from 2010 through
2013. As shown in Table 7 and Figure 11, bulkers were responsible for the largest amount of
ballast water discharged into the Great Lakes for the four-year period, discharging nearly
579,000 MT of ballast water into the Great Lakes between 2010 through 2013. General cargo
ships discharged nearly 416,000 MT; five times more ballast water discharges than tankers. The
large amount of ballast water discharged into Duluth-Superior and Thunder Bay, Ontario
18 The amounts of ballast water discharged reported in this section represent an upper bound. See Section 2.3, Data
Quality, for further discussion.
18
-------
Analysis of Ballast Water Discharges
into the Great Lakes from Overseas Vessels
Section 3-Analysis Results and Discussion
(Canada) (see Table 6, Figure 9, and Figure 10) is indicative of the high number of bulkers
entering these ports to load grain and iron ore. The reported amounts of ballast water discharged
in 2011 and 2012 are substantially lower than the amounts reported for 2010 and 2013, despite
records of a similar number of voyages of vessels with similar total ballast water capacities.
u
0 100,000
I 50.000
.F *
JN
&
&
o*
./
/**/
<& ^
&- ^ ^
$t
^ ^
/ / / / ^
^ j(-fc .f^ fV .f^
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^ X^
-------
Analysis of Ballast Water Discharges
into the Great Lakes from Overseas Vessels
Section 3-Analysis Results and Discussion
Table 6. Ballast Water Discharges at U.S. and Canadian Ports on the Great Lakes from
Overseas Vessels
U.S. and Canadian Great Lakes
Ports
Ashtabula, OH
Buffalo, NY
Burns Harbor, IN
Chicago, IL
Clarkson (Canada)
Cleveland, OH
Cote-Sainte-Catherine (Canada)
Detroit, MI
Duluth-Superior, MN
Erie, PA
Goderich (Canada)
Green Bay, WI
Hamilton (Canada)
Marathon (Canada)
Menominee-Marinette, MI
Milwaukee, WI
Nanticoke (Canada)
Ogdensburg, NY
Oshawa (Canada)
Picton (Canada)
Prescott (Canada)
Sarnia (Canada)
Sault Ste. Marie (Canada)
St Catharines (Canada)
Thunder Bay (Canada)
Toledo, OH
Toronto (Canada)
Valleyfield (Canada)
Welland (Canada)
Windsor (Canada)
Lake Ontario
Great Lakes
Unknown
Totals
Ballast Water Discharges (Metric Tonnes)
2010
0
0
462
7,150
1,229
307
1,254
310
132,428
0
18,588
0
66,393
1,268
0
41,332
301
0
0
800
0
2,564
12,404
0
118,050
23,313
4,920
12,911
0
30,464
0
0
2,418
478,866
2011
0
0
1,425
0
2,845
2,314
0
75
50,343
192
240
0
27,134
0
3,337
248
559
0
0
0
314
6,744
0
0
25,704
448
3,454
1,147
138
1,247
1,196
773
7,387
137,264
2012
0
0
0
132
0
4,830
2,488
0
52,566
0
0
382
11,806
0
6,490
0
1,012
4,519
287
0
0
1,752
0
0
24,039
15,634
3,927
110
0
1,173
6,300
0
1,194
138,641
2013
1,584
2,394
0
51
2,576
0
1,213
392
109,642
0
0
0
86,184
0
490
0
0
0
0
0
0
14,991
0
2,950
36,443
19,614
4,700
748
6,271
17,211
121
0
18,588
326,164
Total Ballast Water
Discharges 2010 - 2013
(Metric Tonnes)3
1,584
2,394
1,887
7,333
6,650
7,450
4,955
777
344,979
192
18,828
382
191,517
1,268
10,317
41,580
1,872
4,519
287
800
314
26,051
12,404
2,950
204,236
59,008
17,001
14,916
6,409
50,095
7,617
773
28,061
1,080,934
Source: National Ballast Information Clearinghouse and Transport Canada.
a The amounts of ballast water discharged reported in this table represent an upper bound.
20
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Analysis of Ballast Water Discharges
into the Great Lakes from Overseas Vessels
Section 3-Analysis Results and Discussion
Table 7. Ballast Water Amounts Discharged into U.S. and Canadian Waters on the
Great Lakes from Overseas Vessels by Vessel Type
Vessel Type
Bulker
General Cargo
Tanker
Other
Total
Ballast Water Discharged (MT/yr)a
2010
289,434
159,759
24,731
4,942
478,866
2011
45,206
73,956
17,910
192
137,264
2012
36,942
90,081
11,617
0
138,641
2013
207,213
92,008
26,942
0
326,164
Total Ballast Water
Discharged from 2010 - 2013
(MT)a
578,796
415,804
81,200
5,134
1,080,934
Source: National Ballast Information Clearinghouse and Transport Canada.
a The amounts of ballast water discharged reported in this table represent an upper bound .
(3
J=
U
Q
_
CJ
I
I
2010 2C11 2012
Bulker General Cargo Tanker Other
2013
Figure 11. Ballast Water Discharges by Vessel Type into U.S. and
Canadian Great Lakes Ports from Overseas Vessels
A list of overseas ports where ballast water was originally loaded and subsequently
discharged into the Great Lakes21 is provided in Table A-3 in Appendix A. Table 8 lists the 12
source ports with the highest amounts cumulatively discharged into the Great Lakes during 2010
to 2013. Figure 12 is a bar graph showing these top 12 overseas ports where ballast water was
loaded and then discharged into the Great Lakes. From 2010 through 2013, vessels that loaded
ballast water in Ghent, Belgium discharged the greatest amount of ballast water into the Great
Lakes. However, the source ports with the highest amount of ballast water discharged varies
from year to year, including Rotterdam (Netherlands), Borg Havn IKS (Norway), Ghent
(Belgium), and Jiangyin (China) respectively in 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013. Approximately
21 All vessels entering the Great Lakes must conduct either open-ocean ballast water exchange or ballast tank
flushing and therefore discharges of ballast water into the Great Lakes by overseas vessels should be primarily open-
ocean seawater and not fresh water or brackish water from coastal environments.
