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AMSA outcome 1:Minimising the risk of shipping incidents and pollution in Australian waters

AMSA, 14th Annual Report, 2003 - 2004

Output 1.2: An infrastructure for monitoring compliance with safety and environment protection standards

AMSA’s Maritime Operations Division delivers this output by:

Conducting inspections of ships, cargoes and related equipment to monitor compliance with standards for the condition of ships, compliance with operational, occupational health and safety and coastal pilotage requirements and the correct handling and loading of certain cargoes.
Monitoring compliance by Australian flag ships and their operators with the International Safety Management (ISM) Code under the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Convention.
Exercising rights under international conventions to inspect foreign flag ships visiting Australian ports through the port State control program to monitor their compliance with international standards.
Participating in regional forums, principally the Tokyo and Indian Ocean Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) on Port State Control, to promote consistency in port State control standards and exchange of ship inspection data.
Exercising the occupational health and safety inspectorate functions under the Occupational Health and Safety (Maritime Industry) Act 1993.
Ensuring safety training and maritime qualifications of crew on ships operating under the Navigation Act 1912 meet the standards of the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW95).
Administering the licensing system for coastal pilots and safety regulation of coastal pilotage services under the Navigation Act 1912.

Operating Environment in 2003-2004

During 2003-2004, AMSA’s delivery of Output 1.2 in relation to monitoring compliance with safety and environment protection standards was influenced by the following external factors:

Australia’s commitment to enforcement of ship safety and environment protection standards and regulations through rigorous flag State and port State control programs, particularly having regard to international and regional trends in response to specific incidents.
Effectiveness of ships’ safety management systems at sea and on shore through application of the International Safety Management (ISM) Code.
Emphasis on the human element in ship safety, including ship operational practice, crew competency and fatigue management.
Monitoring crew competency standards in accordance with requirements of STCW95.
Australia’s ongoing support for regional forums, principally the Tokyo and Indian Ocean Memoranda of Understanding on Port State Control, promoting uniformity and effectiveness of ship inspections in the region and sharing port State control data to better identify substandard shipping.
National implementation of the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code promulgated under the SOLAS Convention.

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AMSA’s Response to the Operating Environment

In response to these external factors in the operating environment, AMSA identified the following objectives and underpinning responses and priority actions to focus its work during 2003-2004 on the achievement of the portfolio outcome of a better transport system for Australia.

Objective 1: A better transport system for Australia by Australia having rigorous ship inspection programs to deter substandard shipping operating in the region.

AMSA Response 1.1: AMSA to continue to administer active and rigorous flag and port State control programs targeting inspections at high-risk ships and specific ship operational practices.

Priority Actions for Response 1.1

Refine targeting processes using risk management techniques to tailor ship inspections so that higher risk ships are subject to more detailed and more frequent inspection and reduce the inspection requirements on ships with a record of consistently sound operation and management

AMSA continued to refine its ship inspection targeting system to concentrate on higher risk ships. As these ships have a higher probability of being detained because of major safety deficiencies, the detention rate in 2003 continued the higher trend recorded over the last two years. However, the average number of deficiencies per ship inspection has continued to decline over the same period, indicating that the overall quality of the ships visiting Australia is improving.

AMSA’s annual report, Port State Control in Australia, was published in June 2004 providing a detailed analysis of the results from AMSA’s inspection program. During 2003, AMSA conducted 2,827 inspections of foreign flagged ships under its port State control program, with 190 ships detained, representing a detention rate of 6.7 per cent compared with 5.8 per cent in 2002 and 4.4 per cent in 2001. A total of 6,841 deficiencies were identified giving a deficiency rate of 2.42 per inspection, compared to 2.7 in 2002 and 3 in 2001.

Continue campaigns of focused inspections on specific issues covering ship safety standards and operational practices

AMSA is continuing its Focused Inspection Campaigns, in conjunction with routine port State control inspections, that direct attention to selected ship safety and operational areas identified as presenting particular concerns. During 2003, a Focused Inspection Campaign was undertaken from April to June 2003 concentrating on the requirements of the 2002 amendments to Chapter V of the SOLAS Convention. It examined operational issues relating to navigational equipment, including maintenance, testing and reporting, the provision and maintenance of charts and publications, and voyage planning and recording.

AMSA also participates in Concentrated Inspection Campaigns conducted through the regional port State control forums, which similarly target specific safety areas, and these are discussed later in this section of the Annual Report. AMSA seeks to coordinate its Focused Inspection Campaigns with the Concentrated Inspection Campaigns to avoid overlap between them where possible.

