safety rules for shipping

Australia sets new safety rules for shipping

Environmental and safety aspects could be of use to Pacific island countries where shipping is still very much the life blood of island economies.

Australia has set a new world standard in international shipping with the accep tance of its proposal for mandatory ship reporting in the Great Barrier Reef and Torres Strait by an International Maritime Organisation (IMO) sub-committee.

The development could be of great interest to PICs where shipping is still very much the lifeblood of island economies.

The Minister for Transport, Laurie Brereton, says that mandatory reporting was a key part of the Federal Government’s strategy to protect the Great Barrier Reef and Torres Strait.

“This proposal is a ‘world first’ in any international waters and one which will sig nificantly improve the navigational safety of shipping and reduce the risk of a maritime accident,” Brereton said.

“All ships over 50 metres in length and those carrying hazardous cargo will be required to supply regular details of their locations, speed, course and cargo.

“Ships approaching an intricate part of their route, or overtaking in heavy traffic, will be supplied with information by the closest monitoring centre.”

Brereton said the mandatory reporting system was developed in full consultation with pilot organisations and the maritime industry, and was supported by the Papua New Guinea Government.

It will be controlled from a monitoring centre at Hay Point, near Mackay, and will be operated by VHF radio, complemented by radar coverage at focal points near Cairns and in the Whitsunday Islands.

The mandatory reporting system was the first to be submitted to the IMO follow-

ing the adoption of new provisions in the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea in May this year.

The IMO’s Safety of Navigation subcommittee unanimously supported the proposal put forward in London by a delegation comprising senior officers of the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, the Queensland Department of Transport, the

Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, and the Royal Australian Navy Hydrographer.

Subject to formal adoption by the IMO’s Maritime Safety Committee in mid-1996, the mandatory reporting system will begin operating on 1 January 1997. ■

(From: Australian-South Pacific Newsletter)

The Great Barrier Reef.