Please find attached Marine Notice 5/2015 published by Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA). The Circular is being issued with the intention for all ship owners to bring to the notice of shipmasters, the key obligations while transiting through the Great Barrier Reef and Torres Strait.

For details of all regulatory and other obligations and duties of vessel owners/operators, masters and crew, refer to AMSA website: www.amsa.gov.au.

Quick guide - Navigation through the Great Barrier Reef and Torres Strait

The safety of shipping within the Great Barrier Reef and Torres Strait requires all involved to have detailed knowledge of, and comply with, all regulatory-imposed obligations and duties.

A new AMSA webpage provides a quick reference guide to the key obligations of masters, crew and ship owners/operators when transiting the Great Barrier Reef and Torres Strait.

www.amsa.gov.au/navigation/quick-guide-gbr-torres

This webpage does not contain or summarise all the regulatory and other obligations and duties of ship owners/operators, masters and crew.

The page provides relevant links to detailed information, current marine notices and media releases on the following:

• Particularly Sensitive Sea Areas
• Coastal Pilotage
• Queensland Coastal Passage Plan(QCPP)
• REEFVTS
• Great Barrier Reef Marine ParkDesignated Shipping Area
• Defect and incident reporting
• Disposal of garbage
• Charts and publications
• Fitness for duty
• Port State Control

To further promote knowledge of this guidance material, all pre-entry reports submitted to REEFVTS will be acknowledged with a message alerting ship masters of requirements for transiting Great Barrier Reef and Torres Strait waters, including a link to this new webpage.

Gary Prosser
Deputy Chief Executive Officer
April 2015

Australian Maritime Safety Authority
GPO Box 2181
CANBERRA ACT 2601
File No. 2012/342-02