In 2004, another Focused Inspection Campaign is being run from 1 July 2004 concentrating on the fitting and operation of ship borne Automatic Identification Systems (AIS), a shipboard broadcasting system that sends relevant information to other ships and to shore. It has proved an effective means of ship tracking to enhance safety of navigation and efficiency of ship traffic management. The Focused Inspection Campaign is testing that the AIS equipment is correctly fitted, programmed, and intergrated into bridge operations and that navigational crew are competent in its use.

Continue close scrutiny of single hull tankers

In December 2002, AMSA upgraded its inspection regime so all single-hull oil tankers visiting Australian ports are targeted for inspection. This followed a strengthening of European ship inspection programs and other measures taken in response to the sinking of the fully laden crude oil tanker, Prestige, in November 2002, which caused substantial pollution of the Spanish and French Atlantic coastline. AMSA previously had a targeted inspection rate of 50 per cent of single-hull tankers less than 15 years old and 80 per cent of single-hull tankers more than 15 years old.

The European action raised worldwide concern that aged single-hull tankers would be forced out of the European trade into alternative markets, including the Asia-Pacific region.

During 2003, 45 foreign flag oil tankers of single hulled construction visited Australian ports and all were inspected at least once, with twelve inspected twice and four inspected three times during the year. Overall, 214 oil tankers (both single and double hull construction) made 1,266 port visits to Australian ports during 2003 recording an inspection rate of 88 per cent.

AMSA’s ship inspection data over the last two years indicate a steady decline in the number of foreign flag single hull oil tankers visiting Australian Ports. However, the situation is being monitored to detect any changes in trading patterns for single hull tankers that may arise from the European actions.

Improve liaison with charterers to encourage adoption of high standards in their ship selection

There is increasing interest in broadening responsibility for ship safety and environmental protection beyond the ship owner to include the role of ship charterers and cargo owners. AMSA has been encouraging charterers and cargo owners to recognise their role in valuing safety and environmental protection in their shipping decisions.

Some charterers and cargo owners already are taking more interest in the standard of ships carrying their goods to avoid being associated with unsafe and potentially polluting ships, which can damage the chartering company’s reputation and future business. Many major charterers independently verify by inspection the quality of ships under consideration. A ship’s inspection record also can be checked through various databases, including AMSA’s comprehensive ship database, which is available to outside parties with a legitimate interest in this information.

Greater transparency serves to improve accountability and AMSA strongly supports sharing information about substandard shipping, including details about charterers, cargo owners, and other relevant parties. AMSA also is considering including additional factors in targeting port State control ship inspections, such as the history of particular shipowners, operators and charterers in relation to ship quality.

Improve surveillance of shipments of dangerous goods by way of an awareness campaign combined with more stringent inspection

The International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code became mandatory under the SOLAS Convention from 1 January 2004 and a number of changes were made to the documentation requirements for the shipment of dangerous goods. AMSA issued two Marine Notices in November 2003 advising the shipping industry of the new requirements and those involved in the manufacture, packaging, packing, handling and transportation of dangerous goods for transport by sea.

Seek more timely and accurate data on ship arrivals at, and departures from, Australian ports with a view to anticipating higher risk ships operating in Australia waters

AMSA undertakes ongoing refinements to its ship inspection database, Shipsys, to improve the content and presentation of a broad range of information about ships arriving and leaving Australian ports and to facilitate interrogation of the database for particular ship inspection queries. AMSA is phasing in the receipt of electronic data input from the major port authorities of ship arrival and departure information and is continuing to expand the exchange of ship data with other organisations.

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AMSA Response 1.2: AMSA to maintain effectiveness of its compliance services by continuing to strengthen its ship inspection program.

Priority Actions for Response 1.2

Regular review of inspection resources to ensure adequate coverage of remote ports where higher risk ships may visit

AMSA maintains an ongoing examination of the number and distribution of its marine surveyors at major ports to ensure the allocation of resources matches as closely as practicable the number and pattern of visits by ships, particularly high risk ships. During 2003-2004, AMSA recruited four marine surveyors to meet the natural attrition rate of two retiring marine surveyors and provide additional inspection resources of two marine surveyors at Mackay and Gladstone, giving a total at 30 June 2004 of 41 marine surveyors at major ports and six at AMSA’s head office in Canberra, who work in the ports from time to time.

