The 273rd meeting of the Board was held on Wednesday, 25 June 2025 in Canberra, ACT.

Some vessels do not have to be surveyed. Depending on the type of vessel, you may need to apply for approval to operate.

AMSA surveyor’s will be using the checklist below when inspecting ships as part of our safety of navigation focused inspection campaign.

The purpose of this marine notice is to draw attention to the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) non-mandatory revised guidelines for the reduction of underwater radiated noise from shipping to address adverse impacts on marine life. 

We maintain a database which assists us to calculate the risk factor of a vessel. This lets us target elevated risk vessels for inspection. 

AMSA’s mission is ensuring safe vessel operations, combating marine pollution and rescuing people in distress.

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.

AMSA conducted a focused inspection campaign (FIC) on domestic commercial vessel construction barges from 1 May to 30 June 2022.

The Pacific Quest was found guilty of discharging an oily mixture from a ship into the sea near Border Island, Queensland on 25 December 2002.

We are responsible for approving coastal pilotage training providers and courses.

Maritime discharges of oil and noxious liquid substances during emergencies and pollution response situations.

Mohammed Taslim is passionate about marine education in the Pacific and has his sights set on promoting e-learning study for seafarers in Fiji in the not-too-distant future.

We collect and analyse information from reported marine incidents to improve safety across the maritime industry.

It is mandatory under Australian law for certain vessels and fixed or floating platforms to carry a garbage management plan, display placards and maintain a garbage record book.

In this edition we talk about voluntary suspension: a practical option when you’re not surveying, survey process for Exemption 2 Division 5 vessels applying for a certificate of survey and survey code update in MARS: survey flexibility rollout.

On 28 July 1988, the livestock carrier Al Qurain struck a wharf heavily while berthing in Portland, Victoria and severely ruptured a side fuel tank. An estimated 184 tonnes of fuel oil escaped into Portland Harbour.

Advice about the maximum continuous period that a seafarer can serve on board a vessel without taking leave.

Planned Maintenance – 15 January 2022 to 28 February 2022AMSA conducted a Planned Maintenance Focused Inspection Campaign (FIC) over the period 15 January 2022 to 28 February 2022.

Find out about AMSA’s performance and stay informed about our progress against key initiatives for 2024–25.