As Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) informs, following public consultation earlier this year, a revised Marine Order 27 relating to navigation safety measures and equipment, radio equipment, and safety, urgency and distress communication will take effect on 1 January 2024.
Marine Order 27 (Safety of navigation and radio equipment) 2023 is a reissue of Marine Order 27 (Safety of navigation and radio equipment) 2016 Compilation no.3, Compilation date: 1 January 2020.
Marine Order 27 gives effect to SOLAS Regulations relating to radiocommunications and safety of navigation and sets out the requirements for navigation safety measures and equipment; radio equipment; and danger, urgency and distress signals and messages.
The new marine order contains the following key changes:
- incorporating amendments to SOLAS Chapter IV ‘Radiocommunications’ from IMO Resolution MSC.496(105), noting there are no resulting changes to carriage requirements
- incorporating amendments to SOLAS Chapter V ‘Safety of Navigation’ from IMO Resolution MSC.496(105), noting there are no resulting changes to carriage requirements
- updating SOLAS requirements, including their application to regulated Australian vessels and foreign flagged vessels
- removing Schedule 2 IMO Resolutions
- minor updates to Schedule 3 GMDSS equipment for vessels to which Chapter IV of SOLAS does not apply
- removing Schedule 4 Station frequencies for GMDSS distress and safety communications
- including mandatory registration of EPIRBs on regulated Australian vessels (RAVs)
- including penalty units for turning off some equipment, including Automatic Identification System (AIS) and Long-Range Identification and Tracking (LRIT)
- updating definitions, including EPIRB, qualified compass adjuster and NAVAREA X
- updating Division 4 to improve consistency with the Radio Regulations and remove duplication
- revision of formatting and terminology to reflect current drafting practice.