21
-------
Analysis of Ballast Water Discharges
into the Great Lakes from Overseas Vessels
Section 3-Analysis Results and Discussion
1,081,000 MT of ballast water from overseas ports was discharged into the Great Lakes from
2010 to 2013.
X
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Analysis of Ballast Water Discharges
into the Great Lakes from Overseas Vessels
Section 3-Analysis Results and Discussion
Historically, a large percentage of vessels entering the Great Lakes have either no ballast
on board or no pumpable ballast on board (NOBOB) (Johengen and Reid, 2005; Niimi and Reid,
2003). A smaller percentage of vessels from overseas that enter the Great Lakes carry some
ballast water. Table 9 shows the total number of ballast tanks for all vessels arriving in the Great
Lakes from overseas, the number of tanks in ballast, the number of tanks to discharge, and the
number of tanks that underwent ballast water exchange or an alternative method such as ballast
water flushing. Table 9 also shows the percentage of total tanks that did not discharge ballast due
to carrying cargo, lack of operation, or retaining ballast for the duration of the voyage in the
Great Lakes. Finally, it lists the percentage of ballast tanks that underwent ballast water
exchange and the percentage that were discharged.22 The data show that a larger number of
ballast water tanks underwent alternative method treatment than underwent exchange prior to
arrival in the Great Lakes.23 In total, ballast tanks on overseas vessels entering the Great Lakes
are exchanged or flushed at a rates ranging between 81 and 85 percent. As a result, the majority
of ballast water discharges consist of high salinity ocean water. The data also show a decrease in
both the numbers of tanks entering the Great Lakes and numbers discharged in the Great Lakes
during 2011 and 2012, relative to 2010 and 2013. Due to compatibility issues between the NBIC
and TC datasets, Table 9 presents results only from the NBIC dataset and does not represent the
entirety of vessels entering the Great Lakes.24
Table 9. Ballast Tank Exchange or Flushing for Overseas Vessels Entering the Great Lakes
Total Number of Ballast Water Tanks Entering the Great
Lakes
Total Number of Ballast Water Tanks in Ballast Entering
the Great Lakes
Total Number of Ballast Water Tanks Discharged into the
Great Lakes
Percentage of All Ballast Tanks Entering the Great Lakes
that Were Discharged into the Great Lakes
Percentage of Tanks Filled with Cargo, Not Operational,
or Retaining Ballast Water for the Duration of the Voyage
on the Lakes
Total Number of Ballast Water Tanks That Underwent
Exchange
Percentage of Ballast Tanks that Underwent Exchange
Total Number of Ballast Water Tanks Reported as
Undergoing Alternative Treatment3
Percentage of Ballast Water Tanks Reported as
Undergoing Alternative Treatment3
2010
3,358
1,500
1,023
30%
70%
1,343
40%
1,438
43%
2011
3,376
1,177
483
14%
86%
851
25%
2,022
60%
2012
3,195
1,159
488
15%
85%
967
30%
1,699
53%
2013
3,487
1,173
585
17%
83%
749
21%
2,084
60%
Source: National Ballast Information Clearinghouse.
3 Alternative treatment has been reported on 24 and 96 hour Saint Lawrence Seaway Ballast Water Reporting forms
as flushing, partial open ocean ballasting and deballasting, etc. EPA did not validate the data against the 24 and 96
hour Saint Lawrence Seaway Ballast Water Reporting forms. In some cases, exchange may have been included in
the definition of alternative methods.
22 Note that many tanks that have undergone alternative treatments were no longer reported as being 'inballast.'
Therefore, all percentages were calculated as a fraction of the total number of tanks onboard.
23 EPA did not validate the data against the 24 and 96 hour Saint Lawrence Seaway Ballast Water Reporting forms.
In some cases, exchange may have been included in the definition of alternative methods.
24 The TC datasets does not include the total number of tanks onboard. The TC dataset contains the number of tanks
in ballast, number exchanged, and the number that underwent alternative treatment.
23
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Analysis of Ballast Water Discharges
into the Great Lakes from Overseas Vessels Section 3-Analysis Results and Discussion
A comparison of the vessel IMO numbers for all vessels that reported having a ballast
water treatment system in the 2013 VGP eNOI database to the NBIC dataset found that no
vessels entering the Great Lakes from 2010 through 2013 reported having ballast water treatment
systems installed. This is not surprising and is consistent with other published information
regarding the lack of ballast water treatment systems installed on vessels entering the Great
Lakes through the SLS system (Great Lakes Seaway Ballast Water Working Group, 2013).
Although both U.S. Coast Guard and USEPA recently promulgated new ballast water
requirements, the requirements are being phased in over a number of years. Based on the
compliance schedules in the regulations, the majority of vessels entering the Great Lakes should
have ballast water treatment systems installed within the next 5 to 10 years, or must arrange for
an alternate form of ballast water management (e.g., onshore treatment or no discharge).
24
-------
Analysis of Ballast Water Discharges into the Great Lakes from Overseas Vessels Section 4-Summary
SECTION 4
SUMMARY
During the years 2010 through 2013, 179 to 207 unique overseas vessels entered the
Great Lakes on approximately 275 voyages annually. These vessels were fairly equally split
between bulkers, general cargo vessels, and tankers, and had an average weight of 13,260 gross
tons, an average length of 509 feet, and an average age of 10.6 years. One-quarter to one-third of
these vessels entered the Great Lakes on multiple voyages per year. Most voyages began in
Northern Europe and ended at Canadian ports. Voyages averaged 2,600 nm up to a maximum of
12,300 nm. Ballast water holding times averaged 30 days from loading to discharge with a
maximum of 332 days. Each year, between 70 and 86 percent of ballast water tanks on board
vessels entering the Great Lakes from overseas were filled with cargo, not operational, or
retained ballast water for the duration of the voyage. Mid-ocean ballast water exchange rates per
ballast tank ranged between 21 percent and 40 percent for 2010 through 2013, and the rates of
alternative treatment per ballast tank ranged from 43 percent to 60 percent for 2010 through
2013. The average time between ballast water management activities and discharge was 14 days.
Approximately 1,081,000 MT of ballast that originated overseas was discharged into the Great
Lakes between 2010 and 2013.25 The majority of the water discharged was carried aboard either
bulkers or general cargo vessels and was discharged at the ports of Duluth-Superior, Thunder
Bay, or Hamilton.
