Marine Order 97 (Marine pollution prevention — air pollution) Amendment 2016 (No. 1)

Administered by Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts

Legislation au F2016L01720 Not in force Legislative Instrument

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Explanatory Statement

Marine Order 97 (Marine pollution prevention air pollution) Amendment 2016 (No. 1) (Order 2016/14)

Authority

  1. This Order was made under both subsection 342(1) of the Navigation Act 2012 (Navigation Act) and subsection 34(1) of the Protection of the Sea (Prevention of Pollution from Ships) Act 1983 (Pollution Prevention Act). The Order amends Marine Order 97 (Marine pollution prevention — air pollution) Amendment 2016 (No. 1) (Marine Order 97) that was also made under those provisions.
  2. Subsection 339(1) of the Navigation Act authorises the Governor-General to make regulations necessary or convenient for carrying out or giving effect to the Act.
  3. Subsection 342(1) of the Navigation Act allows the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) to make orders for any matter in the Act for or in relation to which provision must or may be made by the regulations.
  4. Subsection 33(1) of the Pollution Prevention Act authorises the Governor-General to make regulations necessary or convenient for carrying out or giving effect to the Pollution Prevention Act, particularly for giving effect to MARPOL.
  5. Subsection 34(1) of the Pollution Prevention Act allows AMSA to make orders for any matter in the Act for or in relation to which provision must or may be made by the regulations.
  6. Subsection 33(3) of the Acts Interpretation Act 1901 provides that a power in an Act to make a legislative instrument includes the power to repeal or amend the instrument, subject to any conditions that apply to the initial power.
  7. This Order is a legislative instrument for the Legislation Act 2003.

Purpose

8. This Order amends Marine Order 97 (Marine pollution prevention – air pollution) 2013 (Marine Order 97). Marine Order 97 gives effect to Annex VI of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) and also provides matters for Chapter 4 of the Navigation Act and Part IID of the Pollution Prevention Act.

9. The Order updates references to some guidelines and standards adopted by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to refer to the latest adopted versions. The Order also implements the waiver provision set out in MARPOL Annex VI, Regulation 19.4.

10.          The Order also updates some notes in Marine Order 97 so they refer to where referenced material may be located on the AMSA website and to explain requirements of Annex VI of MARPOL.

Overview

11.          This Order gives effect to Annex VI of MARPOL by amending Marine Order 97. Annex VI deals with the control, inspection and certification of air pollution prevention measures on ships.

12.          The Order amends Marine Order 97 to incorporate by reference the latest Guidelines for exhaust gas cleaning systems adopted by the International Maritime Organization ((IMO). The Guidelines supersede the previously incorporated 2009 Guidelines and are necessary to maintain agreed control of emissions of sulphur oxides (SOx). The Order also updates notes to refer to the latest IMO adopted shipboard incinerator standards and guidelines for calculating attained Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) for new ships. Notes will now point readers to the main AMSA website at relevant points. Another note has been updated to refer to the provision in Marine Order 31 (Ship surveys and certification) 2014 that sets out prescribed periods of reporting of marine incidents instead of to the provision of the previous Order.

13.          As Marine Order 1 (Administration) 2011 has been repealed and replaced by Marine Order 1 (Administration) 2013, the opportunity has been taken to update all references in Marine Order 97 to Marine Order 1 (Administration) 2011 to refer to Marine Order 1 (Administration) 2013. These amendments are of a minor technical nature only as under subsection 39(2) of Marine Order 1 (Administration) 2013 all references in Marine Orders to Marine Order 1 (Administration) 2011 are to be taken to be references to Marine Order 1 (Administration) 2013.

Consultation

14.          A copy of the draft of this Order was placed on the AMSA website for public comment on 16 August 2016 for a 4 week consultation period. A copy of the draft Order was also emailed to 160 stakeholders, including ship operators, recognised organisations, shipping and cargo industry bodies, port authorities, training organisations, seafarer representative organisations and various government agencies. One submission was received but did not relate to the current amendment.

15.          The Office of Best Practice Regulation (OBPR) considers that the changes made by the Order have regulatory impacts of a minor nature and no regulation impact statement is required. The OBPR reference number is 20965.

Documents incorporated by reference

16.          This Order incorporates by reference into Marine Order 97 the 2015 Guidelines for exhaust gas cleaning systems as adopted by IMO Resolution MEPC.259(68).

