Increase in Protection of the Sea Levy from 1 July 2008
Marine Notice 11/2008
Supersedes 13/2007
The purpose of this Marine Notice is to advise of the increase in the Protection of the Sea Levy operative from 1 July 2008. The increase represents the second phase in the recovery of the full cost of the Australian Government’s National Maritime Emergency Response Arrangements (NMERA). (Details of the NMERA are provided in Marine Notice 06/2007.)
The Protection of the Sea Levy is imposed under the Protection of the Sea (Shipping Levy) Act 1981 and the Protection of the Sea (Shipping Levy) Collection Act 1981.
It applies to ships visiting or operating in Australian ports that are 24 metres or more in length and have on board more than 10 tonnes of oil in bulk, as fuel or cargo, at any time during a quarter when the vessel was in an Australian port.
The Protection of the Sea (Shipping Levy) Amendment Regulations 2008 increase the levy rate on 1 July 2008 from 7.7 cents to 9.6 cents per net registered ton per quarter. The minimum payment of $10 per quarter remains unchanged.
The levy funds AMSA’s management of the National Plan to Combat Pollution of the Sea by Oil and other Noxious and Hazardous Substances and the NMERA.
The Australian Government agreed to the funding of the NMERA on the basis of full cost recovery from the shipping industry through the Protection of the Sea Levy.
It agreed to AMSA phasing-in the required levy rate increase over three financial years commencing in 2007-2008 to provide maximum time for the shipping industry to plan and budget for meeting the full cost of the NMERA.
The rates for AMSA’s other two levies, the Marine Navigation Levy and the Marine Navigation (Regulatory Functions) levy, remain unaltered.
Enquiries about the new rate of the Protection of the Sea Levy should be directed to the Finance Manager, Australian Maritime Safety Authority, Canberra, ACT.
Telephone: 02 6279 5968,
Facsimile: 02 6279 5909 or
email: Finance.Manager@amsa.gov.au
Further information about the AMSA levies is available on AMSA’s website at: http://www.amsa.gov.au/levies_and_fees/index.asp
Mick Kinley
A/g Chief Executive Officer
20 June 2008
Australian Maritime Safety Authority
GPO Box 2181
CANBERRA ACT 2601
File No: 2007/037386
Internet address for all current Marine Notices: www.amsa.gov.au