These numbers validate previous information (Cangelosi and Mays, 2006) that overseas
vessels from all areas of the globe are entering the Great Lakes, and that many of these vessels
have loaded ballast water in overseas freshwater ports that could harbor invasive species.
Although current U.S. and Canadian regulations require overseas vessels to perform open-ocean
ballast water exchange and flushing to physically remove and kill freshwater organisms prior to
entering the Great Lakes, some organisms may remain (Ruiz and Reid, 2007). Additional
requirements to both treat and exchange ballast water have the possibility of providing further
protection against invasion, but the added level of protection has not been quantified. In the
interim, both the U.S. and Canada will continue to enforce the current ballast water regulations
while on-going research is conducted to find more effective mechanisms to protect the Great
Lakes from ballast water mediated invasions.
25 As discussed in Section 2.3, the amount of ballast water discharged reported represents an upper bound in the
amount discharged.
25
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Analysis of Ballast Water Discharges into the Great Lakes from Overseas Vessels Section 5-References
SECTION 5
REFERENCES
Bailey, S.A., M.G. Deneau, L. Jean, CJ. Wiley, B. Leung andHJ. Maclsaac. 2011. Evaluating
efficacy of an environmental policy to prevent biological invasions. Environ. Sci. Tech.
45: 2554-2561.
Bailey, S., Nandakumar, K., and HJ. Maclsaac. 2006. Does saltwater flushing reduce viability of
diapausing eggs in ship ballast sediment? Divers. Distrib. 12: 328-335.
Briski E., et al., 2013. Taxon- and vector-specific variation in species richness and abundance
during the transport stage of biological invasions. Limnol. Oceanogr. 58:1361-1372.
California EPA. Evaluation of Ballast Water Treatment Technology for Control of
Nonindigenous Aquatic Organisms. December 2002.
Canadian Shipping Act, 2001, Ballast Water Control and Management Regulations.
Cangelosi, A. and N. Mays. Great Ships for the Great Lakes; Commercial Vessels Free of
Invasive Species in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System. May 2006.
Choi, K.H., W. Kimmerer, G. Smith, G. Ruiz, and K. Lion. 2005. Post-exchange zooplankton in
ballast water of ships entering the San Francisco Estuary. J. Plankton Res. 27: 707-714.
Drake, L.A., Ruiz G.M., Galil B.S., Mullady T.L., Friedmann D.O., Dobbs F.C. Microbial
ecology of ballast water during a trans-oceanic voyage. Marine Ecology Progress Series.
2002.233:13-20
Duluth Seaway Port Authority, http://www.duluthport.com/port-stats.php
Federal Register, Volume 77, #57, 17254-17320. Final Rule, Standards for Living Organisms in
Ships Ballast Water Discharged in U.S. Waters. March 23, 2012.
Gollasch S., Lenz, J., Dammer, M., Andres, H.G. 2000. Survival of tropical ballast water
organisms during a cruise from the Indian Ocean to the North Sea. J Plankton Res
22:923-937.
Gray, D., Johengen, T., Reid, D., Maclsaac, H. Efficacy of open-ocean ballast water exchange as
a means of preventing invertebrate invasions between freshwater ports. Limnol.
Oceanogr. 2007. 52: 2386-2397.
Great Lakes Seaway Ballast Water Working Group. 2012 Summary of Great Lakes Seaway
Ballast Water Working Group. February 2013.
Hart, B., Bailey, P., Edwards, R., Hortle, K., James, K., McMahon, A., Meredith, C., Swadling,
K. 1991. A review of the salt sensitivity of the Australian freshwater biota.
Hydrobiologia 210: 105-144.
26
-------
Analysis of Ballast Water Discharges into the Great Lakes from Overseas Vessels Section 5-References
Hayes, E., and Landis, W. Regional Ecological Risk Assessment of a Near Shore Marine
Environment: Cherry Point, WA. Human and Ecological Risk Assessment. Volume 10
299 - 325, 2004.
Johengen, T., and Reid, D., Assessment of Transoceanic NOBOB Vessels and Low-Salinity
Ballast Water as Vectors for Non-indigenous Species Introductions to the Great Lakes.
NOAA-Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, April 2005.
National Ballast Information Clearinghouse. 2013. NBIC Online Database. Electronic
publication, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center & United States Coast Guard.
Available from http://invasions.si.edu/nbic/search.html: searched 21 December 2013.
National Research Council, Transportation Research Board. Great Lakes Shipping, Trade, and
Aquatic Invasive Species. 2008.
Niimi, A., and Reid, D., Low salinity residual ballast discharge and exotic species introductions
to the North American Great Lakes. Marine Pollution Bulletin 46: 1334-1340, 2003.
Ruiz, G. and G. Smith. 2005. Biological study of container ships arriving to the Port of Oakland.
Part bballast water exchange efficacy: Results of tests on eight container ships. A pilot
study. Available from
http://www.serc.si.edu/labs/marine_invasions/publications/PortOakfmalrep.pdf
Ruiz, G.M., and Reid, D.F., Current State of Understanding about the Effectiveness of Ballast
Water Exchange (BWE) in Reducing Aquatic Nonindigenous Species Introductions to
the Great Lakes Basin and Chesapeake Bay, USA: Synthesis and Analysis of Existing
Information. NOAA Technical Memorandum GLERL-142, September 2007.
Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation, 33 CFR Part 401.30, Ballast water and trim,
2008.
Thunder Bay Port Authority, 2013 Annual Report,
http://www.portofthunderbay.com/upload/documents/1505_port-authority_2013-annual-
report_8.pdf
USEPA. 2013 Vessel General Permit eNOI database, as of December 23, 2013.
Wonham, M., S. Bailey, HJ. Maclsaac, and M. Lewis. 2005. Modeling the invasion risk of
diapausing organisms transported in ballast sediments. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 62: 2386-
2398.
