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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.

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.

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.

We provide a search and rescue (SAR) service for Australia. This allows us to quickly deploy a SAR response for anyone in distress.

A 2C rescue vessel was preparing to depart a river entrance bar with 11 people onboard. The observed sea state was a wave height (breaking) of 1.4 to 1.8 metres. The entrance bar had a moderate to high level of congestion of jet skis and surfboard riders positioned within the aids to navigation departure leads. The vessel came within very close proximity to surfers on 3 occasions whilst negotiating the breaking sea conditions. The vessel then broached upon a wave resulting in the vessel heeling to port and becoming unable to be controlled due to the force of the wave.

Advice to vessel owners and masters for the focused inspection campaign on passenger vessel safety requirements.

Tonnages for each Royal Australian Navy (RAN) vessel, current, decommissioned, and under construction.

Our eligibility requirements for sailing vessels.

This consultation feedback report is based on submissions to us via an online form and Facebook.

ECDIS familiarisation ensures that master and navigating officers are familiar with the specific make and model of the ECDIS equipment onboard (including backup) before taking charge of a navigational watch.

A Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan (SEEMP) is a ship-specific plan to improve the energy efficiency of a ship.

Find out if you can get an equivalent certificate for your New Zealand engineering certificate of competency.

January - March 2026There were 336 reported incidents involving domestic commercial vessels in Quarter 1 of 2026. Of these, 45 were serious and 1 very serious.

Copyright © Australian Maritime Safety Authority.

The National Plan for Maritime Environmental Emergencies (the National Plan) was reviewed in 2023-2024. The review made 11 recommendations.