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.

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

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.

This marine notice advises vessel owners, vessel operators, masters, officers, seafarer training organisations and industry organisations that AMSA does not consider electronic visual distress signals (EVDs) to be a suitable replacement for pyrotechnic distress signals.

On 14 July 1975 the Marine Operations Centre in Canberra was alerted that the oil tanker Princess Anne Marie had sustained a large crack in its hull approximately 300 miles off Western Australian.

The provision of adequate port waste reception facilities for ship-generated waste is vital to preventing marine pollution.

Procedures for STCW courses provided by Registered training organisations including e-learning, distance learning and blended learning, GMDSS ROC and short courses.

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.

Process for registered training organisations delivering continued competence STCW courses in sea survival and fire fighting.

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 are responsible for handling health and safety issues for personnel on prescribed ships that are engaged in trade or commerce on international and domestic voyages.

This safety lesson describes how experienced Queensland prawn trawl fisher, Tony Sterling, developed an inpull winch that pulls in both sides of the trawl gear at the same time. The winch has delivered major safety benefits because crew no longer need to go out onto the booms.

A powered barge with a mounted crane became unstable and capsized in 3.5 metres of water during lifting operations of a concrete structure.

Preventing and suppressing acts of piracy and armed robbery against ships.