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Reporting ship sourced pollution

Report Maritime Oil and Chemical Spills Immediately
National 24 hour emergency notification contact details

If you witness a vessel polluting, you can report the incident to AMSA or the local port/marine/transport authority. Please provide relevant details of the incident such as when and where the incident occurred, the name of the vessel, type and extent of pollution and any other information which you may think pertinent.

While ships are permitted to dispose some types of waste at sea, there are strict requirements relating to the type of waste and the distance from land where the disposal may take place. All pollution sightings should still be reported and Authorities will determine whether the discharge/disposal is illegal.

The following pollution activity should be reported:

Any quantity of oil. If oil can be seen then it is likely to be an illegal discharge. Oil includes waste oil, fuel oil, sludge, lube oil and additives etc
Any discharge from a ship involving washings of chemical or dry cargoes
Any plastic material
Garbage disposed of in the sea within 12nm of land (garbage includes food, paper, bottles etc)

Pollution should be reported to:

Australian Search and Rescue (AusSAR): Rescue Coordination Centre

Local Telephone: 02 6230 6811
International Telephone: +61 2 6230 6811
Freecall (Australia wide): 1800 641 792
Facsimile: 02 6230 6868
Telex: +7162349 (computer connected)
Email: Rescue Coordination Centre

Contact details for reporting ship sourced pollution for inclusion in the Shipboard Oil and Chemical Pollution Emergency Plans [ PDF: 23Kb]

last updated: July 2006