27
-------
Analysis of Ballast Water Discharges
into the Great Lakes from Overseas Vessels
APPENDIX A:
DATA TABLES VESSEL ARRIVALS BY LAST AND ARRIVAL PORTS;
BALLAST WATER DISCHARGE AMOUNT BY SOURCE PORT
-------
Analysis of Ballast Water Discharges
into the Great Lakes from Overseas Vessels
Table A-l. Last Ports of Overseas Vessels Before Entering the Great Lakes
Last Overseas Port Prior to
Entering Either U.S. or
Canadian Ports on the
Great Lakes
Aalborg (Denmark)
Aarhus (Denmark)
Abidjan (Ivory Coast)
Acajutla (El Salvador)
AES Andres LNG Terminal
(Dominican Republic)
Algeciras (Spain)
Altamira (Mexico)
Amsterdam (Netherlands)
Annaba (Algeria)
Antofagasta (Chile)
Antwerp (Belgium)
Aviles (Spain)
Balboa (Panama)
Barcarena (Brazil)
Barcelona (Spain)
Bari (Italy)
Barranquilla (Colombia)
Batangas (Philippines)
Batumi (Georgia)
Bayonne (France)
Bejaia (Algeria)
Bergen (Norway)
Bilbao (Spain)
Borg Havn IKS (Norway)
Braefoot Bay (United
Kingdom)
Brake (Germany)
Bremen (Germany)
Brixham (United Kingdom)
Brofjorden (Sweden)
Brunsbuttel (Germany)
Brussels (Belgium)
Buenaventura (Colombia)
Cabo Rojo (Dominican
Republic)
Cadiz (Spain)
Campana (Argentina)
Cartagena (Colombia)
Ceuta (Spain)
Distance to
the Great
Lakes (nm)a
3,865
3,898
5,144
4,514
3,049
3,639
3,809
3,773
4,274
5,809
3,750
3,424
3,684
4,134
4,150
4,973
3,483
11,906
6,021
3,601
4,148
3,612
3,546
3,798
3,522
3,844
3,865
3,427
3,795
3,833
3,755
4,038
3,185
3,585
7,023
3,529
3,639
Number of Overseas Vessels Entering
U.S. and Canadian Great Lakes Ports
2010
3
8
1
0
0
2
1
6
1
1
8
3
2
0
1
2
1
5
0
1
1
0
0
0
1
1
5
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
3
0
5
2011
2
12
0
0
1
2
1
8
1
0
8
1
0
0
0
0
1
2
0
1
0
0
0
1
0
2
2
1
1
0
1
1
0
0
2
1
4
2012
0
3
0
1
0
0
2
4
0
1
8
8
4
0
0
0
1
0
1
1
0
0
2
0
0
3
3
0
0
4
3
0
0
0
1
1
5
2013
0
0
2
0
0
0
1
4
0
2
17
1
2
1
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
1
1
0
0
6
0
0
0
4
1
1
1
1
1
1
5
Total Number of
Vessels from the
Overseas Port
(2010 - 2013)
5
23
3
1
1
4
5
22
2
4
41
13
8
1
1
2
3
7
1
4
2
1
3
1
1
12
10
1
1
8
6
2
1
1
7
o
J
19
-------
Analysis of Ballast Water Discharges
into the Great Lakes from Overseas Vessels
Table A-l. Last Ports of Overseas Vessels Before Entering the Great Lakes
Last Overseas Port Prior to
Entering Either U.S. or
Canadian Ports on the
Great Lakes
Ceyhan (Turkey)
Coatzacoalcos (Mexico)
Constantza (Romania)
Corinto (Nicaragua)
Cumana (Venezuela)
Dakar (Senegal)
Damietta (Egypt)
Dandong (China)
Davao (Philippines)
Dneprovsko-Bugsky
(Ukraine)
Dunkirk (France)
Ehoala (Madagascar)
Emden (Germany)
Eregli (Turkey)
Esbjerg (Denmark)
Falmouth (United Kingdom)
Ferrol (Spain)
Finnart (United Kingdom)
Floro (Norway)
Flushing (Netherlands)
Freeport (Unknown)
Freeport (Bahamas)
Freetown (Sierra Leone)
Garrucha (Spain)
Gdansk (Poland)
Gdynia (Poland)
Gemlik (Turkey)
Georgetown (Guyana)
Ghent (Belgium)
Gibraltar (Gibraltar)
Gijon (Spain)
Glomfjord (Norway)
Gothenburg (Sweden)
Quanta (Venezuela)
Gwang Yang (South Korea)
Hamburg (Germany)
Havana (Cuba)
Heroya (Norway)
Hodeidah (Yemen)
Distance to
the Great
Lakes (nm)a
5,657
3,721
5,631
4,365
3,380
4,017
5,525
12,311
12,072
5,830
3,651
9,000
3,813
5,545
3,759
3,366
3,321
3,375
3,612
3,700
2,733
4,474
3,829
4,188
4,184
5,435
3,563
3,730
3,639
3,434
3,925
3,815
3,380
11,850
3,867
2,983
3,784
6,710
Number of Overseas Vessels Entering
U.S. and Canadian Great Lakes Ports
2010
1
0
5
0
0
1
2
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
0
0
1
1
0
4
0
1
1
0
1
0
0
1
4
8
1
0
1
0
0
2
1
0
0
2011
0
2
4
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
o
J
0
2
1
4
o
J
0
3
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
3
1
1
0
0
0
4
1
1
1
2012
0
0
1
1
0
0
0
1
0
1
0
1
1
1
2
0
2
1
0
6
4
2
0
0
1
1
0
1
1
8
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
2013
0
2
4
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
1
1
3
0
0
1
0
0
1
8
1
0
0
1
0
3
1
0
1
4
0
1
2
1
0
1
0
1
0
Total Number of
Vessels from the
Overseas Port
(2010 - 2013)
1
4
14
1
1
1
2
1
1
1
2
2
9
1
4
2
7
5
1
21
6
4
1
1
2
4
1
2
7
23
2
2
o
J
1
1
7
2
2
1
-------
Analysis of Ballast Water Discharges
into the Great Lakes from Overseas Vessels
Table A-l. Last Ports of Overseas Vessels Before Entering the Great Lakes
Last Overseas Port Prior to
Entering Either U.S. or
Canadian Ports on the
Great Lakes
Huelva (Spain)
Hull (United Kingdom)
Ijmuiden (Netherlands)
Illichivsk (Ukraine)
Ilulissat (Greenland)
Immingham (United
Kingdom)
Iskenderun (Turkey)
