31 August 2022
Who does this notice affect?
All vessel owners, operators, masters, shipping agents, defence forces and maritime industry personnel who represent and/or interact with international commercial and military vessels, excluding cruise vessels for the purposes of Australian biosecurity clearance.
What has changed?
The Biosecurity Act provides for biosecurity measures to be put in place in relation to conveyances and goods under biosecurity control if the level of biosecurity risk associated with the goods or conveyance is unacceptable.
A biosecurity measure has been introduced for commercial and military vessels in response to the risk of foot and mouth disease (FMD).
Advice for commercial and military vessels will be changing in the Maritime Arrivals Reporting System (MARS) to reflect this biosecurity measure, with a new Biosecurity Status Document (BSD) condition for commercial and military vessels:
All commercial and military vessels that departed an Indonesian port as their last port, prior to arrival into Australian territory, are asked to have a foot bath at the bottom of all active gangways whilst in Australian ports. (If vessels are unable to have a footbath at the bottom of a gangway due to WHS reasons the master or agent is to contact the local Biosecurity office). Footbaths need to contain a solution of 4% soda ash or 3% Citric Acid or Virkon S (as per manufacturer’s instructions). All persons disembarking the vessel are to be encouraged to use foot baths in footwear visibly free from organic material (That means footwear must be clean prior to the footbaths being used). The Biosecurity Act provides for biosecurity measures to be put in place in relation to conveyances and goods under biosecurity control if the level of biosecurity risk associated with the goods or conveyance is unacceptable. Crew are asked to ensure foot baths are maintained at all times whilst in Australian ports.
What do you need to do?
The vessel master must ensure that a footbath containing a disinfectant solution is placed at the bottom of all active gangways (an example of a footbath is provided at figure 1).
Footbaths are required to contain:
- 4% soda ash solution;
- 3% citric acid solution; or
- Virkon S®, prepared according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Footbaths should be maintained at all times whilst in Australian ports. The disinfectant solution should be replenished on a regular basis to ensure the sole of the shoe is covered.
All persons disembarking the vessel are encouraged to use the footbath. Footwear must be visibly free from organic material prior to the footbath being used.
Waste material from the footbath must be disposed of into a Biosecurity bin.
Figure 1. An example of a footbath
Further information
Contact the department’s National Maritime Centre (NMC) by email or phone 1300 004 605 (in Australia) or +61 8 8201 6185 (outside Australia).
The latest information on FMD is published on the department’s website: Foot-and-mouth disease.
Information and MARS supporting materials can be found on the department’s website under MARS communications and training materials.