In 2024–25, our compliance activities focused on high-risk areas identified through safety data and guided by the National Compliance Plan. This summary reports our progress and key outcomes in these priority areas.
Annual compliance activities
Every year, we deliver a mix of planned and responsive compliance activities to support safety and protect the marine environment.
For full details of our routine compliance work, visit:
Focus areas for 2024-25
Our compliance efforts for 2024-25 focused on 4 key areas.
Read about our progress and performance in each area below.
- (1) Foreign flagged and regulated Australian vessels inspections
Risk area 1: Continue to focus inspection efforts on those vessels considered as higher risk coming to Australia
Vessel type Performance measure 2024-25 Results Key Foreign flagged vessels eligible for PSC inspection Minimum 2400 inspections 2452 inspections completed Met Target/On Track ✓✓✓
Regulated Australian vessels eligible for FSC inspection 95% 79 FSC inspections Risk area 2: Maintenance and response – disabled vessels
Action Performance measure 2024-25 Results Key Integrate planned maintenance of critical systems (element 10), emergency preparedness response when vessel disabled (element 8), crew training and familiarisation in maintenance and response (element 6) into annual inspection regime, as part of the international Safety Management (ISM) code requirements. Ongoing 2,452 Inspections completed including increased focus on elements of the international Safety Management (ISM) code requirements Met Target/On Track ✓✓✓
Publish Safety Bulletin on maintenance and emergency preparedness in relation to disabled vessels Quarter 1 Published bulletin on 30 September 2024: Marine Safety Awareness Bulletin issue 20 - Maintenance Met Target/On Track ✓✓✓
Risk area 3: Maintenance – Watertight integrity
Action Performance measure 2024-25 Results Key Integrate maintenance and inspections of hatch covers, watertight integrity and ingress points into the annual inspection regime as part of the international Safety Management (ISM) code requirements. Ongoing 2,454 PSC Inspections completed with a ISM – Safety Management System requirements inspection focus; maintenance and inspections of hatch covers, watertight integrity and ingress points. Met Target/On Track ✓✓✓
- (2) Maritime Labour Convention (MLC)
Risk area 1: Working conditions and practices – fatalities and serious injuries
Action Performance measure 2024-25 Results Key Participate in the Tokyo MOU joint concentrated inspection campaign on conditions of employment (MLC) Quarter 1
Quarter 2The 2024 Concentrated Inspection Campaign under the TOKYO MOU focussed on Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) factors. The campaign ran from 1 September through to 30 November 2024.
A total of 473 vessels were inspected by AMSA during this period.
Met Target/On Track ✓✓✓ Publish Safety Bulletin on work health and safety (MLC) during maintenance activities on ships Quarter 3 Published bulletin on 26 March 2025: Marine Safety Awareness Bulletin issue 21 - Managing risk Met Target/On Track ✓✓✓ - (3) Domestic commercial vessels (DCVs)
Risk area 1: DCV inspection targeting
Action Performance measure 2024-25 Results Key Higher risk domestic commercial vessel (Priority 1 & 2) 60% 40.33% of high-risk inspections
Greater focus will be needed in the future to target higher risk vessels.Outside Threshold Lower risk domestic commercial vessel (priority 3 & 4) 40% 59.67% of low-risk Inspections Met Target/On Track ✓✓✓
Conduct at least 2,300 inspections of DCVs based on vessel priority Minimum of 2,300 inspections 2,251 Inspections
98% of target achievedWithin Threshold Risk area 2: Safe working practices – injury to crew and passengers
Action Performance measure 2024-25 Results Key Conduct an education campaign for lifejacket requirements as per Marine Order 504. Provide information on lifejacket wear on AMSA correspondence from MARS Quarter 1
Quarter 2
A series of videos commencing with lifejacket wear and risk assessments began in September 2024 were released on AMSA's social media channels. The campaign looked at the key themes of lifejacket wear, risk assessment, servicing and types of lifejackets. Met Target/On Track ✓✓✓
Risk area 4: Carriage of dangerous goods
Action Performance measure 2024-25 Results Key Publish safety information in collaboration with State WHS regulators focusing on carriage of dangerous goods. Quarter 4 Dangerous goods procedure - Guidance: Marine Order 504 changes published on the AMSA website and short video promotion published on Facebook. Met Target/On Track ✓✓✓
Risk area 5: Torres Strait and Top End - Safe vessel operations
Action Performance measure 2024-25 Results Key Conduct simplified SMS workshop with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander DCV operators Ongoing Series of workshops held during Quarter 3 and Quarter 4 Working together to enhance maritime safety in the Torres Strait
Met Target/On Track ✓✓✓
Risk area 6: Poorly implemented safety management systems
Action Performance measure 2024-25 Results Key Conduct operational monitoring on key areas of risk assessment, maintenance, crewing and emergency preparedness 100 124 DCV Inspections completed Met Target/On Track ✓✓✓
Risk area 7: Pilot transfer operations
Action Performance measure 2024-25 Results Key Conduct operational monitoring on pilot launch operators Targeted vessels from each pilot launch operator Insufficient tangible supporting data to enable delivery of this initiative. Only one incident reported in the previous year. Decision taken to transfer KPI to 25/26 Operations North and Coastal Pilotage vessel inspection regime to include inspection and operational monitoring of pilot launches. Insufficient data to enable delivery of this initiative - (4) Environmental
Risk area 1: MARPOL Annex V (Garbage) – DCVs
Action Performance measure 2024-25 Results Key Continue education campaign on compliance with MARPOL V Ongoing 63 inspections completed during 2024/25 included issue of a MARPOL Annex V flyer covering ‘my responsibilities’ as a DCV Operator, which covered garbage discharge, garbage reception facilities, MARPOS garbage placards, garbage management plan and garbage record books. Met Target/On Track ✓✓✓
Download our compliance summary
Last updated: 14 November 2025