Outcome 1
- Safety and Environmental Protection Standards
- Monitoring Compliance with Standards
- Response to Marine Pollution Incidents
- Systems to Aid Safe Navigation
Outcome 2
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Major Activities
2002-2003
Search and Rescue Coordination
During 2002-2003, AMSA's Rescue Coordination Centre processed 8,418 incidents, with 1,397 of these incidents involving distress beacon activations. Four hundred and eighty six incidents required the Rescue Coordination Centre to coordinate search activity. Overall, a total of 329 people were rescued, which represented a success rate of 92 per cent of lives assessed as being at risk. (A person is defined as being at risk if the person has a chance of surviving the initial incident.)
While AMSA's target is to rescue one hundred per cent of people whose lives are assessed as being at risk from the initial incident, there were several situations where the potential to survive the incident was marginal and/or survival time would have been limited in the circumstances. There also was a single incident in April 2003, involving the loss of 16 crew on two Indonesian fishing vessels reported missing off the Western Australian coast during a cyclone, when an extensive search failed to find the vessels or any survivors.
Search and Rescue Operations
A wide variety of maritime and aviation search and rescue operations were conducted during the year. Features of these operations and representative examples included:
- Merchant ships assisted in 12 separate incidents, rescuing 21 survivors from smaller vessels. MV Curia rescued two yachtsmen in distress off the NSW coast, and Daoi Copihue rescued five yachtsmen in the face of an imminent cyclone in the Coral Sea.
- Merchant ships sought medical assistance on 52 occasions. The Lifesaver 4 helicopter at Lismore conducted three evacuations. A Spanish fisherman was evacuated in the central Indian Ocean by MSC Claudia, then supported by medical staff from HMAS Manoora.
- Distress beacons were activated in 103 incidents involving real distress, in which 271 people were rescued. In one incident, aircraft and Cospas-Sarsat both detected a distress beacon off the New South Wales coast, and the Southcare helicopter and the FV Melissa combined to rescue seven people from a sinking fishing vessel.
- In 76 local incidents, the State Police services sought AusSAR assistance, ranging from advice through to provision of an air search. For example, AusSAR assisted the Queensland Police to find and rescue two people from a punt that drifted offshore in the Torres Strait.
Coordination with State and Territory Search and Rescue Agencies
AMSA works in close cooperation with State and Territory search and rescue agencies, which are coordinated by their respective Police services. A range of measures are being undertaken by AMSA to strengthen these strategic relations through the promotion of procedures and protocols for coordination of multiple participants in search and rescue operations. AMSA has been conducting regular meetings, workshops and simulated search and rescue exercises aimed at improving coordination between agencies.
In June 2003, AMSA published a revised National Search and Rescue Manual, which has been developed in consultation with other search and rescue agencies and approved by the National Search and Rescue Council, comprising AMSA, State and Territory Police services and the Australian Defence Force.
A number of operational-level workshops have been conducted between AMSA and Police search and rescue officers from Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia, with the program continuing for other States into the next financial year.
Maritime Distress and Safety Communications
AMSA is discharging its responsibility for providing a maritime distress and safety communications network in accordance with the International Convention on Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) through two contracts with providers of terrestrial and satellite services, respectively. The terrestrial services contract with TVNZ (Australia) Pty Limited and the INMARSAT satellite services contract with Xantic Sales BV were provided without disruption during 2002-2003. Separate arrangements were made during the year with SingTel, the operator of the Singapore Land Earth Station, for backup services in case of an outage at the Land Earth Station Perth, which is operated by Xantic Sales BV.
As NAVAREA X Coordinator, AMSA continued to provide Australian coastal navigation warnings to the network of State and Northern Territory Limited Coast Radio Stations operated to provide HF and VHF voice radio services for small craft.
Phasing-out of 121.5 MHz Distress Beacons
AMSA is continuing to address issues involved with the international decision
to phase-out satellite processing of the 121.5 MHz distress beacons by
the global satellite alerting system, Cospas-Sarsat, on 1 February 2009,
when only the 406 MHz distress beacons will be processed. A public awareness
campaign is underway to alert all relevant agencies and members of the
public about the forthcoming changes. AMSA has raised the issue in forums
with State and Territory authorities with the aim of reviewing their distress
beacon carriage requirements in relevant legislation. AMSA's national education
campaign aims to disseminate information over several years to distress
beacon users and promote the benefits of the superior and more accurate
406 MHz beacons.
AMSA has been working with the Cospas-Sarsat organisation and Australian beacon manufacturers promoting development of a lower cost (Australian Class 3) 406 MHz distress beacon for use by smaller vessels (less than 300 gross registered tonnage) and recreational users.
Search and Rescue Unit (SRU) Program
The SRU program continued to be consolidated in 2002-2003 with 64 Search and Rescue Units (SRUs) provided with equipment and training as appropriate.
Following an open tender process, three Forward Looking Infra Red (FLIR) camera systems have been installed on SRU aircraft in Melbourne, Wollongong and Hobart during 2002-2003. The systems aim to improve night search capability. The FLIR and specialised distress beacon direction finding equipment was provided from $1.5 million capital funding in the 2002-2003 Federal Budget.
During the year, 89 training sessions were provided by AMSA to selected general aviation operators around Australia designated as SRUs, which involved training 402 pilots and aircrew. Training also was facilitated for a further 332 air search observers.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed with New South Wales and the Northern Territory to participate in a national visual air search program, which aims to increase the effectiveness of Australia's air search capability.
Media conference
at Hobart FLIR launch with AMSA CEO Clive Davidson
International and National Cooperation
AMSA attended an International Conference on Maritime Search and Rescue convened by the Indian Coastguard in Chennai, India, on 7 and 8 November 2002 to promote regional and international cooperation in search and rescue operations.
The Cospas-Sarsat Council, in October 2002 approved the entry of the Thailand MCC into the Cospas-Sarsat Southwest Pacific Data Distribution Region, for which the Australian MCC is the node. Bilateral discussions were undertaken by AMSA with a view to commissioning the Thailand MCC into the Cospas-Sarsat system in Thailand in November 2002. The Australian MCC commissioned the Thailand MCC in December 2002 and presented a report to the 17th Cospas-Sarsat Joint Committee Meeting.
AMSA took a lead role in the International Civil Aviation Organisation/IMO Joint Working Group for the Harmonisation of Aviation and Maritime Search and Rescue, AMSA led the revision and updating of Annex 12 to the Chicago Convention. The revised Annex is being considered by Contracting States to the Convention.
Maritime Safety Education and Awareness Campaigns
AMSA contributed to a major safety campaign with State and Territory marine administrations on the theme: "If you don't know, don't go", which targeted small vessel owners to make appropriate preparations for every seagoing voyage. These included checking weather forecasts and obtaining regular updates, advising a responsible person or organisation of the sail plan and any changes during the voyage, establishing regular radio schedules and ensuring correct safety equipment is on board, including the appropriate marine radio and marine charts, and sufficient fuel for the trip.