31 August 2023
Who does this notice affect?
All vessel owners, operators, masters, and shipping agents who represent international cruise vessels in preparing for arrival in Australian territory and providing pre-arrival reporting.
What has changed?
Revised Live Plant Conveyance Log form
The department’s name and logo has been updated on the live plants conveyance log form to reflect the new name Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF).
Section 48 (2) of the Biosecurity Regulation 2016 states that the following detail must be provided in pre-arrival reporting for plants “details of any live plants or plants that have died on board the vessel during the voyage, including details of the maintenance history of the plants”.
What do you need to do?
Where a cruise vessel has live plants on board, this plant log form must be completed and emailed to the National Maritime Centre (NMC) once per voyage, following the mandatory PAR (Pre-Arrival Report) submission.
Where can you find the forms?
The updated form will be available for use on the department’s webpage: MARS offline forms from Thursday
31 August 2023.
Vessel masters and shipping agents are reminded:
- to read and understand the Biosecurity Status Document (BSD) directions and conditions and keep a copy of the current document on board the vessel for the duration of the voyage in Australia.
- that any changes in circumstances during the voyage in Australian waters, particularly changes to the human health of travellers, must be submitted via MARS or reported to the National Maritime Centre (NMC) as soon as practicable.
- that a failure to report accurately or comply with a requirement under the Biosecurity Act may result in penalties, including infringement notices, civil penalties, or criminal prosecutions.
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).View the Vessels webpages for information on Australia’s biosecurity reporting obligations and responsibilities.