Continue the internal audit program of port State control inspections to maintain high standards and consistency

Senior AMSA marine surveyors undertake peer audits of port State control inspections as part of a program to promote high standards and consistency between staff in different AMSA offices. During 2003-2004, one quarter of AMSA’s Regional Office marine surveyors were subject to internal audits in relation to port State control inspections.

Improve analysis of shipping incidents using more comprehensive data systems to provide better feedback to the inspection program

The upgrade of AMSA’s Shipsys database has included improved recording of marine incidents allowing better analysis to identify trends and provide feedback to the ship inspection program.

Maintain the quality of occupational health and safety Inspectorate functions by continuing higher-level training for AMSA inspectors

AMSA marine surveyors are trained to undertake the inspectorate role under the Occupational Health and Safety (Maritime Industry) Act 1993. During 2003-2004, AMSA continued its program of training all of its Marine Surveyors every five years for this role.

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Objective 2: A better transport system for Australia by Australia promoting regional action to improve port State control functions aimed at improving the standard of shipping in the region.

AMSA’s response 2.1: AMSA to participate in regional forums of the Tokyo and Indian Ocean MOUs to promote cooperation in ship inspection, data exchange, and targeting high-risk ships.

Priority Actions for Response 2.1

Contribute expertise to improve regional port State control standards, encourage targeted inspection programs and assist in expanding electronic data interchange

AMSA continued its participation as a member of both the Asia-Pacific (Tokyo) and Indian Ocean Memoranda of Understanding on Port State Control. These cooperative arrangements provide better intelligence about ship inspections in the region and the opportunity for international coordination of Concentrated Inspection Campaigns.

AMSA attended the 6th Committee Meeting of Indian Ocean MOU on Port State Control in Goa, India, in October 2003 and the 13th Committee Meeting of the Tokyo MOU on Port State Control in the Asia Pacific Region in Port Vila, Vanuatu, in February 2004.

The Tokyo MOU Committee meeting endorsed the formal adoption of a ship targeting system for assignment of priority for ship inspection from 1 March 2004. The Indian Ocean MOU Committee meeting finalised the development of the information system for handling the region’s ship inspection database and improvements to the region’s port State control inspection.

AMSA also has been involved in preparatory meetings for the second Joint Ministerial Conference on Port State Control between the Paris and Tokyo MOUs to be held in Canada in November 2004. The Paris MOU comprises the maritime administrations of Europe and the north Atlantic. The first Joint Ministerial Conference held in Canada in 1998 culminated in the signing of the comprehensive Vancouver Declaration recommending increased enforcement measures and harmonisation procedures for inspecting, detaining and reporting substandard ships. It is intended that a second Ministerial Declaration will be signed at the forthcoming Ministerial Conference reconfirming the commitment of participants to eliminating substandard shipping and to serve as a framework for new global policies and programs to achieve that objective.

Participate in regional concentrated inspection campaigns focusing on ship operational issues

The Tokyo MOU Committee instituted a Concentrated Inspection Campaign from 1 September until 30 November 2003 targeting structural safety of bulk carriers, particularly inspection of bulk vessels more than 12 years old to test their compliance with international structural standards. The Committee has agreed to conduct another campaign from 1 July 2004 to 30 September 2004 aimed at checking ships’ compliance with the International Ship and Port Security Code.

The Indian Ocean MOU Committee instituted a Concentrated Inspection Campaign from 1 April until 30 June 2004 on life saving appliances paying attention to the condition of life saving equipment, along with the associated maintenance and training records to verify compliance with the SOLAS Convention requirements.

Improve intelligence about the quality of ships transiting Australian waters through data exchange with other maritime administrations

Summary details of ship inspections conducted by AMSA are made available on the Internet through the Asia Pacific Computerized Information System (APCIS) and the database site of Equasis, involving the maritime administrations of the European Commission, France, Singapore, Spain, the United Kingdom, the United States Coast Guard and Japan.

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Objective 3: A better transport system for Australia by Australia providing the highest level of protection from shipping activities to the Great Barrier Reef and Torres Strait to the extent possible under international law and maritime conventions.

AMSA’s response 3.1: AMSA to implement relevant recommendations from the 2001 Review of Great Barrier Reef Ship Safety and Pollution Prevention Measures in consultation with coastal pilots, pilotage service providers and the shipping industry.