17.          These guidelines are freely available from the IMO website at http://www.imo.org. Detailed information on how to navigate the IMO website to obtain access to these guidelines is available from the Marine Order link at http://www.amsa.gov.au. Information on obtaining copies of IMO documents mentioned in the Order is also available from AMSA by emailing international.relations@amsa.gov.au.

Commencement

18.          This Order commenced on 1 December 2016.

Contents of this instrument

19.          Section 1 sets out the name of this Order.

20.          Section 2 provides for the commencement of the Order.

21.          Section 3 provides that Schedule 1 amends Marine Order 97.

22.          Item 1 of Schedule 1 replaces note 1 to section 6 so that it refers to Marine Order 1 (Administration) 2013 instead of to Marine Order 1 (Administration) 2011 and removes a reference to an expression no longer used in the Order.

23.          Item 2 of Schedule 1 adds a note to section 6 to inform readers that information on how to obtain documents mentioned in Marine Order 97 is available from the Marine Orders link on the AMSA website.

24.          Item 3 of Schedule 1 replaces section 9 with a section that deals with both equivalents and waivers. This implements the waiver provision set out in MARPOL Annex VI, Regulation 19.4.

25.          Item 4 of Schedule 1 updates a reference to a standard in the note to section 22, to refer to the 2014 Standard specification for shipboard incinerators adopted by IMO Resolution MEPC.244(66).

26.          Item 5 of Schedule 1 replaces, in the note to section 26, the reference to section 13A of old Marine Order 31 (Ship surveys and certification) 2006 with a reference to the equivalent provision in new Marine Order 31 (Ship surveys and certification) 2015.  

27.          Item 6 of Schedule 1 updates a reference to guidelines, in the note to section 27, to refer to the 2014 Guidelines on the method of calculation of the Attained Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) for new ships adopted by IMO Resolution MEPC.245(66).

28.          Item 7 of Schedule 1 changes the Guidelines incorporated by reference for the purpose of controlling SOx emissions under Annex VI of MARPOL. The Guidelines now incorporated are those adopted by IMO Resolution MEPC.259(68) (the 2015 Guidelines). The Guidelines previously incorporated were those adopted by IMO Resolution MEPC.184(59) (the 2009 Guidelines).

29.          Item 8 of Schedule 1 also changes the Guidelines incorporated by reference from the 2009 Guidelines to the 2015 Guidelines in order to maintain the appropriate SOx emissions controls.

30.          Item 9 of Schedule 1 replaces the definition of the 2009 Guidelines for section 31 with a definition of the 2015 Guidelines so that the updated guidelines are incorporated by reference in that section.

31.          Item 10 of Schedule 1 amends the note to subsection 34(2) to refer those seeking an approved form for a Local Fuel Oil Suppliers Initial Declaration to the AMSA website.

32.          Item 11 of Schedule 1 also amends the note to subsection 34(3) to refer those seeking an approved form for a Local Fuel Oil Suppliers Initial Declaration to the AMSA website.

33.          Item 12 of Schedule 1 replaces, in multiple notes and subsections, each mention of Marine Order 1 (Administration) 2011 with Marine Order 1 (Administration) 2013, following repeal of the 2011 Order and its replacement with the 2013 Order.

Statement of compatibility with human rights

34.          This statement is made for subsection 9(1) of the Human Rights (Parliamentary Scrutiny) Act 2011.

Overview of the legislative instrument

35.          This Order amends Marine Order 97 (Marine pollution prevention — air pollution) 2013. Marine Order 97 gives effect to Annex VI of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) and also provides matters for Chapter 4 of the Navigation Act 2012 and Part IID of the Protection of the Sea (Prevention of Pollution from Ships) Act 1983.

36.          The Order updates references to standards and guidelines adopted by the International Maritime Organisation (the IMO), including guidelines incorporated by reference, to new versions of those standards and guidelines that have been adopted by the IMO. In addition, the waiver provisions under MARPOL Annex VI, Regulation 19.4 have been implemented.

37.          The opportunity has been taken to update references to the superseded Marine Order 1 (Administration) 2011 and Marine Order 31 (Ship surveys and certification) 2006. These Orders have been replaced with Marine Order 1 (Administration) 2013 and Marine Order 31 (Vessel surveys and certification) 2015, respectively.

Human rights implications

38.          This instrument does not engage any of the rights or freedoms recognised or declared in the international instruments listed in section 3 of the Human Rights (Parliamentary Scrutiny) Act 2011.

Conclusion

39.          AMSA considers that this instrument is compatible with human rights. It does not affect any rights or freedoms to which the Human Rights (Parliamentary Scrutiny) Act 2011 applies.