Izmir (Turkey)
Jorf Lasfar (Morocco)
Kaliningrad (Russia)
Klaipeda (Lithuania)
Kvinesdal (Norway)
Kwangyang (South Korea)
La Spezia (Italy)
Lagos (Portugal)
Lavera (France)
Lazaro Cardenas (Mexico)
Le Havre (France)
Leixoes (Portugal)
Lianyungang (China)
Linden (Guayana)
Lisbon (Portugal)
Liverpool (United Kingdom)
Livorno (Italy)
Maceio (Brazil)
Manzanillo (Panama)
Maputo (Mozambique)
Maracaibo (Venezuela)
Martas (Turkey)
Matanzas (Venezuela)
Mersin (Turkey)
Misurata (Libya)
Moa (Cuba)
Mokpo (Korea, Republic of)
Monfalcone (Italy)
Mongstad (Norway)
Muuga (Estonia)
Nemrut Bay (Turkey)
Distance to
the Great
Lakes (nm)a
3,565
3,687
3,758
5,777
2,684
3,680
5,657
5,276
3,557
4,223
4,239
3,622
11,850
4,504
3,508
4,320
5,550
3,558
3,343
12,260
3,621
3,396
3,456
4,498
4,847
3,645
8,665
3,450
5,374
3,610
5,596
4,800
2,926
12,000
5,286
3,612
4,451
5,276
Number of Overseas Vessels Entering
U.S. and Canadian Great Lakes Ports
2010
2
0
19
0
1
0
0
0
1
1
6
0
0
0
0
4
0
0
0
1
3
1
0
1
2
0
0
0
1
1
0
1
0
1
0
0
0
0
2011
0
0
17
1
0
0
0
0
0
1
6
2
0
0
1
4
1
2
0
0
o
J
1
2
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
1
2012
0
0
15
1
0
2
0
0
0
0
13
0
1
0
0
2
1
1
1
0
2
0
0
0
4
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
1
1
2013
0
1
19
0
0
0
1
1
0
2
4
3
0
1
0
4
0
0
0
0
3
1
1
0
1
0
0
2
0
0
1
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
Total Number of
Vessels from the
Overseas Port
(2010 - 2013)
2
1
70
2
1
2
1
1
1
4
29
5
1
1
1
14
2
3
1
1
11
o
J
o
J
1
9
1
1
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
-------
Analysis of Ballast Water Discharges
into the Great Lakes from Overseas Vessels
Table A-l. Last Ports of Overseas Vessels Before Entering the Great Lakes
Last Overseas Port Prior to
Entering Either U.S. or
Canadian Ports on the
Great Lakes
Newcastle upon Tyne
(United Kingdom)
Newport (United Kingdom,
Wales)
Nhava Sheva (India)
Nouakchott (Mauritania)
Novorossiysk (Russia)
Odessa (Ukraine)
Onne (Nigeria)
Onsan (South Korea)
Oulu (Finland)
Oxelosund (Sweden)
Paldiski-Port Of Tallinn
(Estonia)
Panama (Panama)
Panama Canal (Panama)
Panama City (Panama)
Paramaribo (Suriname)
Paranagua (Brazil)
Pasajes (Spain)
Pembroke (United Kingdom)
Phu-my (Vietnam)
Piraeus (Greece)
Point Lisas (Trinidad)
Pointe a Pierre (Trinidad and
Tobago)
Pointe-a-Pitre (Guadeloupe)
Ponta Delgada (Portugal)
Porsgrunn (Norway)
Portland (Unknown)
Portland (United Kingdom)
Porvoo (Finland)
Praia da Vitoria (Portugal)
Praia Mole (Brazil)
Puerto Cabello (Venezuela)
Puerto Cortes (Honduras)
Puerto Jose (Venezuela)
Puerto Quetzal (Guatemala)
Punta Lobitos (Peru)
Punta Patache (Chile)
Distance to
the Great
Lakes (nm)a
3,568
3,385
8,594
3,917
5,891
5,777
5,824
12,172
4,753
4,259
4,420
3,684
3,684
3,684
3,639
6,106
3,591
3,353
11,208
5,116
3,350
3,350
3,023
2,625
3,786
3,450
4,499
2,620
5,528
3,392
3,530
3,391
4,573
4,506
5,664
Number of Overseas Vessels Entering
U.S. and Canadian Great Lakes Ports
2010
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
18
0
1
0
1
1
0
1
0
0
3
0
0
1
0
4
0
0
3
0
1
0
1
0
0
1
2
2011
1
0
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
15
0
0
0
0
0
2
1
1
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
0
1
0
0
0
2012
0
0
1
0
0
1
1
0
0
12
1
1
1
0
0
17
0
3
1
2
2
1
0
2
0
1
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
2
1
0
2013
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
1
10
0
1
0
0
0
18
0
5
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
2
1
0
1
1
2
1
0
4
0
0
Total Number of
Vessels from the
Overseas Port
(2010 - 2013)
1
1
1
1
2
1
1
1
1
55
1
3
1
1
1
37
2
9
1
5
o
J
2
1
2
4
o
J
1
o
J
1
5
2
2
1
6
2
2
-------
Analysis of Ballast Water Discharges
into the Great Lakes from Overseas Vessels
Table A-l. Last Ports of Overseas Vessels Before Entering the Great Lakes
Last Overseas Port Prior to
Entering Either U.S. or
Canadian Ports on the
Great Lakes
Raahe (Finland)
Rades (Tunisia)
Recife (Brazil)
Redcar (United Kingdom)
Reydarfjordur (Iceland)
Richards Bay (South Africa)
Riga (Latvian)
Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)
Rio Haina (Dominican
Republic)
Rostock (Germany)
Rotterdam (Netherlands)
Saint Croix (U.S. Virgin
Islands)
Saint Eustatius (Netherlands)
Saint Petersburg (Russia)
Saldanha Bay (South Africa)
San Juan (Puerto Rico)
San Pedro (Ivory Coast)
Santander (Spain)
Santos (Brazil)
Sauda (Norway)
Seville (Spain)
Sillamae (Estonia)
Sines (Portugal)
Skagen (Denmark)
Skoldvik (Finland)
Sluiskil (Netherlands)
