This marine notice is to remind livestock shippers, vessel owners and operators, and the masters of livestock vessels of their obligations to provide and use accurate information in the calculation of vessel stability.

Shipping containers lost from ships are a cause of pollution in the marine environment.

This feedback report summarises submissions on proposed changes to NSCV C1 – Wheelhouse visibility, escape, accommodation and personal safety.

Watch the video of Mark Jacobs who has hung up his snorkel and fins to help save lives across 10 per cent of the Earth’s surface.

This figure describes Modern Slavery Risks

On Sunday 9 January 2012, the cargo vessel the MV Tycoon broke free from its mooring at Flying Fish Cove, Christmas Island, and washed against the seawall and nearby cliff face. The ship had been loading phosphate at the time of the incident.

An explosion occurred on a charter fishing vessel whilst berthed. The investigation identified that the ignition source was a lithium-ion battery that was not holding charge connected to a battery charger in a way that bypassed the battery management safety system. The vessel was beyond repair following the explosion.

A charter vessel transiting between research sites at night collided with a stationary vessel. The stationary vessel’s master claimed to have an anchor light on, but the crew of the charter vessel stated they did not see any navigation lights. The master of the stationary vessel was preparing food on the vessel at the time and may have obstructed the anchor light view from the charter vessel’s crew. The master of the charter vessel was found to have been operating at high speed given the conditions (night operations). This also rendered the lookout ineffective.

A fire occurred on a passenger vessel in a busy harbour. The master and crew took immediate action and followed emergency procedures to disembark and transfer 73 passengers safely to another ferry. The vessel’s structural and fixed firefighting systems worked effectively to contain and extinguish the fire.

We inspect domestic commercial vessels to ensure crew, vessel, and operational safety.

We offer nationally recognised units of competency in marine pollution response and incident management.

On 1 October 1973, the National Plan for Maritime Environmental Emergencies (National Plan) came into operation.

A passenger ferry was returning from its scheduled service when an unanticipated wave raised its stern and caused its bow to dive under the water. Water rushed over the bow and a significant amount came through the forward portside access door and into the passenger compartment. The master immediately reduced speed, which expelled most of the water overboard. The forward portside access door had been left open by a crew member who was attempting to alleviate sea sickness among some passengers. The action of leaving the door open during the voyage was contrary to the vessel’s survey requirements. Signage requiring the door to be kept closed when underway was reportedly not seen by crew members. This resulted in water entering the vessel creating a potentially unsafe situation.

A Class 1 passenger vessel’s port engine caught fire whilst northeast of Fraser Island with 82 passengers and crew onboard. The investigation found that regular planned engine maintenance, in accordance with manufacturer’s specifications, was not in place at the time of the incident. The crew’s response to the incident was immediate and effective. The transfer of the 77 passengers to a nearby vessel, which attended the distress call within 10 minutes, was undertaken quickly and effectively by the master and crew.

On 19 November 2020, a class 3B fishing vessel grounded on a beach after the master and two deckhands, fell asleep. The investigation identified that there was no clear procedure for standing watch. Fatigue also contributed to the poor decisions made by the crew around who was supposed to be on watch that morning.

During a private charter a passenger fell down a stairwell and sustained serious injuries. The area around the top of the stairwell had a recess that reduced the floor area slightly and could be missed during movements. The stairs themselves were not found to be contributory to this incident. However, the spiral design proved problematic for providing post-incident medical assistance for the passenger. Any area that may present a safety risk to passengers onboard a vessel should be risk assessed, with appropriate control measures put in place to ensure passenger safety.

Arrangements between government and industry under the National Plan for Maritime Environmental Emergencies to respond to shipping casualties.

On Monday 10 July 1995, the Iron Baron chartered bulk carrier grounded on Hebe Reef at the approach to the Tamar River, northern Tasmania at 7.30 pm EST.

This marine notice highlights shipowners, operators, masters and crews obligation to ensure safe working arrangements are in place for any work involving a ship’s elevator.

As a regulatory body, we are required to publish a range of information about our functions and how we carry them out. We do this under the information publication scheme.