The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) recently issued a Marine Notice to provide guidance to vessel owners, operators and masters of requirements for the use, the operation of, and steps to be taken in the event of malfunction to, Exhaust Gas Cleaning Systems (EGCS) in Australian waters.

The Club would like to draw Members' attention to the update below from the Club's Correspondents in Australia.

Shipowners, operators and Masters should be aware that AMSA will be conducting a focused inspection campaign on planned maintenance from 15 January to 30 March 2022 for the purposes of determining compliance with maintenance requirements of international conventions.

The Club would like to draw Members' attention to the below update from the Club's Correspondents in Australia

The Club would like to draw to the attention of Members trading to Brazil a well written and comprehensive update on the cabotage trade in Brazil

The Club would like to draw Members' attention to the latest update dated 20.09.21 below from the Club's Legal Correspondents Cocks MacNish, Australia; previous updates from the correspondents on this subject may be accessed below this latest update.

​The Australian Maritime Safety Authority has released its 2021-2022 National Compliance Plan, consisting of five compliance focus area, is part of a continuous improvement-led approach to clearly identify safety and compliance priorities for domestic commercial vessels and regulated Australian and foreign-flagged commercial vessels in Australian waters.

Prolonged waiting periods of vessels carrying Australian coal to China: Cargo hazards and precautions while waiting to discharge coal

The following table lists countries which have imposed bans on vessels fitted with open-loop SOx scrubbers calling at their ports, and on the discharge of washwater from these scrubber systems within their port waters.

Alistair Sullivan of Thomas Miller Law provides an overview on the current position on cabotage trading in Australia.

The Club has recently been notified by our correspondent in Australia, HWL Ebsworth Lawyers, of an increase in fines for those polluting Australian waters.

Members are advised that the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has issued a new marine notice (2018/3), reminding vessel owners, operators and masters of the need to stow and secure cargo containers in accordance with approved arrangements.

The below notice has been disseminated by DP World Australia quoting the source as the Port Authority of New South Wales.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has published Marine Notice 7/2017 Guidance on ECDIS for Ships calling at Australian Ports.

The UK Club has received the following update from its correspondents, HWL Ebsworth Lawyers, regarding new requirements for imports in Australia.

Update on recent decision of Full Federal Court of Australia in Ship "Sam Hawk" v Reiter Petroleum Inc [2016] FCAFC 26

OUTLINE: The Group has revised its recommended pollution indemnity clause for charterparties. The revised clause has two amendments in respect of legal & defence costs and indemnity in the event of contributory fault. The clause was originally prompted by recent Australian legislation ( See our "Legal Briefing - Australia