AMSA MO 2012/9
Marine Order 50, issue 6 (Special purpose ships)
I, Mick Kinley, Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, make this Order under subsection 425(1AA) of the Navigation Act 1912.
2 November 2012
Mick Kinley
Acting Chief Executive Officer
Division 1 Preliminary....................................................................................... 3
1 Name of Order............................................................................................... 3
2 Commencement............................................................................................. 3
3 Repeal of Marine Orders Part 50, issue 5......................................................... 3
4 Purpose......................................................................................................... 3
5 Power............................................................................................................ 3
6 Definitions..................................................................................................... 3
7 Interpretation.................................................................................................. 4
8 Application.................................................................................................... 4
Division 2 Exemptions and equivalents...................................................... 4
9 Exemptions................................................................................................... 4
10 Equivalents.................................................................................................... 5
Division 3 Existing ships and ships of less than 500 gross tonnage.. 5
11 Compliance with the SPS Code....................................................................... 5
Division 4 Prescribed special purpose ships and persons................... 6
12 Prescribed special purpose ships................................................................... 6
13 Prescribed persons........................................................................................ 6
Division 5 Special purpose ship safety certificate.................................... 6
14 Special purpose ship safety certificate required............................................... 6
15 Application for a special purpose ship safety certificate................................... 6
16 Survey requirements....................................................................................... 6
17 Issue of a special purpose ship safety certificate............................................. 6
Division 6 Special personnel.......................................................................... 7
18 Training of special personnel.......................................................................... 7
Schedule 1 Modification of section 206S of the Navigation Act............... 8
Division 1 Preliminary
1 Name of Order
This Order is Marine Order 50, issue 6.
2 Commencement
This Order commences on the day after it is registered.
3 Repeal of Marine Orders Part 50, issue 5
Marine Orders Part 50, issue 5 is repealed.
4 Purpose
4.1 This Order provides for matters relating to the construction, equipment and operation of special purpose ships and the training requirements for special personnel.
4.2 This Order gives effect to the Code of Safety for Special Purpose Ships.
5 Power
5.1 Section 283A of the Navigation Act provides that the regulations may:
(a) provide for special purpose ships or special personnel for any matter for which provision is made by the Act; and
(b) provide that a specified provision of the Act does not apply, or applies with prescribed modifications, to special purpose ships or special personnel.
5.2 Subsection 425(1) of the Navigation Act provides for regulations to be made prescribing matters required or permitted to be prescribed or that are necessary or convenient to be prescribed for carrying out or giving effect to the Act.
5.3 Subsection 425(1AA) of the Navigation Act provides that AMSA may make orders about any matter for which provision may be made by regulation.
6 Definitions
In this Order:
crew means each person who works on a ship on the business of the ship, including:
(a) navigating the ship; or
(b) maintaining the ship, its machinery, systems and arrangements essential for propulsion and safe navigation; or
(c) providing services for other persons on board the ship.
existing ship means a ship constructed before 1 May 1987 other than a ship that, after 30 April 1987, is modified resulting in any of the following:
(a) a change to the length, breadth or least moulded depth of the ship;
(b) a change in the use or intended use of the ship;
(c) a change in the ship’s gross tonnage by more than 10%.
special personnel has the same meaning as in section 283 of the Navigation Act.
special purpose ship safety certificate means a special purpose ship safety certificate issued under section 15.
SPS Code means the Code of Safety for Special Purpose Ships adopted by IMO Resolution MSC.266(84), as amended by MSC.299(87).
Note 1 Some expressions used in this Order are defined or explained in Marine Order 1 (Administration), including:
· AMSA
· IMO
· Marine Order
· Navigation Act
· penal provision
· SOLAS.
Note 2 Some expressions used in this Order are defined in the Navigation Act, including:
· certificate of survey
· passenger
· passenger ship safety certificate
· passenger ship short voyage safety certificate
· surveyor
· survey authority.
Note 3 For the value of a penalty unit — see Crimes Act 1914, s 4AA.
7 Interpretation
7.1 A reference to the Administration in the SPS Code, an IMO resolution or document mentioned in this Order is taken to mean AMSA.
Note Copies of IMO resolutions and circulars mentioned in this Order are available from AMSA.
7.2 In this Order, the date when a ship was constructed is the date when the lesser of the following occurs:
(a) at least 50 tonnes of the ship is assembled;
(b) at least 1% of the proposed total mass of the structural material of the ship is assembled.
8 Application
This Order applies to a special purpose ship:
(a) registered in Australia; or
(b) engaged on a voyage commencing or terminating at a port in Australia or an Australian Territory.
Division 2 Exemptions and equivalents
9 Exemptions
9.1 A person may apply for an exemption from a requirement of this Order in accordance with the application process mentioned in Marine Order 1 (Administration).
Note A fee may be determined for processing an application under this section — see Australian Maritime Safety Authority Act 1990, s 47.
9.2 AMSA may give an exemption, subject to any conditions that AMSA thinks appropriate, only if AMSA is satisfied that:
(a) compliance with a provision of this Order would be unnecessary or unreasonable having regard to a ship, its equipment and its intended voyage; and
(b) the granting of the exemption would not contravene:
(i) the SPS Code; or
(ii) SOLAS.
Note For internal and external review of decisions about applications — see Marine Order 1 (Administration).
9.3 The master of the ship must ensure that a copy of the exemption is kept on the ship for the duration of each voyage to which the exemption applies.