St Croix (Virgin Islands)
St Pierre (Saint Pierre and
Miquelon)
Sydney (Australia)
Szczecin (Poland)
Tampico (Mexico)
Taranto (Italy)
Tarragona (Spain)
Tees (United Kingdom)
Teesport (United Kingdom)
Teesside (England)
Terneuzen (Netherlands)
Distance to
the Great
Lakes (nm)a
4,753
4,429
4,724
3,591
3,121
8,371
4,391
5,797
3,062
4,031
3,745
2,948
2,953
4,613
7,520
2,900
5,000
3,508
5,984
3,598
3,623
4,451
3,418
3,770
4,499
3,712
2,948
3,400
11,357
4,081
3,809
4,868
4,116
3,591
3,591
3,591
3,712
Number of Overseas Vessels Entering
U.S. and Canadian Great Lakes Ports
2010
1
1
2
0
0
6
0
0
1
2
3
0
0
0
0
4
0
0
3
4
1
1
0
0
0
0
2
0
1
2
9
0
4
0
0
0
0
2011
0
0
0
1
0
5
1
0
0
1
2
1
0
4
0
2
1
0
2
1
0
1
1
2
1
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
4
0
1
1
0
2012
1
0
0
0
1
1
0
1
0
1
2
0
0
2
0
2
0
1
5
8
0
0
2
1
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
1
5
2
0
0
1
2013
1
0
1
0
0
4
4
0
0
2
8
0
1
0
1
3
1
0
7
6
0
0
1
1
2
1
0
1
0
1
0
0
1
1
0
0
1
Total Number of
Vessels from the
Overseas Port
(2010 - 2013)
3
1
3
1
1
16
5
1
1
6
15
1
1
6
1
11
2
1
17
19
1
2
4
4
3
1
3
1
1
6
9
1
14
o
J
1
1
2
-------
Analysis of Ballast Water Discharges
into the Great Lakes from Overseas Vessels
Table A-l. Last Ports of Overseas Vessels Before Entering the Great Lakes
Last Overseas Port Prior to
Entering Either U.S. or
Canadian Ports on the
Great Lakes
Tilbury (United Kingdom)
Tornio (Finland)
Tuapse (Russian Federation)
unavailable
United Kingdom (United
Kingdom)
Ust-Luga (Russia)
Valencia (Spain)
Valletta (Malta)
Valparaiso (Chile)
Veracruz (Mexico)
Vigo (Spain)
Vila do Conde (Brazil)
Vlissingen (Netherlands)
Zelzate (Belgium)
Distance to
the Great
Lakes (nm)a
3,683
4,753
5,926
0
3,456
4,513
4,022
4,619
6,299
3,773
3,328
4,134
3,700
3,725
Number of Overseas Vessels Entering
U.S. and Canadian Great Lakes Ports
2010
1
1
0
0
0
2
0
0
0
2
1
0
2
8
2011
0
0
0
1
1
o
J
1
0
0
0
1
0
1
5
2012
0
0
2
0
0
2
0
1
0
1
0
0
3
9
2013
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
3
1
1
0
2
1
8
Total Number of
Vessels from the
Overseas Port
(2010 - 2013)
1
1
o
J
1
1
7
1
4
1
4
2
2
7
30
Source: National Ballast Information Clearinghouse, Transport Canada, http://www.sea-distances.org/.
a Average distance estimated based on the overseas port and Cleveland, Ohio in the Great Lakes from
http ://www. sea-distances.org/
-------
Analysis of Ballast Water Discharges
into the Great Lakes from Overseas Vessels
Table A-2. Overseas Vessels Arriving at U.S. and Canadian Ports en route to the Great
Lakes
U.S. and Canadian Great Lakes
and St. Lawrence Seaway Ports
Ashtabula, OH
Becancour (Canada)
Belledune (Canada)
Buffalo, NY
Bull Arm (Canada)
Burns Harbour, IN
Cheboygan, MI
Chicago, IL
Clarkson (Canada)
Cleveland, OH
Cote-Sainte-Catherine (Canada)
Detroit, MI
Duluth-Superior, MN
Erie, PA
Goderich (Canada)
Green Bay, WI
Gros Cacouna (Canada)
Halifax (Canada)
Hamilton (Canada)
Harbour Grace (Canada)
La Baie (Canada)
Marathon (Canada)
Menominee, MI
Milwaukee, WI
Montreal (Canada)
Monroe, MI
Muskegon, MI
Nanticoke (Canada)
Ogdensburg, NY
Oshawa (Canada)
Port Alfred (Canada)
Quebec City (Canada)
Sarnia (Canada)
Number of Overseas Vessel Arrivals (Per Year)
2010
4
0
1
0
0
4
1
4
0
22
0
4
15
0
1
0
1
0
29
1
0
1
2
5
115
0
0
6
0
o
J
1
1
10
2011
6
1
0
0
0
7
0
3
1
23
1
5
7
1
0
0
0
1
27
0
2
1
1
1
62
0
0
15
0
1
0
2
6
2012
2
0
0
0
0
7
0
2
0
25
1
5
9
0
0
2
0
0
39
0
0
0
1
0
78
1
5
14
8
2
0
1
6
2013
5
0
0
1
1
4
0
2
1
32
0
5
12
0
1
1
0
1
41
0
0
0
1
2
94
0
0
6
0
0
1
1
5
Total Number of
Vessel Arrivals at the
Great Lakes Port
(2010 - 2013)
17
1
1
1
1
22
1
11
2
102
2
19
43
1
2
o
J
1
2
136
1
2
2
5
8
349
1
5
41
8
6
2
5
27
-------
Analysis of Ballast Water Discharges
into the Great Lakes from Overseas Vessels
Table A-2. Overseas Vessels Arriving at U.S. and Canadian Ports en route to the Great
Lakes
U.S. and Canadian Great Lakes
and St. Lawrence Seaway Ports
Sault Ste Marie (Unknown)3
Sault Ste. Marie (Canada)
Sault Ste. Marie, MI
Sorel-Tracy (Canada)
St Lawrence Seaway
Thunder Bay (Canada)
Toledo, OH
Toronto (Canada)
Trois Rivieres (Canada)
Valleyfield (Canada)
Welland (Canada)
Windsor (Canada)
Number of Overseas Vessel Arrivals (Per Year)
2010
0
5
0
1
1
5
5
10
0
20
0
11
2011
0
5
0
1
2
7
7
14
0
16
1
11
2012
o
J
2
0
1
2
7
6
41
0
12
0
5
2013
1
2
1
1
3
2
10
34
2
8
2
2
Total Number of
Vessel Arrivals at the
Great Lakes Port
(2010 - 2013)
4
14
1
4
8
21
28
99
2
56
o
J
29
Source: National Ballast Information Clearinghouse and Transport Canada.
