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

Follow these steps if you want to take a DCV overseas for dry docking, sale or delivery.

The National Law places obligations on maritime operators and other parties to ensure safety of persons and vessels and protection of the marine environment.

If you are no longer carrying out commercial operations outside the Australian exclusive economic zone, you can switch to being a domestic commercial vessel by surrendering your regulated Australian vessel (RAV) Certificate of survey , Maritime Labour Certificate, and load line certificate. You can then apply for domestic commercial vessel certification.

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.

Read about the changes we have made to the NSCV since 2020.

In the early afternoon of 30 May 2022, a hire and drive sailing catamaran began to take on water before sinking shortly after departing the marina. Onboard was the charterer, their family and a briefer who was in control of the vessel. The investigation established that following recent maintenance, an inspection plate had not been replaced, allowing water ingress. It was further identified that the charter company’s maintenance procedures did not suitably document handing over and/or tagging of removed items during maintenance work.

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.

An unexpected wind-shift during parasailing operations caused 2 airborne passengers to contact the water at speed. They were recovered by the vessel and returned to shore. Both passengers later informed the operator that they had sustained injuries during the event. The owner then failed to report this as a marine incident to us.

Rules and conditions for vessels declared to not be regulated Australian vessels.

Electronic visual distress signals are not a substitute for conventional pyrotechnic flares.

Show all / Hide all

Instructions where an Australian commercial vessel under construction is required to undertake sea trials prior to the issuance of statutory certification.Australian vessels intended to b

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.

Apply for acceptance on the oil spill control agents register.

Our regulatory program is prepared annually and contains details of planned and completed changes to our regulatory instruments.

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