11 April 2019
Who does this notice affect?
This notice is of interest to all vessel masters and shipping agents who represent international commercial vessels for the purposes of Australian biosecurity clearance.
Which forms have been updated?
Pre-arrival reporting offline forms on the department’s website have been updated for vessel biosecurity reporting and clearance. These five updated forms can be used by vessel masters or officers where there is limited or unreliable internet connectivity for reporting as part of MARS:
- Pre-Arrival Report (PAR)
- Non-First Point of Entry Application (NFP)
- Ballast Water Report (BWR)
- Human Health Update
- Domestic Risk Assessment Application
What has changed in the forms?
Updates to the forms include updated information to reflect the current data contained in MARS:
- Revised shipping agencies
- New non-first points of entry (NFP)
- New IMO approved ballast water management treatment systems
- The rationalisation of ballast water systems names
- A clarification of insectocutor advice in the livestock PAR.
The list of ballast water offline form of treatment systems has been updated in line with the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) published list of ballast water management systems that received basic approval from the IMO, as at January 2019. The rationalisation of ballast water systems names reduces the total number of treatment systems listed, making it simpler to select the appropriate one, e.g. BalPure BP3000/1000 will now display simply as BalPure.
In the livestock reporting section of the PAR, clarification has been provided on the use of insectocutors and the collection of insects.
What do you need to do?
The updated forms are now available on the department’s website for download, to be used for submission into MARS from Saturday 13 April 2019.
It is important vessel masters and shipping agencies use the most current version of forms to minimise errors when submitting information into MARS. These forms were previously updated on 6 September 2017. The department limits changes to reduce any impact on our industry partners.
Where can you find the forms?
The updated offline forms are available on the department’s website.
Further information
Contact the department’s Maritime National Coordination Centre (MNCC) by email or phone 1300 004 605 (in Australia) or +61 8 8201 6185 (outside Australia). Information and MARS supporting materials can be found on the department’s website under Vessels.