Coastal Pilots - Licensed Pilotage Areas

Marine Notice 14/2007

The purpose of this notice is to draw attention to the licensed pilotage areas for coastal pilots within the Great Barrier Reef and Torres Strait as specified by Marine Orders Part 54 - Coastal Pilotage.

The pilotage areas that pilots may be licensed for are:

• Hydrographers Passage
• Inner Route
• Great North East Channel
• Whitsundays

Coastal pilots may be licensed for one or more of the licensed areas.

Masters may take advice from coastal pilots outside of the licensed pilotage areas based on the pilots local knowledge, however masters should at all times be aware that the master is not relieved from the responsibility for the conduct and navigation of the ship by reason only of the ship being under pilotage (the Navigation Act 1912 section 410B refers).

Licensed Pilotage Areas

Hydrographers Passage pilotage area means the area bounded by a line that progressively joins, on geodesic lines, the following points:

Point    Latitude            Longitude
1          20º  39.11’S     149º  49.36’E
2          20º  35.91’S     150º  07.36’E
3          20º  28.31’S     150º  18.06’E
4          20º  02.91’S     150º  03.06’E
5          19º  54.91’S     150º  16.56’E
6          19º  39.91’S     150º  10.56’E
7          19º  50.91’S     150º  33.06’E
8          20º  01.41’S     150º  25.86’E
9          20º  06.91’S     150º  17.26’E
10        20º  19.91’S     150º  27.06’E
11        20º  32.91’S     150º  27.06’E
12        20º  41.51’S     150º  11.66’E
13        20º  54.41’S     150º  01.96’E
14        20º  39.11’S     149º  49.36’E

The Inner Route pilotage area means:

the waters bounded by:

1. the Australian mainland; and
   1. the outer eastern edge of the Great Barrier Reef1; and
   2. the northern boundary of the Great Barrier Reef Region and latitude 10º 41.00’S2;
      and
   3. latitude 16º 39.91’S; together with
2. Torres Strait, excluding the waters to the north of latitude 10º 28.00’S and east of longitude 142º 39.00’E;

The Great North East Channel pilotage area means the navigable waters between Alert Patches and longitude 143º 24.00’E, including the Great North East Channel, together with that part of Torres Strait to the west of Alert Patches.

The Whitsundays pilotage area means the area bounded by a line that begins at the northernmost point of Cape Gloucester at low water, at about latitude 20º 03.94’S, longitude 148º 27.51’E, and continues progressively:

1. on geodesic lines to the following points:

   Point    Latitude             Longitude
   1          19º 58.02’S       148º 18.60’E
   2          19º 57.83’S       148º 18.53’E
   3          19º 58.00’S       148º 21.68’E
   4          19º 58.28’S       148º 27.05’E
   5          19º 58.37’S       148º 27.40’E
   6          19º 59.28’S       148º 33.62’E
   7          20º 00.82’S       148º 37.48’E
   8          20º 02.17’S       148º 53.07’E
   9          20º 03.58’S       148º 57.92’E
   10        20º 14.42’S       149º 10.47’E
   11        20º 15.20’S       149º 11.15’E
   12        20º 28.93’S       149º 08.03’E
   13        20º 31.20’S       149º 09.07’E
   14        20º 34.28’S       149º 10.50’E
   15        20º 33.91’S       149º 07.06’E
   16        20º 39.73’S       148º 45.82’E

2. west along parallel of latitude 20º 39.73’S to the coastline of the mainland at low water, near Midge Point; and
3. generally northerly, easterly, south-easterly and north-westerly along the coastline of the mainland at low water to the point where the boundary began.

1 The outer eastern edge of the Great Barrier Reef is depicted on official nautical charts produced by the Australian Hydrographic Office (AHO).

Graham Peachey
Chief Executive Officer
12 August 2007

Australian Maritime Safety Authority
GPO Box 2181
CANBERRA ACT 2601

File No: 037088
Internet address for all current Marine Notices: www.amsa.gov.au

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