Priority Actions for Response 3.1

Review coastal pilots’ training

A major maritime training provider is assisting AMSA in undertaking a review of the coastal pilot training program, including examination of recruitment standards. The training program for coastal pilots providing pilotage services in the Great Barrier Reef and Torres Strait is being revised to include training to address cultural issues between pilots and ships’ officers

Monitor the safety systems approach adopted in the Great Barrier Reef Pilotage Safety Management Code, in particular operation of the check pilot and pilot audit schemes

AMSA regulates coastal pilotage through the licensing of pilots and regulation of the manner in which they carry out their duties through Marine Orders Part 54, made pursuant to the Navigation Act 1912. The framework is based on the safety management systems approach implemented through the Great Barrier Reef Pilotage Safety Management Code (the Code), which applies to the 60 active licensed pilots operating in the Great Barrier Reef and Torres Strait.

Following the reissue of the Code in July 2002, pilotage service providers have been required to appoint check pilots, which are specially trained coastal pilots licensed to undertake voyages and provide a professional overview of the performance of coastal pilotage duties. In addition to check pilot voyages, AMSA is utilising its trained International Safety Management (ISM) auditors to carry out audit voyages with coastal pilots.

Conduct a comprehensive study of coastal pilots’ fatigue management, including further research to provide contemporary data and to recommend risk based fatigue management strategies

AMSA engaged an internationally recognised fatigue expert in February 2004 to conduct a specific research project examining the fatigue levels involved with coastal pilotage performance. The aim of the study is to provide greater understanding of fatigue issues in relation to coastal pilotage through a contemporary practical study incorporating recent research and applying the latest measuring techniques to current statistical data.

Improve pilot fatigue management through expert training and monitoring of pilot fatigue in near real time utilising upgraded computer systems to report pilot voyages, the length of pilotage service requirements and rest breaks

Pilot fatigue management is being kept under review by AMSA. An internationally recognised fatigue expert was engaged by AMSA in February 2004 to work with pilotage service providers and coastal pilots on further improving existing fatigue management policies and practices. This has involved discussion with pilotage service providers to assess their fatigue management programs and recommend specific programs for each provider. Fatigue awareness training also has been provided for all coastal pilots.

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Objective 4: A better transport system for Australia by Australia maintaining systems of seafarer training and certification conforming to international standards to support its position on the IMO White List of compliant maritime administrations.

AMSA’s response 4.1: AMSA to ensure Australia’s system of marine qualifications continues to conform to STCW95 requirements

Priority Actions for Response 4.1

Issue STCW95 endorsements on relevant marine qualifications issued by State and Territory marine administrations

In 2003-2004, AMSA issued 94 STCW95 endorsements of State and Territory issued qualifications for deck officers and 14 for engineer officers. Following the review of Marine Orders Part 3 discussed under Output 1.1, it is proposed that AMSA will no longer issue these endorsements for deck officers, but will issue AMSA qualifications, in line with STCW95 requirements, for these seafarers.

Monitor and audit approved courses of study at tertiary colleges to ensure they meet required standards for AMSA issued marine qualifications

AMSA is the flag State approving authority under the STCW convention of Australian tertiary education institutions’ seagoing courses to ensure that they meet the required standards of the STCW convention and national law. AMSA conducts regular audits using established auditing standards and processes of relevant seagoing training courses provided by Australian tertiary education institutions. Data collated from AMSA’s oral examinations of candidates for Australian issued certificates of competency is used to assist in the audit of seagoing courses and to alert institutions of a particular deficiency in a critical operational area of the course syllabus. During 2003-2004, AMSA undertook 12 audits of relevant tertiary institutions.

AMSA’s response 4.2: AMSA to maintain the effectiveness of the delivery of crew qualification services

Priority Actions for Respone 4.2

Continue the internal audit and training programs to maintain quality control of AMSA’s oral examination system

AMSA conducts regular audits of its marine surveyors who conduct oral examinations of candidates for Australian issued certificates of competency to maintain their continued compliance with relevant procedures. AMSA has a refresher-training program for its marine surveyors to update their knowledge in relation to examination techniques and to allow them to exchange opinions and views on these matters.

Investigate the introduction of computer-based pre-oral examination screening to assess candidates knowledge in specific areas

AMSA is undertaking development of a computer-based system to allow candidates for oral examinations to self-test their skill levels before applying to be assessed by an AMSA marine surveyor. The aim is to reduce the number of candidates presenting for oral examinations that are not properly prepared or have not reached the required standard and skill level for the particular certificate of competency.

