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Lake Carriers' Association 



U.S. House of Representatives Hearing on Ballast Exchange Control Act 



Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries October 27, 1993 



Is this Voluntary Ballast Water Management Plan for Ruffe working? From a carrier's viewpoint the 

 answer is a resounding "Yes." We have had full compliance from vessel captains, and the Ruffe has not 

 been found outside Western Lake Superior. The Ruffe is far from licked. Ballast water management or 

 ballast water treatment systems are only one element of a triad of necessary actions, once a nuisance 

 species enters our waters. Education and, at times, chemical control of water bodies are also needed. 



Since it was in all probability the discharge of ballast water from an ocean-going vessel that introduced 

 the Ruffe to Western Lake Superior, some kind of ballast water management program was a necessary 

 element in the containment plan. However, you must understand ballasting is a essential function of 

 safe vessel operation. When a ship is not carrying cargo (what we in the industry call being "light"), the 

 ballast tanks must be partially or completely filled with water or the ship will not ride low enough in the 

 water to maintain safe steerage, hull stress management, and stability. Ballasting requires taking on vast 

 amounts of water. For the largest U.S. -flag Great Lakes vessels, the ballast tanks have a combined 

 capacity of 14.5 million gallons. Even on the smaller ships, the ballast tanks hold anywhere from 2.5 to 

 5 million gallons. This water is pumped out as the ship is loaded. If it is pumped out too quickly, the 

 ship will hog, sag, or snap in half from the stresses on the hull. 



Simply put then, ballast water carriage and discharge into the navigable waters will have to take place as 

 long as ships are carrying cargo to and from ports throughout the United States and the entire world. 



In addition to ballast water management controls, there have been numerous other proposals to control 

 the spread of non-indigenous species thought to be contained in ballast water: 



• Discharging ballast water to reception facilities ashore. 



• Retaining the ballast water onboard. 



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