The consultation closed on Wednesday 2 October 2019.
Marine order 63 provides information about reporting requirements for vessels travelling within Australian designated reporting areas—known as MASTREP and REEFREP.
The Modernised Australian Ship Tracking and Reporting System (MASTREP) area and REEFREP (an interactive mandatory ship reporting system) area encompasses the Great Barrier Reef and Torres Strait.
Within the MASTREP area, the order applies to the following:
- regulated Australian vessels
- foreign vessels from arrival at their first port in Australia until departure from their final port in Australia.
Domestic commercial vessels are also encouraged to participate in the system.
Within the REEFREP area, the order applies to:
- Vessels 50 metres or more in length.
- All oil tankers, liquefied gas carriers and chemical tankers.
- Vessels involved in towing or pushing one of these vessels.
- Vessels involved in a towing or pushing operation when the overall length of the tow is 150 metres or more.
Key changes
With the implementation of the Automatic Identification System (AIS) as the primary source of position reporting throughout the area, the designated mandatory reporting points within the REEFREP system have been removed as they are no longer required operationally.
The proposed new Marine order 63 (Vessel reporting systems) will amend the order where necessary, together with a revision of the information required from the remaining reports prescribed to be given by masters. This change will reduce the burden on vessel masters.
Other proposed changes include:
- The Pre-Entry Report has been renamed the Entry Report, with consequential amendments throughout the order.
- Position reports must now be sent automatically by AIS, and any malfunction or deliberate deactivation of the AIS by a vessel master must be reported to the Vessel Traffic Services (VTS).
- Entry/Exit reports are no longer prescribed, so the list in Schedule 4 has been removed.
Commencement
It is proposed that this amended order will come into effect on 1 January 2020.