The Australian Maritime Safety Authority like other businesses across Australia has been affected by the ongoing response to COVID-19.
We are continuing to provide regulatory services to our customers and the wider community, and our priorities remain—ensuring safe vessel operations, combating marine pollution and responding to people in distress.
We have plans and processes in place to ensure our core business operations continue during the COVID-19 crisis. We’re committed to delivering the following core services during this time.
- Processing certificate renewals and new applications.
- Access to online services and safety guidance.
- Responding to incident reports and investigations.
- Access to our customer contact centre, AMSA Connect, over the phone.
- Responding to your enquiries by email.
To protect the health and safety of our staff we are limiting face-to-face interactions with our customers including temporarily closing our regional offices to the public.
We are working hard to make sure you can still interact with us, by phone and email.
Information for vessel owners, operators and seafarers
We have not issued any directions to prevent a regulated Australian vessel or a domestic commercial vessel from operating.
You must comply with all federal, state or territory safety directions, including crew movements, isolation and social distancing requirements.
We will let you know of any changes to maritime safety laws. It’s important to regularly check our website for updates on COVID-19 as well as your state or territory health authority.
Temporary exemptions are available to help operators and crew continue to operate in exceptional circumstances. Exemptions are available in situations where an accredited marine surveyor or technician is unable to attend a vessel due to travel restrictions, or if unable to attend training courses for renewal of qualifications.
We will continue to carry out inspections and investigate serious breaches of maritime safely laws for international ships and domestic commercial vessel operations.
Your questions answered
We are receiving a lot of questions from you about certificate renewals and what you need to do to meet your safety requirements.
To help you, we have set up a Coronavirus COVID-19 page on our website.
Our AMSA Connect customer service team are also available on 1800 627 484 or via email amsaconnect@amsa.gov.au
Due to the significant number of enquiries and requests we receive, you may experience some delays. Please rest assured our staff are working hard to continue to deliver the services you need to do your job.