33 CFR 151.2060: Ballast water reporting requirements for vessels

Last reviewed: October 14, 2026

This section requires vessels subject to this subpart and bound for ports or places of the United States to submit a ballast water report to the National Ballast Information Clearinghouse (NBIC). Deadlines depend on the destination, and paragraph (c) lists the required content. A changed report must be amended.

Applies toEach vessel subject to this subpart that is bound for ports or places of the United States, unless exempted in § 151.2015 of this subpart.

What it says

  1. Each vessel subject to this subpart and bound for ports or places of the United States must meet the reporting requirements, whether or not it operated outside the EEZ, unless exempted in § 151.2015 of this subpart.

    33 CFR 151.2060(a)“Ballast water reporting requirements exist for each vessel subject to this subpart bound for ports or places of the United States regardless of whether a vessel operated outside of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)”

  2. The master, owner, operator, agent, or person in charge must submit the ballast water report to the NBIC in electronic format, using the methods specified on the NBIC's Web site.

    33 CFR 151.2060(b)“must submit a ballast water report to the National Ballast Information Clearinghouse (NBIC) by electronic ballast water report format”

  3. For a vessel bound for the Great Lakes from outside the EEZ, the report must be submitted at least 24 hours before the vessel arrives in Montreal, Quebec.

    33 CFR 151.2060(b)(1)(i)“Submit a ballast water report at least 24 hours before the vessel arrives in Montreal, Quebec.”

  4. For a vessel bound for the Hudson River north of the George Washington Bridge entering from outside the EEZ, the report must be submitted at least 24 hours before the vessel enters New York, NY.

    33 CFR 151.2060(b)(2)“Submit the ballast water report at least 24 hours before the vessel enters New York, NY.”

  5. A vessel with ballast water tanks bound for a U.S. port or place and not covered by paragraphs (b)(1) and (2) must submit the report no later than 6 hours after arrival, or before departure from that port or place, whichever is earlier.

    33 CFR 151.2060(b)(3)“Submit the ballast water report no later than 6 hours after arrival at the port or place of destination, or prior to departure from that port or place of destination, whichever is earlier.”

  6. The report must include vessel information, voyage information, ballast water information, details on tanks to be discharged into U.S. waters or to a reception facility, and a certificate of accurate information.

    33 CFR 151.2060(c)“The ballast water report required by paragraph (b) of this section must include the following information:”

  7. If the submitted information changes, the responsible person must submit an amended report before the vessel departs the waters of the United States or not later than 24 hours after departure from the port or place, whichever is earlier.

    33 CFR 151.2060(d)“must submit an amended report before the vessel departs the waters of the United States or not later than 24 hours after departure from the port or place, whichever is earlier.”

Common questions

When must a ballast water report be submitted for a vessel bound for the Great Lakes?

For a vessel bound for the Great Lakes from outside the EEZ, the report must be submitted at least 24 hours before the vessel arrives in Montreal, Quebec.

“Submit a ballast water report at least 24 hours before the vessel arrives in Montreal, Quebec.”

Where do I submit a ballast water report?

The report goes to the National Ballast Information Clearinghouse (NBIC) in electronic format, using methods specified at NBIC's Web site.

“must submit a ballast water report to the National Ballast Information Clearinghouse (NBIC) by electronic ballast water report format”

Can some vessels use the St. Lawrence Seaway form instead?

Yes. Non-U.S. and non-Canadian flag vessels bound for the Great Lakes may complete the St. Lawrence Seaway Ballast Water Reporting Form and submit it in accordance with the applicable Seaway notice as an alternative.

“Non-U.S. and non-Canadian flag vessels may complete the St. Lawrence Seaway Ballast Water Reporting Form and submit it in accordance with the applicable Seaway notice as an alternative to this requirement.”

What if the information in my ballast water report changes?

The master, owner, operator, agent, or person in charge must submit an amended report before the vessel departs the waters of the United States or not later than 24 hours after departure from the port or place, whichever is earlier.

“must submit an amended report before the vessel departs the waters of the United States or not later than 24 hours after departure from the port or place, whichever is earlier.”

The text of 33 CFR 151.2060

Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR), current as of April 16, 2026 · Read it on eCFR

Reporting requirements

(a) Ballast water reporting requirements exist for each vessel subject to this subpart bound for ports or places of the United States regardless of whether a vessel operated outside of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), unless exempted in § 151.2015 of this subpart.

(b) The master, owner, operator, agent, or person in charge of a vessel subject to this subpart and this section must submit a ballast water report to the National Ballast Information Clearinghouse (NBIC) by electronic ballast water report format using methods specified at NBIC's Web site at http://invasions.si.edu/nbic/submit.html. The ballast water report will include the information listed in paragraph (c) of this section and must be submitted as follows:

(1) For any vessel bound for the Great Lakes from outside the EEZ. (i) Submit a ballast water report at least 24 hours before the vessel arrives in Montreal, Quebec.

(ii) Non-U.S. and non-Canadian flag vessels may complete the St. Lawrence Seaway Ballast Water Reporting Form and submit it in accordance with the applicable Seaway notice as an alternative to this requirement.

(2) For any vessel bound for the Hudson River north of the George Washington Bridge entering from outside the EEZ: Submit the ballast water report at least 24 hours before the vessel enters New York, NY.

(3) For any vessel that is equipped with ballast water tanks and bound for ports or places in the United States and not addressed in paragraphs (b)(1) and (2) of this section: Submit the ballast water report no later than 6 hours after arrival at the port or place of destination, or prior to departure from that port or place of destination, whichever is earlier.

(c) The ballast water report required by paragraph (b) of this section must include the following information:

(1) Vessel information. This includes the vessel's name, International Maritime Organization (IMO) number or other vessel identification number if an IMO number is not issued, country of registry, owner or operator, type and tonnage.

(2) Voyage information. This includes the port and date of arrival, name and contact information of the person submitting the form, last port and country of call, and next port and country of call.

(3) Ballast water information. This includes the vessel's total ballast water capacity, total number of ballast water tanks, total volume of ballast water onboard, total number of ballast water tanks in ballast, and the identification of ballast water management method used.

(4) Information on ballast water tanks that are to be discharged into the waters of the United States or to a reception facility. Include the following for each tank discharged:

(i) The numerical designation, type and capacity of the ballast tank.

(ii) The source of the ballast water. This includes date(s), location(s), and volume(s). If a tank has undergone ballast water exchange, provide the loading port of the ballast water that was discharged during the exchange.

(iii) The date(s), starting location(s), ending location(s), volume(s), and method(s) of ballast water management.

(iv) The date(s), location(s), and volume(s) of any ballast water discharged into the waters of the United States or to a reception facility.

(5) Certificate of accurate information. Include the name and title of the individual (i.e., master, owner, operator, agent, person in charge) attesting to the accuracy of the information provided and that the activities were in accordance with the ballast water management plan required by § 151.2050(g). If exceptional circumstances required deviation from the plan, the details surrounding the need for deviation and associated actions must be explained.

(d) If the information submitted in accordance with paragraph (c) of this section changes, the master, owner, operator, agent, or person in charge of the vessel must submit an amended report before the vessel departs the waters of the United States or not later than 24 hours after departure from the port or place, whichever is earlier.

Sections it refers to

The plain-English explanation on this page was written with AI from the regulation text above and checked automatically before publishing: every quote appears in the text, every number comes from it, and a second model confirmed each statement adds nothing the text doesn't say. Regulation text current as of April 16, 2026. The regulation text governs. RegKnot is not affiliated with the U.S. Coast Guard.