14 February 2020
Who does this notice affect?
This notice is of interest to all vessel masters and shipping agents who represent international commercial and non-commercial vessels for the purposes of Australian biosecurity clearance.
What has changed?
To assist the department in managing the Australian Government’s response to novel coronavirus (COVID-19), the Maritime Arrivals Reporting System’s (MARS) pre-arrival report (PAR) for commercial vessels has been updated. There are now three additional mandatory COVID-19 questions to be answered.
What do you need to do?
Complete your PAR in MARS as per usual. The three mandatory COVID-19 questions are located in the Human Health section of the PAR in MARS.
Offline forms have been updated for use from Sunday 16 February 2020. It is only when using any the offline forms that you will need to download the latest DAWE versions available from the department’s website. Using the most current version of forms will minimise errors when submitting information into MARS.
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.
Contact the Department of Health www.health.gov.au for information regarding the Novel Coronavirus.