Company: TEN-PE
Filing Date: 2025-04-11
Form Type: 20-F
Source: 0001193125-25-079101
Chunk: 86

Company: TSAKOS ENERGY NAVIGATION LTD
Filing Date: 2025-04-11
Form: 20-F
Item: Item 4
Chunk 86
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 of the owner. In jurisdictions where the CLC has not been adopted, various legislative schemes or common law govern, and liability is imposed either on the basis of fault or in a manner similar to that convention. P& I Clubs will cover the liability under the plan adopted by IMO.

  ii.      U. S. National Invasive Species Act  

The U. S. National Invasive Species Act (“ NISA”) was enacted in 1996 in response to growing reports of harmful organisms being released into U. S. ports through ballast water taken on by ships in foreign ports. Under NISA, the USCG adopted regulations in July 2004 establishing a national mandatory ballast water management program for all vessels equipped with ballast water tanks that enter or operate in U. S. waters. These regulations require vessels to maintain a specific ballast water management plan. The requirements can be met by performing mid-ocean ballast exchange, by retaining ballast water on board the ship, or by using environmentally sound alternative ballast water management methods approved by the USCG. However, mid-ocean ballast exchange is mandatory for ships heading to the Great Lakes or Hudson Bay, or vessels engaged in the foreign export of Alaskan North Slope crude oil. Mid-ocean ballast exchange is the primary method for compliance with the USCG regulations, since holding ballast water can prevent ships from performing cargo operations upon arrival in the U. S., and alternative methods are still under development. Vessels that are unable to conduct mid-ocean ballast exchange due to voyage or safety concerns may discharge minimum amounts of ballast water (in areas other than the Great Lakes and the Hudson River), provided that they comply with record keeping requirements and document the reasons they could not follow the required ballast water management requirements. The USCG adopted allowable concentration limits for living organisms in ballast water discharges in U. S. waters, effective June 21, 2012. All newly constructed vessels must be compliant on delivery. All existing vessels must be compliant at their first scheduled drydock after January 1, 2016 or, in the case of vessels with ballast water capacity of 1,500 - 5,000 cubic meters, their first scheduled drydock after January 1, 2014. The USCG must approve any ballast water management technology before it can be placed on a vessel, and a list of approved equipment can be found on the Coast Guard Maritime Information Exchange (“ CGMIX”) web page. As of