AMSA's Role
Highlights 2002 -2003
Chairman's report
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Financial snapshot and performance summary
Outcomes and outputs 2002 - 2003
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Highlights 2002-2003
International Maritime Organization (IMO)
AMSA continued to participate in the development and implementation of ship safety and marine environmental protection measures relevant to Australia's interests. Major achievements included:
- Finalising international guidelines on places of refuge for disabled and damaged ships following recent European incidents when the failure to be granted access to sheltered waters may have contributed to the ship foundering with substantial pollution of the marine environment.
- Significant improvements in bulk carrier safety, some in response to the recommendations from overseas casualty investigations.
- Extensive revision of the International Convention on Load Lines.
- Agreement to develop an IMO Model Audit Scheme to improve implementation and enforcement of IMO convention standards.
- Operational and technical contributions to the development of IMO convention amendments for maritime security and adoption of the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code and IMO consideration of the future treatment of persons rescued at sea.
AMSA has been involved in leading the revision and updating of Annex 12 to the International Civil Aviation Convention 1944 (Chicago Convention), which covers search and rescue operations, within the IMO/International Civil Aviation Organization Joint Working Group for the Harmonisation of Aviation and Maritime Search and Rescue. The revised annex is currently under consideration by parties to the Convention.
Environment Protection Standards
AMSA takes an active interest in promoting improved standards concerning all aspects of pollution prevention from ships. During 2002-2003, it contributed to the IMO's successful conclusion of a new Protocol on the Establishment of a Supplementary Fund for Compensation for Oil Pollution Damage. This will supplement the compensation available under the 1992 Civil Liability and Fund Conventions with an additional third tier of compensation.
Australia also actively participated in the ongoing development of:
- a new convention on ballast water transfer of harmful aquatic organisms;
- an IMO strategy to address greenhouse gas emissions from ships;
- guidelines to support the International Convention on the Control of Harmful Antifouling Systems on Ships 2001; and
- processes to address the implementation of the International Convention on Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Co-operation 1990 through the establishment of a permanent IMO technical working group.
Regional Cooperation
The promotion of improved shipping standards in the region is the aim of AMSA's continuing support of activities under the Asia-Pacific (Tokyo) and the Indian Ocean Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) on Port State Control. In the past year, substantial progress has been made in:
- coordinating the concentrated inspection campaign on the International Safety Management Code in the Asia-Pacific region;
- hosting the 9th Seminar for port State control officers in the Asia- Pacific Region;
- promoting the control of operational aspects of ship safety and pollution prevention by leading a Tokyo MOU working group on the issue; and
- chairing the Indian Ocean MOU Committee meeting.
AMSA also participated in the South Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) providing assistance to its Pacific Island members to improve their planning, preparation and response to marine pollution, in line with international conventions.
Ship Inspection Targeting
The port State control program recorded a detention rate of 5.8 per cent in 2002, an increase over the previous year's 4.4 per cent. This reflected better targeting of inspections at higher risk ships and the results of AMSA's focused inspection campaigns, rather than indicating a general decline in the quality of shipping operating in Australian waters. The overall level of deficiencies detected actually declined from 8,818 in 2001 to 7,460 in 2002.
During 2002-2003, major improvements in the targeting process included:
- the decision in December 2002 for AMSA port State control inspections to target all single-hull tankers visiting Australian ports; and
- the continuation in April 2003 of the focused inspection campaign with attention being given to ships' navigational equipment, maintenance of charts and publications, and voyage planning and recording.
National Plan
The National Plan Management Committee sought to strengthen collaborative strategic decision making by the major stakeholders in the National Plan. During 2002-2003, major issues progressed by the Committee included:
- development and promulgation of national guidelines for provision of places of refuge for damaged and disabled ships;
- further implementation of the Inter-Governmental Agreement, in particular the allocation of National Plan resources to the States for use in marine pollution response in their ports; and
- development of key performance indicators to focus the National Plan's strategic operations during 2003-2004.
Search and Rescue
The Rescue Coordination Centre processed 8,418 incidents with 486 incidents requiring AusSAR coordinated search activity resulting in a total of 329 people being rescued.
Further consolidation of the Search and Rescue Unit (SRU) program was achieved
and three SRU were installed with Forward Looking Infra-Red cameras to aid
night search operations. From 1 July 2002, delivery of the upgraded maritime
distress and safety radio communications system commenced under contractual
arrangements with new service providers and continued without disruption in
2002-2003. The public education program continued to encourage replacement
of 121.5 MHz distress beacons with
406 MHz beacons in advance of the phasing out of satellite processing of the
former in 2009.
Marine Aids to Navigation
The outsourcing of shipping, maintenance and project planning functions to the private sector in 2000-2001 has seen continuing improvement in financial performance of the national marine aids to navigation network. The Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) limited scope performance audit of the management of the aids to
navigation network confirmed that AMSA's strategic planning, budget and contract management and reporting demonstrated elements of better practice. No recommendations were made proposing major improvements to AMSA's administration.
Great Barrier Reef Shipping Management Group
AMSA, as a member of the Great Barrier Reef Shipping Management Group, continued to take a major role in the implementation of the recommendations from the report of the 2001 Review of Great Barrier Reef Ship Safety and Pollution Prevention Measures. Major areas being progressed include:
- developing the Shipping Management Plan in consultation with major stakeholders and in coordination with the Shipping Impact Study;
- making a submission to the IMO for declaration of the Torres Strait as a Particularly Sensitive Sea Area and promulgation of special protective measures including compulsory pilotage;
- upgrading the mandatory Ship Reporting System for the Great Barrier Reef and Torres Strait; and
- strengthening the regulatory framework for coastal pilotage services.
International Conferences
AMSA co-sponsored the internationally recognised biennial Spillcon conference in Sydney in August 2002, involving overseas and local specialists in marine pollution prevention and response. AMSA arranged a special workshop for the South Pacific region on training in shipping and port security issues held in Sydney in September 2002. AMSA is arranging a maritime industry workshop in Fremantle during August 2003 to discuss ship safety and operational issues specific to Western Australian shipping interests. AMSA is assisting in staging the second national conference of the National Marine Safety Committee in Sydney in September 2003 and preparations are underway for the fourth AMSA National Shipping Industry Conference to be held in Melbourne in February 2004 in association with the Australian Shipowners Association, Shipping Australia, and the Association of Australian Ports and Marine Authorities.