Incident Reporting
Introduction
Incident reporting in Australia is covered by two separate mechanisms that must be followed by the shipping industry. The mechanism to be employed is determined by the nature of the information to be reported. The two mechanisms are:
General Incident Reporting: covering accidents, damage to ships, injuries to crew and births, deaths and marriages.
Pollution Reporting (MARPOL): covering discharges, or probable discharges of oil, chemicals, or harmful substances in excess of permitted limits , or damage, failure or breakdown of a ship of 15 metres or more in length.
It should be recognised that the two mechanisms are not mutually exclusive and some incidents will require reporting under both mechanisms. An example of such a situation would be a collision that also results in the release of oil and/or dangerous cargo into the environment.
last updated: July 2007