Making the instrument 

40.          This instrument has been made by the Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, in accordance with subsection 49(4) of the Australian Maritime Safety Authority Act 1990.

Overview

The Marine Order 97 (Marine pollution prevention — air pollution) Amendment 2016 (No. 1) (Order 2016/14) was enacted to address gaps and update provisions in Marine Order 97, which implements Annex VI of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) concerning air pollution prevention. This amendment was made under the authority of both the Navigation Act 2012 and the Protection of the Sea (Prevention of Pollution from Ships) Act 1983, with the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) as the enacting body. The primary objective of this amendment was to update references to the latest guidelines and standards adopted by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and to implement the waiver provision set out in MARPOL Annex VI, Regulation 19.4. This Order ensures that Australia's maritime pollution prevention measures remain aligned with international standards and practices, thereby contributing to global efforts in mitigating air pollution from ships.

Scope and Application

The Marine Order 97 (Marine pollution prevention — air pollution) Amendment 2016 (No. 1) amends Marine Order 97 to implement the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) Annex VI and relevant Australian legislation, specifically the Navigation Act 2012 and the Protection of the Sea (Prevention of Pollution from Ships) Act 1983. This Order applies to ships operating under the Australian flag, foreign ships entering Australian waters, and any entities involved in the shipping industry that are subject to the regulations outlined in the Order. The Order updates references to the latest International Maritime Organization (IMO) guidelines and standards, as well as implementing the waiver provisions in MARPOL Annex VI, Regulation 19.4. The amendments aim to maintain the control of sulphur oxide emissions and ensure compliance with updated IMO guidelines and standards. The Order does not specify any exclusions, exemptions, or thresholds, but it does note that any further application or restrictions are governed by subordinate instruments which may extend or restrict the application of the Order. The Order commenced on 1 December 2016.

Key Provisions

The Marine Order 97 (Marine Pollution Prevention — Air Pollution) Amendment 2016 (No. 1) (Order 2016/14) amends the Marine Order 97, which implements the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) Annex VI, relating to air pollution prevention. The key sections of this Order involve updating references to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) guidelines and standards, incorporating the latest adopted versions to ensure compliance with MARPOL Annex VI. Specifically, the Order replaces the 2009 Guidelines for exhaust gas cleaning systems with the 2015 Guidelines adopted by IMO Resolution MEPC.259(68) to maintain the control of sulphur oxides (SOx) emissions. It also updates notes to reflect the latest shipboard incinerator standards and guidelines for calculating the Attained Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) for new ships. Furthermore, references to the superseded Marine Order 1 (Administration) 2011 have been updated to refer to Marine Order 1 (Administration) 2013, and references to Marine Order 31 (Ship surveys and certification) 2006 have been updated to Marine Order 31 (Vessel surveys and certification) 2015. The waiver provisions under MARPOL Annex VI, Regulation 19.4, have also been implemented. This Act imposes obligations on parties and entities to comply with the updated guidelines and standards incorporated by reference. Ship operators and other entities governed by Marine Order 97 must ensure that they adhere to the new 2015 Guidelines for exhaust gas cleaning systems, and any other updated standards and guidelines. They must also be aware of the waiver provisions under MARPOL Annex VI, Regulation 19.4, and ensure compliance where applicable. Furthermore, any reference to the superseded guidelines, standards, and orders must be updated in accordance with the provisions of this Order. Failure to comply with the updated guidelines and standards may result in non-compliance with international regulations and potential penalties under both the Navigation Act 2012 and the Protection of the Sea (Prevention of Pollution from Ships) Act 1983. The Navigation Act 2012 and the Protection of the Sea (Prevention of Pollution from Ships) Act 1983 provide for offences and penalties for breaches of their provisions. Non-compliance with the updated guidelines and standards incorporated by the Marine Order 97 (Marine Pollution Prevention — Air Pollution) Amendment 2016 (No. 1) (Order 2016/14) could lead to enforcement actions under these Acts. The Navigation Act 2012 imposes penalties for non-compliance with marine pollution prevention measures, including fines and imprisonment. Under the Protection of the Sea (Prevention of Pollution from Ships) Act 1983, penalties include fines up to $220,000 for individuals and $1,100,000 for corporations, along with potential imprisonment terms. These penalties reflect the seriousness of marine pollution and the importance of adhering to international conventions and standards.

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Sourced from the Federal Register of Legislation at 26 August 2026. For the latest information on Australian Government law please go to https://www.legislation.gov.au.