Marine Environment Protection

Reporting Ship Sourced Pollution

National Plan

Place of Refuge Guidelines

Educational resources and information

Major Oil Spills in Australia

Prevention of Pollution from Ships

National Maritime Emergency Response Arrangements

AMSAs Role in Maritime Environmental Issues

Register of Local Fuel Oil Suppliers

Torres Strait PSSA

Marine environment protection levies and fees

Protection of the Sea Levy

The Protection of the Sea Levy is also a charge against ships and is based on the "potential polluter pays" principle. The levy applies to vessels which are more than 24 metres in length and have onboard more than 10 tonnes of oil in bulk as fuel or cargo. The levy is currently 7.7 cents per net registered ton per quarter, with a minimum of $10 per quarter. The levy was first imposed on 1 October 1973 and is reviewed annually.

The rate of levy has fluctuated over the years as follows:

The levy is used to fund the National Plan to Combat Pollution of the Sea by Oil and other Noxious and Hazardous Substances and National Maritime Emergency Response Division Arrangements (NMERA). Funds are also used to meet clean-up costs which cannot be attributed to a known polluter. Details of expenditure can be found in the National Plan Annual Reports.

It is worth noting that the Protection of the Sea Levy must be paid by any vessel liable for the other two AMSA levies. In addition, ANY vessel which is more than 24 metres and with 10 tonnes or more of oil on board at any time during a calendar quarter MUST pay the Protection of the Sea Levy for that quarter. This levy is therefore applicable to some fishing vessels.

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Last updated: July 2007