The United State Coast Guard (USCG) is taking a harder line on delays to installing ballast treatment gear, saying owners have to offer more evidence as to why their ships cannot use products that are currently the market.
The updated guidelines published this week come in "response to hundreds of extension requests" for installing ballast water treatment systems (BWTS) gear.
USCG rules require that ships with high ballast pumping rates built before 2014 have to show compliance with US ballast water rules by their first dry dock date after 1 January 2016.
