Annual letter to shipping agents and interested parties to provide information about new regulations and reminders about reporting requirements.
Dear Shipping Agents and Interested Parties:
Please ensure that information about the following items is distributed to vessels arriving at California ports. This letter addresses:
Submit Report to:
Online: MISP.IO
Email: bwform@slc.ca.gov
FAX: 562.499.6444
Thank you for your attention to this matter. Please contact Chris Scianni with any questions at Chris.Scianni@slc.ca.gov or 562.499.6390.
Marine Invasive Species Program Annual Vessel Reporting Form Submission Requirement
The Marine Invasive Species Program Annual Vessel Reporting Form (AVRF) must be submitted once per calendar year and at least 24 hours prior to a vessel’s first arrival at a California port. The AVRF must be submitted through the web-based platform https://www.MISP.IO. Note that the AVRF can be submitted earlier during the calendar year (e.g., submitted in January for a first arrival in March), if desired, and can be submitted by anyone affiliated with the vessel (e.g., ownership, management, crew, agent).
Vessel owners or operators that are unable to submit the AVRF via MISP.IO due to logistic or technological challenges should contact the Marine Invasive Species Program at cslc.misp@slc.ca.gov as soon as possible to inquire about alternatives for AVRF submission.
Ballast Water Management Report Submission Requirements
All vessels that arrive at California ports must submit the Ballast Water Management Report (BWMR) 24 hours prior to arrival at each port in California. If a vessel’s voyage is less than 24 hours, the report shall be submitted upon departure from the last port of call prior to arrival. If ballast water management or discharge information changes for an arrival, a corrected form must be submitted.
Vessels moving from one California port to another are required to file a separate BWMR for each port arrival. For reporting purposes, the following places are recognized as separate ports by the Marine Invasive Species Program. All terminals, berths, and anchorages within each port area are considered a part of that port.
- Humboldt Bay Harbor (including Eureka)
- Port of Sacramento
- Port of Stockton
- Port of San Francisco, including all San Francisco Anchorage locations
- Carquinez (includes all marine oil terminals and anchorages in the Carquinez Strait, extending east to the Antioch Bridge)
- Port of Richmond
- Port of Oakland
- Port of Alameda
- Port of Redwood City
- Moss Landing Harbor
- Santa Barbara Harbor
- Port of Hueneme
- Marina del Rey Harbor
- El Segundo
- Los Angeles/Long Beach Port Complex (including all anchorage locations within the breakwater)
- Avalon/Catalina
- Port of San Diego (including Point Loma)
California requires vessels to use the U.S. Coast Guard Ballast Water Management report (OMB No. 1625-0069) and submit the report.
Data Summaries
Commission staff has created a vessel traffic and ballast water management data dashboard for public use. The data dashboard is updated quarterly and is found at: https://misp-cslc.hub.arcgis.com/
Notifications and Alternatives
Vessel owners, operators, and agents should direct notification of inoperable ballast water treatment systems, questions about alternative reporting submission, or questions about the use of the online reporting portal to cslc.misp@slc.ca.gov; staff will respond accordingly. For more information about regulations administered by the Marine Invasive Species Program or the program in general, please visit: https://www.slc.ca.gov/MISP.html.
Thank you for your attention to these updates and reminders. Please contact me with any questions at Chris.Scianni@slc.ca.gov or 562.499.6390.