a These records did not include Latitude or Longitude to indicate either Canadian or U.S. port.
-------
Analysis of Ballast Water Discharges
into the Great Lakes from Overseas Vessels
Table A-3. Amount of Ballast Water Discharged by Overseas Ballast Water Source Port
Overseas Port Where Ballast
Water was Loaded
Aalborg
Aarhus
Abidjan
Agadir
Algiers (Algeria)
Almeria
Altamira
Amsterdam
Amsterdam (Netherlands)
Anchorage
Annaba
Antwerp
Arzew
Aviles
Baltic Sea
Baltiysk
Bari
Barranquilla
Batangas
Bayonne
Beira
Bejaia
Bilbao
Birkenhead
Borg Havn IKS
Braefoot Bay
Brake
Brake (Germany)
Bremen
Brunsbuttel
Brussels
Buenaventura
Cadiz
Ballast Water Discharges (Metric Tonnes)3
2010
1,846
2,169
0
0
2,440
0
0
290
11,527
2,079
14,620
6,279
0
0
0
0
19,398
0
0
406
2,984
17,092
1,589
0
0
1,268
611
611
0
0
145
5,607
0
2011
0
4,299
0
0
0
24
645
0
0
0
0
5,172
0
0
230
0
0
40
362
0
0
0
0
165
9,422
0
0
1,636
0
2,786
0
0
0
2012
0
776
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1,126
9,590
0
159
0
0
0
0
0
0
430
0
0
0
0
400
585
0
1,774
0
0
2013
0
0
845
1,421
0
0
0
170
0
0
0
3,866
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
235
253
0
17,512
Total Amount of
Ballast Discharged
into Great Lakes
from Overseas Ports
(2010-2013)"
1,846
7,244
845
1,421
2,440
24
645
460
11,527
2,079
14,620
15,317
1,126
9,590
230
159
19,398
40
362
406
2,984
17,092
2,018
165
9,422
1,268
611
2,647
585
3,021
2,172
5,607
17,512
-------
Analysis of Ballast Water Discharges
into the Great Lakes from Overseas Vessels
Table A-3. Amount of Ballast Water Discharged by Overseas Ballast Water Source Port
Overseas Port Where Ballast
Water was Loaded
Cartagena
Cartagena (Spain)
Casablanca
Ceuta
Ceyhan
Chennai
Cienfuegos
Corunna (Spain)
Cuxhaven
Dakar
Dar es Salaam
Delfzijl
Diliskelesi
Dordrecht
Durban
Emden
English Channel
Ensenada
Esbjerg
Farsund
Ferrol
Finnsnes
Flushing
Fos
Freeport
Freeport (Bahamas)
Freetown
Gandia
Gavle
Gdynia
Ghent
Gibraltar
Greenore
Greenore (Irish Republic)
Ballast Water Discharges (Metric Tonnes)3
2010
0
0
0
60
6,763
0
0
0
1,873
8,526
3,868
0
0
4,053
0
50
742
0
2,211
0
203
0
345
0
0
0
1,590
0
0
0
16,251
3,630
0
0
2011
0
0
0
0
0
4
0
236
0
0
0
240
0
3,857
0
0
0
2,434
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
345
0
0
7,297
0
0
0
2012
0
0
45
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
268
878
0
0
0
0
0
0
1,120
0
2,026
60
8
8
0
0
3,096
5,946
12,600
410
5,005
5,344
2013
4,959
4,609
0
334
0
0
2,256
0
0
4,554
0
0
0
4,310
121
243
0
0
0
1,206
0
1,616
5,024
0
0
0
0
607
0
0
7,061
0
0
0
Total Amount of
Ballast Discharged
into Great Lakes
from Overseas Ports
(2010-2013)"
4,959
4,609
45
394
6,763
4
2,256
236
1,873
13,081
3,868
240
268
13,098
121
293
742
2,434
2,211
1,206
1,322
1,616
7,395
60
8
8
1,590
952
3,096
5,946
43,209
4,040
5,005
5,344
-------
Analysis of Ballast Water Discharges
into the Great Lakes from Overseas Vessels
Table A-3. Amount of Ballast Water Discharged by Overseas Ballast Water Source Port
Overseas Port Where Ballast
Water was Loaded
Haraholmen
Havana
Heroya
Holla
Huelva
Hull
Immingham
Inkoo
Iskenderun
Jiangyin
JorfLasfar
Kaliningrad
Kaohsiung
Kawasaki
Kemi
Klaipeda
Kokkola
Kotka
Kubikenborg
Kvinesdal
La Guaira
La Spezia
Lagos
Lavera
Leghorn
Lisbon
Mantyluoto
Mantyluoto (Finland)
Maracaibo
Marina di Carrara
Milos Island
Misurata
Moa
Moerdijk
Ballast Water Discharges (Metric Tonnes)3
2010
0
20,328
0
0
14,307
1,291
8,536
260
0
0
5,182
0
0
0
0
8,602
1,036
0
0
0
0
0
801
0
0
8,846
0
0
0
0
224
7,299
10,330
0
2011
40
7,776
500
4,223
0
5,350
3,054
0
0
0
3,914
0
274
0
112
0
0
0
3,140
422
0
0
0
420
80
100
0
20
0
0
0
0
0
519
2012
0
0
120
0
0
4,210
0
0
0
0
0
159
1,612
889
9,892
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
805
0
0
476
3,901
0
0
0
0
0
0
2013
0
440
0
0
0
22,305
0
0
6,986
42,443
5
0
0
0
0
0
0
1,000
0
0
1,412
1,170
0
0
0
0
0
380
11,781
20
0
0
2,701
0
Total Amount of
Ballast Discharged
