Impact on shipping transiting the extended Area
Costs to Shipping
There will be no additional cost to shipping. The Australian and Queensland Government will continue to cover all costs associated with delivering REEFVTS services to ships.
Other imposts on shipping
There is no additional impost on shipping.
How much longer (in hours) will ships have to report to REEFVTS due to the new area?
Typically, ships to and from Gladstone will remain in the system for an additional:
- Eight hours, if travelling north through the Inner Route (110 NM at 13 kts)
- Twelve hours, if travelling north east (150 NM at 13 kts)
- Sixteen hours, for those vessels transiting the coast in a NW direction (200 NM at 13 kts)
- Twelve hours, for vessels travelling SE from Gladstone (150 NM at 13 kts).
As Automated Position Reporting is currently carried out every 45 minutes, ships will automatically provide 32 to 64 extra position reports by Inmarsat C, without any additional shipboard intervention.
Are there any additional reporting requirements on ships?
No. There are no additional reporting requirements on ships. As under the existing arrangements, vessels will be required to provide the following reports:
- Pre-Entry Position Report
- Entry Report
- Route Plan Report
- Final Report
and, where applicable:
- Intermediate Position Reports
- Route Deviation Report
- Defect Report.
Details of the reporting requirements can be found in Marine Orders 56 and the REEFVTS User Guide.
How many additional ships will be reporting to REEFVTS?
It is estimated that on average an additional 2,200 ships per annum will transit this new area.