This is a penal provision.
10 Equivalents
10.1 This section applies if:
(a) the SPS Code requires a particular fitting, material, appliance or apparatus to be fitted or carried in a ship (the required thing); and
(b) another thing (the equivalent) exists that:
(i) could be fitted in a ship instead of the required thing; and
(ii) may be at least as effective as the required thing; and
(c) a person wants to fit the equivalent in the ship.
10.2 The person may apply for approval for the equivalent to be fitted in the ship in accordance with the application process mentioned in Marine Order 1 (Administration).
10.3 AMSA may approve the fitting of the equivalent to the ship if AMSA is satisfied that:
(a) the equivalent is at least as effective as the required thing; and
(b) the granting of the exemption would not contravene:
(i) the SPS Code; or
(ii) SOLAS.
Note For internal and external review of decisions about applications — see Marine Order 1 (Administration).
Division 3 Existing ships and ships of less than 500 gross tonnage
11 Compliance with the SPS Code
For an existing ship or a ship of less than 500 gross tonnage, AMSA may decide that a ship that does not comply with the SPS Code is taken to comply with the SPS Code if AMSA is satisfied that it is reasonable and practical in the circumstances, taking into account:
(a) the ship; and
(b) the ship’s equipment; and
(c) the intended operations of the ship.
Division 4 Prescribed special purpose ships and persons
12 Prescribed special purpose ships
For the definition of special purpose ship in section 283 of the Navigation Act, a special purpose ship is a self-propelled ship that, for its function, carries onboard:
(a) at least 13 special personnel; or
(b) more than 12 people, of whom at least 1 is special personnel and no more than 12 are passengers.
13 Prescribed persons
For paragraph (d) of the definition of special personnel in section 283 of the Navigation Act, each of the following persons is a prescribed person:
(a) a passenger;
(b) a person who is on the business of the ship.
Division 5 Special purpose ship safety certificate
14 Special purpose ship safety certificate required
14.1 For subsection 283A(2) of the Navigation Act, section 206S of the Navigation Act applies to special purpose ships and special personnel with the modifications mentioned in Schedule 1.
14.2 The master or owner of a special purpose ship who takes the ship to sea or permits the ship to be taken to sea must ensure that the ship has a special purpose ship safety certificate.
15 Application for a special purpose ship safety certificate
The owner of a special purpose ship may apply for a special purpose ship safety certificate in accordance with the application process mentioned in Marine Order 31 (Ship surveys and certification).
Note A fee may be determined for processing an application under this section — see the Australian Maritime Safety Authority Act 1990, s 47.
16 Survey requirements
Sections 8, 9, 10 and 13 of Marine Order 31 (Ship surveys and certification) apply to the survey of a special purpose ship as if the special purpose ship were a cargo ship.
17 Issue of a special purpose ship safety certificate
17.1 A survey authority may issue a special purpose ship safety certificate if the ship is surveyed and AMSA or the survey authority is satisfied that:
(a) the ship complies with the SPS Code; or
(b) AMSA decides, under section 11, that the ship is taken to comply with the SPS Code.
17.2 Provisions 14 and 16 of Marine Order 31 (Ship surveys and certification) apply to a special purpose ship safety certificate as if it were a Cargo Ship Safety Certificate.
17.3 A special purpose ship safety certificate must be in the approved form.
Note 1 For the use of an approved form — see Marine Order 1 (Administration), Division 4 (Approved forms).
Note 2 Approved forms are available on AMSA’s website at http://www.amsa.gov.au.
17.4 A ship constructed before 1 January 2010 may use a special purpose ship safety certificate issued under:
(a) this section; or
(b) Marine Orders Part 50, issue 4.
Division 6 Special personnel
18 Training of special personnel
18.1 The master of a special purpose ship may take the ship to sea only if he or she is satisfied that each special personnel onboard:
(a) knows the layout of the ship and the location of emergency equipment; and
(b) has received training onboard the ship in safety procedures for:
(i) emergencies that may occur on that particular type of ship; and
(ii) handling the ship’s safety equipment.
This is a penal provision.
18.2 The master must record the following:
(a) information given about the layout of the ship for paragraph 18.1(a);
(b) training given for paragraph 18.1(b).
18.3 The master may request information required to satisfy him or herself that a person has sufficient training to undertake all the duties required of the person on board the vessel.
18.4 The master may request the information mentioned in subsection 18.3 from:
(a) the employer of a person who is special personnel; or
(b) the person directly.
Schedule 1 Modification of section 206S of the Navigation Act
(section 14.1)
[1] Paragraphs 206S(1)(a) and (b)
substitute
(a) a passenger ship safety certificate and a passenger certificate; or
(b) if the voyage is a short international voyage, a passenger ship short voyage safety certificate and a passenger certificate; or
(c) if the ship is a special purpose ship:
(i) a certificate of survey for a cargo ship; and
(ii) a special purpose ship safety certificate;
[2] Paragraphs 206S(2)(b)
substitute
(b) for a special purpose ship — the ship has:
(i) a certificate of survey for a cargo ship; and
(ii) a special purpose ship safety certificate; or
(c) the master of a ship would not, if the voyage were an international voyage, commit an offence against subsection (1) if he or she took the ship to sea on the voyage.
Note
1. All legislative instruments and compilations are registered on the Federal Register of Legislative Instruments kept under the Legislative Instruments Act 2003. See http://www.frli.gov.au.
