The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has experienced a steady increase in incident reports from 1,721 in 2013 to 3,017 reports in 2017. This is a 75% increase over a five-year period. For the period from 1 January to 30 June 2018, AMSA received 1,611 incident reports.
Key points to note
– During 2013-2017, the number of ship arrivals to Australian ports has increased by 21%.
From the 1611 incident reports in January-June 2018, the vast majority of occurrences (78%) concerned some form of technical issue.
– Among the technical issues, the most predominant occurrences relate to power, propulsion, and steering. This includes, for example, issues with a vessel’s main and auxiliary engines, and the steering gear and rudder.
AMSA uses incident data in combination with other sources of information, such as inspection and survey reports, research findings, accident investigations, and our day-to-day interaction with vessel crews, owners, and operators. This helps us gain a better understanding of the safety-related challenges and opportunities that exist in the maritime industry, and to develop strategies and support to suit the industry.
Marine incident reports are essential to maritime safety. When you report a marine incident to AMSA, (or indeed any maritime authority), you help shape the way maritime safety is improved. Your incident reports help help not only you, but everyone else at sea.
The incident reporting process
Incident reporting includes two simple steps for AMSA:
1. Submit incident alert: As soon as possible and within 4 hours after becoming aware of the incident, submit Form 18—Incident alert. The alerts inform AMSA that a serious event has occurred.
2. Submit incident report: Within 72 hours after becoming aware of the incident, submit Form 19—Incident report. The incident report provides detailed information about the incident, in particular the measures put in place to prevent reoccurrence.
Read the information brochure: AMSA-Marine-incident-reporting
