Published on Australian Maritime Safety Authority (https://www.amsa.gov.au)



Offshore oil and gas exploration

Our role in working with the offshore industry.

We are an important stakeholder for all offshore exploration and exploitation activities conducted between the Australian mainland and the limit of Australia’s Exclusive Economic Zone.

Our role

We must be consulted by all offshore exploration and production titleholders. Our interests include:

Consultation with us

Applicants should liaise closely with AMSA’s Systems Safety section before submitting an Environment Plan (EP) to the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA).

We will provide nautical advice about collision avoidance measures for the intended activity. 

This includes EPs for any:

Do this by emailing AMSAConnect@amsa.gov.au. Place ‘Attention Nautical Advice’ in the subject line of your emails.

Collision avoidance 

Collision avoidance measures may include: 

We may also recommend changes to survey run lines and modifications to proposed operational areas within a permit block or title.

If the exploration vessel (such as a seismic survey vessel) is towing and is restricted in her ability to manoeuvre, it must display appropriate lights and shapes in compliance with the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea 1972 (COLREGS). 

All vessels must maintain a proper look-out by sight and hearing as well as by all available means appropriate in the prevailing circumstances and conditions, in accordance with the COLREGS.

Exploratory drilling

Applicants should avoid any vertical stationary/dynamic positioned drilling activities within or near the terminations of, charted shipping fairways or other ships’ routeing systems (for example, a Traffic Separation Scheme). This also applies to drilling conducted by Mobile Offshore Drilling Units (MODUs). 

Exploration, vertical drilling and development activities are not permitted within any charted International Maritime Organization-adopted Traffic Separation Scheme.

Safety of navigation

Shipping traffic data

Heavy shipping traffic may be encountered in some offshore petroleum title areas. 

Applicants should evaluate and implement adequate anti-collision measures in their area of interest.

We can provide historical shipping traffic data to assist duty holders to assess risk. 

You can find free historic vessel traffic data for the following three sub-areas on our website: 

Requests for data 

We can also provide: 

Requests should be made through Spatial@AMSA.

A fee will be charged for raw data or analysis. 

All requests must include:

At least 4 weeks’ notice is needed for all requests for data and requests must meet our data disclosure policy.

Promulgation of maritime safety information 

Maritime safety information (MSI) includes:

Many warnings are of a temporary nature, but others may remain in force for several weeks and may be superseded by notices to mariners (NTM).

Activities that may impact safety of navigation should have appropriate MSI promulgated before operations commence. 

Examples of these types of activities include:

To do this, you can: 

Marking and avoidance of man-made structures offshore 

Offshore man-made structures must be adequately marked. This is vital for vessel safety and the safety of structures and their personnel. 

Authorities may consider establishing exclusion or safety zones to be avoided. This will prohibit or restrict vessels from entering the proximity of off-shore structures. Details of such zones can be found on the relevant nautical charts. Authorities can also use MSI to circulate advice to shipping on installed aids to navigation. This information can also be published as notice to mariners

Preventing collisions—vessel or facility? 

The Navigation Act 2012 does not apply where a vessel is classified as a 'facility'. Generally speaking, a vessel will be a 'facility' when it is being used, or being prepared to be used, in petroleum activities. More information can be found at NOPSEMA.

Offshore petroleum geological regions

There are three main geological regions around Australia where offshore exploration occurs.  Each region includes a number of areas that are sensitive due to their environmental significance or potential impacts to safety of navigation. Prospective oil and gas proponents should be aware of these sensitive areas when undertaking offshore activities.

These sensitive areas may have additional limitations and restrictions which should be considered when planning exploration and exploitation operations.

Offshore North-West Australia

This region includes the following areas:

Sensitive areas include:

Offshore Southern Australia

This region includes the following areas:

Sensitive areas include:

Offshore South-West Australia

This region includes the following areas:

Sensitive areas include:

Environmental safety and incident preparedness

Australia's National Plan for Maritime Environmental Emergencies (the National Plan) provides a national framework setting out how governments and industry will co-operate to respond to shipping casualties and marine pollution incidents.

Further guidance can be obtained from:

Survey and certification

We administer the Navigation Act 2012. The act generally applies to regulated Australian vessels and foreign vessels. This includes vessels engaged in offshore exploration and exploitation activities when the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2006 does not apply.

Renewable energy and greenhouse gas storage 

We provide advice to the Australian Government on sites to be explored and potential impacts on the safety of navigation.

Advisory note for the offshore petroleum industry on EPs and oil pollution emergency plans 

NOPSEMA is the assessor for offshore environmental management of petroleum activities. Organisations engaged in offshore exploration or exploitation activities must have an EP. More information about EPs can be found in our advisory note.
 

Last updated: 9 October 2023