Australian Maritime Safety Authority

Marine safety activities of AMSA include: • the provision, operation and maintenance of a network of marine aids to navigation, for example, lighthouses • ensuring the seaworthiness and safe operation of Australian and foreign vessels in Australian waters, including the enforcement of compulsory pilotage and • the development of a maritime safety commercial vessel legislative framework and operating system. • representing Australia at international bodies such as the International Maritime Organization, International Organization for Marine Aids to Navigation, International Civil Aviation Organization and Asia-Pacific Heads of Maritime Safety Agencies. AMSA aims to protect the marine environment by administering programs to prevent and respond to the threat of ship-sourced marine pollution; and together with the Australian Marine Oil Spill Centre, managing Australia's National Plan to combat pollution of the sea by oil and other noxious and hazardous substances. It is responsible for administering MARPOL 73/78, == Shipping registers ==

s is a new AMSA responsibility. AMSA maintains two shipping registers. Ships registered on an Australian shipping register have Australian nationality for international shipping law purposes. Unless otherwise exempt, Australian owned ships are required to be registered on the general or international shipping register if it is a domestic commercial vessel, 24 metres or over in tonnage length, capable of navigating the high seas, or any vessel travelling overseas. Vessels engaging in international trading that are at least 24 metres in tonnage length and wholly owned or operated by Australian residents, or by Australian residents and Australian nationals may apply to be registered on the international register. There are tax incentives for ships on the international register to make the register competitive with other registers, such as vessels being operated with mixed crews, with the majority of officers and crew not being required to be Australian citizens or residents. AMSA has delegated certain survey and certification functions to a number of recognised classification societies, which are members of the International Association of Classification Societies. The Council of Australian Governments (COAG) in 2011 directed AMSA to work co-operatively with the states and territories to create a national system for domestic commercial vessels, including any changes to Commonwealth, state and territory laws and administrative arrangements of the parties that are necessary to facilitate the reform. The new legislation came into effect in 2013, and the transition to the new system was completed in July 2018. == Emergency towage vessel capability ==

| label1 = Towing equipment | data1 = }} }} Coral Knight is an anchor handling tug supply vessel modified to fulfil the role of dedicated emergency towage vessel (ETV). It is the only ETV of its type in Australia and operates in the particularly sensitive sea areas of the northern Great Barrier Reef and Torres Strait. Coral Knight is also equipped to respond to other maritime incidents such as search and rescue or limiting the effects of ship-sourced pollution of the sea and carries oil pollution response equipment. ==Publications==

The Authority publishes a range of materials in relation to maritime safety.{{as of|2011|} } its maritime survival manual Survival at Sea: A Training and Instruction Manual is in its 6th edition. ==See also==