into Great Lakes
from Overseas Ports
(2010-2013)"
40
28,544
620
4,223
14,307
33,156
11,590
260
6,986
42,443
9,100
159
1,886
889
10,004
8,602
1,036
1,000
3,140
422
1,412
1,170
801
1,225
80
8,946
476
4,301
11,781
20
224
7,299
13,031
519
-------
Analysis of Ballast Water Discharges
into the Great Lakes from Overseas Vessels
Table A-3. Amount of Ballast Water Discharged by Overseas Ballast Water Source Port
Overseas Port Where Ballast
Water was Loaded
Mosjoen
Mumbai
Mundra
Naples
Nemrut Bay
Nordenham
North Sea
Nouakchott
Nuevitas
Onsan
Oxelosund
Paldiski
Pecem
Pitea
Pori
Porsgrunn
Port Hedland
Puerto Cabello
Puerto Cortes
Puerto Quetzal
Raahe
Rades
Rauma
Ravenna (Italy)
Rio Haina
Ronnskar
Rotterdam
Saganoseki
Sagunto
Saint Petersburg (Russia)
Salaverry
San Juan
San Lorenzo (Argentina)
San Pedro
Ballast Water Discharges (Metric Tonnes)3
2010
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
15,184
0
300
0
0
0
0
0
104
266
870
8,669
0
369
9,484
0
4,693
1,730
0
29,009
0
0
0
6,100
23,115
525
0
2011
0
114
200
0
0
0
200
0
0
0
4,523
3,732
1,888
40
20
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
673
0
0
48
0
0
0
0
2012
0
0
0
2,645
420
70
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
865
0
0
0
0
0
3,629
2,488
2,616
400
0
0
0
0
0
2013
4,322
0
0
750
0
0
0
0
2,534
0
875
0
0
0
0
0
0
22,178
0
0
0
0
300
0
7,562
0
1,605
0
0
4,793
0
2,630
0
180
Total Amount of
Ballast Discharged
into Great Lakes
from Overseas Ports
(2010-2013)"
4,322
114
200
3,395
420
70
200
15,184
2,534
300
5,398
3,732
1,888
40
20
104
266
23,048
8,669
865
369
9,484
300
4,693
9,292
3,629
33,775
2,616
400
4,840
6,100
25,745
525
180
-------
Analysis of Ballast Water Discharges
into the Great Lakes from Overseas Vessels
Table A-3. Amount of Ballast Water Discharged by Overseas Ballast Water Source Port
Overseas Port Where Ballast
Water was Loaded
San Pedro (Ivory Coast)
Santander
Santos
Sauda
Savona
Savona-Vado
Sechelt
Sete
Setubal
Shanghai
Shannon Estuary
Skikda
Sundsvall
Swinoujscie
Sydney
Szczecin
Tananger
Taranto
Tarragona
Tartous
Tema
Tilbury
Tornio (Finland)
Townsville
Tripoli (Libya)
Tuzla
Tyne
Tyssedal
Ulsan
Umea
Umm Qasr
Venice
Venice (Italy)
Ventspils
Ballast Water Discharges (Metric Tonnes)3
2010
0
7,354
13,733
0
600
0
0
0
0
3,273
0
0
0
0
0
2,210
222
0
16,646
998
0
16,111
15
0
1,666
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
59
2011
0
0
0
230
0
0
11,474
0
243
0
0
0
1,781
0
0
935
0
620
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1,074
0
0
36
0
0
0
0
2012
0
0
0
461
0
2,116
0
10,006
0
0
0
0
0
680
0
1,221
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
180
0
2,376
0
0
700
0
353
0
0
0
2013
180
0
0
0
0
3,483
0
0
0
0
211
8,807
5,323
0
1,062
0
0
0
7,924
0
6,481
145
0
0
0
0
0
19,002
0
0
0
6,705
6,878
0
Total Amount of
Ballast Discharged
into Great Lakes
from Overseas Ports
(2010-2013)"
180
7,354
13,733
691
600
5,599
11,474
10,006
243
3,273
211
8,807
7,104
680
1,062
4,366
222
620
24,570
998
6,481
16,256
15
180
1,666
2,376
1,074
19,002
700
36
353
6,705
6,878
59
-------
Analysis of Ballast Water Discharges
into the Great Lakes from Overseas Vessels
Table A-3. Amount of Ballast Water Discharged by Overseas Ballast Water Source Port
Overseas Port Where Ballast
Water was Loaded
Viana do Castelo
Vlissingen
Vlissingen Anchorage
Zelzate
unavailable
unknown
LAT LON
blank
Total
Ballast Water Discharges (Metric Tonnes)3
2010
0
1,360
0
1,656
0
0
52,442
31,934
478,866
2011
0
0
0
3,534
0
0
25,723
11,040
137,264
2012
5,004
349
0
3,104
0
325
19,095
5,822
138,641
2013
0
1
1
2,168
253
0
45,688
12,280
326,164
Total Amount of
Ballast Discharged
into Great Lakes
from Overseas Ports
(2010-2013)a
5,004
1,710
1
10,462
253
325
142,948
61,076
1,080,934
Source: National Ballast Information Clearinghouse and Transport Canada.
a The amounts of ballast water discharged reported in this table represent an upper bound
------- |