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PERFORMANCE REVIEW 2003-2004

Output Group 1: Ship Operations Safety and Marine Environment Protection Program

Output 1.2: An infrastructure for monitoring compliance with safety and environmental protection standards:

AMSA monitors compliance with international standards by conducting inspections of ships, cargoes and cargo handling equipment in Australian ports, oversighting ship operations in Australian waters (including coastal pilotage in Torres Strait and the Great Barrier Reef) and issuing certificates of competency to seafarers.

Strategy: Improve compliance with standards covering ship condition, operation and handling of cargoes.
Measure	Performance 2003-2004
Inspection rate of risk rated eligible ships under the port State control program. (Quality) Target: High risk ships – 80% Medium to high risk - 60% Low to medium risk - 40% Low risk - 25% Overall target = > 50% [AMSA’s Ship Inspection Decision Support System (SIDSS) aims to improve focus of the port State control program on higher risk ships. It provides a risk rating of each ship based on age, type and inspection history.]	During 2003 the inspection rates were: High risk ships: 96% Medium to high risk: 70% Low to medium risk: 40% Low risk: 27% Overall percentage: 58%
Improvement in the standard of foreign flag ships operating in Australian waters. (Quality) Target: Reduction in detention rate over time	During 2003, the detention rate was 6.7% compared to the past calendar years: 2002: 5.8% 2001: 4.4% 2000: 4.3% 1999: 5.3% 1998: 6.8% 1997: 6.5% [The increasing trend in the detention rate reflected results from AMSA’s focused inspection program and increased port State control inspection of high-risk vessels with a higher potential to be detained.]
Number of port State control inspections. (Quantity) Target: PSC inspections-2003 estimates: 2920	During 2003, 2,827 port State control inspections were conducted, three per cent below the target rate compared to past calendar years: 2002: 2,842 2001: 2,913 2000: 2,926 1999: 2,753 1998: 2,946 1997: 3,131 [Lower number of inspections reflects focus on high-risk ships that generally need more time for each inspection and hence the overall reduced number of inspections.]
Number of flag State control inspections. (Quantity) Target: 2003 estimate: 100 inspections.	During 2003, 88 flag State inspections were conducted.
Cost of providing a compliance monitoring infrastructure. (Price) Target: 2003-2004 estimate: $9.992 million	During 2003-2004, the cost of compliance monitoring was $9.555 million.
Average cost of undertaking port and flag State control inspections. (Price) Target: 2003-2004 estimates: Port State control: $750/inspection Flag State control: $450/inspection	During 2003-2004, the cost of inspections was: Port State control: $675/inspection Flag State control: $429/inspection
Strategy: Maintain and enhance strategic relationships, increase public awareness and consultation with the maritime industry on compliance matters.
Extent of industry compliance. (Quality) Target: Declining trend in: – number of deficiencies recorded in flag State control inspections – number of non conformance notices issued after ISM audits	During 2003-2004, there were recorded: – 258 deficiencies compared with 213 in 2002-03 and 333 in 2001-02. – 102 non-conformities from 57 audits compared with 76 from 62 audits in 2002-03 and 42 from 34 audits in 2001-02.
Person hours spent. (Quantity) Target: 2003-2004 estimates: 15,000 hours	During 2003-2004, 20,799 hours were recorded compared with 21,105 in 2002-03 and 11,980 in 2001-02.
Cost of the strategy (Price) Target: 2003-2004 estimates: $2.711 million	During 2003-2004, the cost was $2.547 million
Strategy: Maintain a high standard of seafarers’ qualifications.
IMO endorsement of seafarer qualifications system as being compliant with international standards. (Quality) Target: Australia’s inclusion on IMO White List of STCW 95 compliant administrations	During 2003-2004, Australia maintained its inclusion on the IMO White List of STCW95 compliant maritime administrations.
Target: 2003-2004 estimates: 500 certifications, 550 oral examinations	During 2003-2004, 1,946 certificates were issued and 496 oral examinations were held compared to 2,079 and 496 in 2002-03.
Person hours spent. (Quantity) Target: 2003-2004 estimates: 19,000 hours	During 2003-2004, 17,201 hours were recorded compares with 20,105 hours in 2002-03.
Cost of maintaining marine qualifications and certification system. (Price) Target: 2003-2004 estimates: $1.72 million	During 2003-2004, the cost of maintaining marine qualifications was $1.646 million.

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last updated: May 2005