The oil spill from the Oceanic Grandeur in Torres Strait in March 1970 highlighted Australia’s lack of preparedness at the time to deal with a major oil spill in the marine environment.

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The Sylvan Arrow was found guilty of discharging an oily mixture into the sea west of Wilson’s Promontory, Victoria on 18 December 1999.

The automatic identification system (AIS) works automatically and continuously, regardless of where a vessel is located.

These guidelines aim to assist small1 DCV operations to undertake a risk assessment as part of the vessel’s safety management system.

There is increasing use of remotely operated and autonomous technology in Australia and worldwide across a range of fields.

In this edition we talk about Lightship declarations and the law, new surveyor accreditation guidance manual part 2 now available and electrical issues able to be identified by non-electrical periodic surveyors.

Lighthouses are part of the network of aids to navigation in Australia. Use our interactive map to locate one of our heritage lighthouses.

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

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 audits and application assessments.

Dispersants can be effective response tools. Use of dispersants is dependent on many factors including timing, properties of the oil, and logistics.

The inaugural Australian VTS Award saw Brisbane VTS operators Todd Stewart and Ricky Blake commended for their actions, which had a profound impact on the outcome of two men and a young boy lost at sea.

At AMSA, we believe in supporting you to be the best version of yourself.

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

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.

Australia is a part of the International Maritime Organization — maritime safety and marine pollution prevention are more effective when carried out internationally.

Our search and rescue modules provide background information as well as information about preparation, principles of how to conduct a search and rescue operation and how to respond to specific kinds of emergency.