Australia’s first recorded major oil spill occurred on Saturday 28 November 1903 in Port Phillip Bay.

On the morning of 24 April 2022, a fishing vessel ran aground on a reef between Bundaberg and Torres Strait. The master and two deck hands had been underway for six days prior to the grounding. The master was fatigued, having had little sleep given the watchkeeping schedule and the competency levels of the two deckhands.

At approximately 5.30 am WA time on Friday 21 August 2009 the Montara Wellhead mobile drilling unit, located 140 miles offshore from the north-west Australian coast, had an uncontrolled release of hydrocarbons from one of the platform wells. Consequently oil escaped to the surface and gaseous hydrocarbons escaped into the atmosphere.

The information you provide in your incident report plays an important part in guiding the way we improve maritime safety for everybody on the water. By reporting marine incidents to us, you are also meeting your reporting obligations under Australian laws.

Find local suppliers of fuel oil in Western Australia.

Read previous AMSA update editions from 2024

Our search and rescue incidents from 2016–17.

The information you provide in your incident report plays an important part in guiding the way we improve maritime safety for everybody on the water. By reporting marine incidents to us, you are also meeting your reporting obligations under Australian laws.

The National Maritime Work Health and Safety (WHS) Regulators Forum is a collaborative platform for discussing maritime workplace health and safety. Its main aim is to improve safety for domestic commercial vessels.

The information you provide in your incident report plays an important part in guiding the way we improve maritime safety for everybody on the water. By reporting marine incidents to us, you are also meeting your reporting obligations under Australian laws.

Exercise Barossa was a biannual oil spill response exercise conducted in Adelaide under our National Plan to Combat Pollution of the Sea by Oil and Other Noxious and Hazardous Substances.

On 21 July 1991 Greek tanker Kirki lost its bow off the coast of Western Australia, resulting in a major pollution incident.

Look out for marine fauna and report any collisions.

The information you provide in your incident report plays an important part in guiding the way we improve maritime safety for everybody on the water. By reporting marine incidents to us, you are also meeting your reporting obligations under Australian laws.

The information you provide in your incident report plays an important part in guiding the way we improve maritime safety for everybody on the water. By reporting marine incidents to us, you are also meeting your reporting obligations under Australian laws.

Our latest statement about data submitted to the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA).

January - March 2026There were 335 reported incidents involving domestic commercial vessels in Quarter 1 of 2026. Of these, 44 were serious and 1 very serious.

AMSA and the Bureau of Meteorology provide vessels with maritime safety information (MSI) about hazards and foreseeable dangers to safe navigation through Australia's marine environment.

A hire vessel capsized after it was beached on a sandbank in a designated no-go area. The incident shows why hirers and participants must follow safety briefings and emergency plans.