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Department of Agriculture

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  1. Home
  2. Biosecurity and trade
  3. Vessels, aircraft and military
  4. Vessels
  5. Commercial vessel biosecurity reporting

Sidebar first - Biosecurity

  • Biosecurity and trade
    • Biosecurity
      • Catalysing Australia’s Biosecurity
      • Biosecurity 2030 Roadmap
      • Sustainable biosecurity funding
        • Proposed Biosecurity Protection Levy
      • Agricultural Competitiveness White Paper-Biosecurity Surveillance and Analysis
        • Improving biosecurity surveillance and analysis
        • Forum Communique-July 2017
        • Australian Livestock Industry Health Studies
      • Biosecurity Matters
        • Gardening
        • Farming
        • Domestic travel
        • International travel
        • Online shopping
        • Recreational fishing
        • Bushwalking
        • Owning pets
        • Boat owner
        • Long distance driver
      • Committees and partnerships
        • Sustainable Biosecurity Funding Advisory Panel
        • Industry Consultative committees
        • International Cargo Cooperative Biosecurity Arrangement
        • Australian Fumigation Accreditation Scheme
        • National Biosecurity Committee
          • National Biosecurity Forum
            • Previous forums
          • National Biosecurity Emergency Preparedness Expert Group
          • Sheep and Goat Traceability Task Force
          • State and territory biosecurity roundtables
          • Intergovernmental Agreement on Biosecurity
            • Intergovernmental Agreement on Biosecurity Review
              • 2024 Independent Review
                • Consultation
              • 2017 Independent Review
            • Protocol on biosecurity data and information sharing between the Commonwealth, State and Territory biosecurity agencies
            • National Surveillance and Diagnostics Framework
            • National Transition Program Policy Framework
            • National Biosecurity Engagement and Communication Framework
            • National Framework for the Management of Established Pests and Diseases of National Significance
          • National Biosecurity Response Team Arrangements 2017-2019
          • National Environment and Community Biosecurity Research, Development and Extension Strategy 2021-26
          • National RD&E Priorities for Invasive Plants and Animals 2016-2020
        • Northern Australia Biosecurity Framework
          • Northern Australia Biosecurity Framework Reference Group
        • Partnerships in biosecurity
          • MOU Agriculture and Health
        • National Biosecurity Statement
          • Communication and Engagement Strategy
      • Aircraft, vessels and military
        • Aircraft
          • Aircraft disinsection
            • Aircraft Disinsection Information (ADI) and Import Relationship and Access Manager (iRAM)
            • Aircraft Disinsection Information (ADI) and Import Relationship and Access Manager (iRAM) support
            • Aircraft disinsection procedures for flights into Australia and New Zealand
          • Aircraft application form
          • Arrangements for aircraft invoking sovereign immunity
          • Guidelines for airline and aircraft operators arriving in Australian territory
          • Landing places determined as first points of entry for aircraft
        • Vessels
          • Australian registered vessels
          • Biosecurity legislation and the Australian territory
          • Commercial vessel biosecurity reporting
            • Cabotage cargo (fertiliser, grain and stockfeed)
            • Release from biosecurity control
            • Ship sanitation certification
          • Cruise vessels
          • Disembarking crew
          • First points of entry – information for arriving vessels and goods
          • First points of entry and non-first points of entry
            • Alternative biosecurity entry point application form
            • First points of entry - seaport operator requirements
          • Human health
          • Marine pest biosecurity
            • Ballast Water
              • Australian Ballast Water Management Requirements
              • Ballast Water Authorisation
            • Biofouling in Australia
              • Australian biofouling requirements
              • In-water cleaning in Australia
              • International relations
              • Biofouling resources
              • Non-commercial vessel biofouling
          • Maritime and Aircraft Reporting System (MARS)
            • MARS communications and training materials
            • MARS offline forms
          • Non-commercial vessels
            • Accredited suppliers list for termite detection services
            • Importing vessels with timber components frequently asked questions
            • Importing vessels with timber components
          • Offshore installations
            • Offshore Installations Biosecurity Guide
          • Plants and insects
            • Burnt pine longicorn beetle - person in charge questionnaire and statement
          • Pratique
          • Reportable biosecurity incidents
          • Waste recycling
        • Military
          • Australian Defence Force
            • Cleaning instructions - Personal equipment
          • Visiting military
            • Essential biosecurity information for military forces
            • Foreign government vessels invoking sovereign immunity
          • Cleaning requirements
          • Military frequently asked questions
          • Military vessels
          • Offshore inspections of military equipment
          • Ration packs
        • Transhipping through Australia
          • Transhipped ship’s stores lodgement cover sheet
      • Biosecurity in Australia
        • Biosecurity Advanced Analytics Capability
        • Detector dogs
        • Innovative Biosecurity 3D X-ray Project
        • Modernising Australia’s approach to managing established pests and diseases of national significance: Discussion paper
        • Northern biosecurity
          • Aquatic pest biosecurity community awareness
          • Biosecurity-it’s everyone’s business virtual reality experience
          • Country Handle with Care - Costa and dirtgirl Tackle Biosecurity
          • Frontline-northern biosecurity’s community song
          • Avian influenza awareness – Keep a TopWatch!
          • Lumpy skin disease awareness – Keep a TopWatch!
          • Rabies Awareness - Keep a Top Watch!
          • Report a pest, weed or disease in Northern Australia
          • You can be a Biosecurity Champion too!
            • Developing industry and supporting local growers
        • Indigenous Ranger Biosecurity Program
          • Northern Australia Indigenous Biosecurity Ranger Forum
          • Northern Australia Indigenous Rangers Biosecurity Round Table
          • Biosecurity Business Grants Program
          • Ranger Capability Building Grants Program
          • Frontline Ranger Newsletter
        • Northern Australia Biosecurity Strategy 2030
          • The Northern Australia People Capacity and Response Network (NAPCaRN)
        • Northern Australia Quarantine Strategy (NAQS)
          • Co-operative biosecurity in northern Australia
          • Aircraft arriving on the Australian mainland from Torres Strait
          • NAQS target pests, diseases and weeds
          • Moving goods to, from and within Torres Strait
          • Significant events in the history of NAQs
            • Celebrating 30 years of co-operative biosecurity in northern Australia
            • Commemorating 25 years of NAQS
          • Shipping and yachting in the Torres Strait
          • Map of NAQS zones
        • Public awareness and education
          • Australian biosecurity webinar series
          • Detect and Protect podcast
            • Series 1 - How our biosecurity system works
            • Series 2 – Detector dogs
          • Australian Biosecurity Awards
            • How to nominate
            • Current Australian Biosecurity Award recipients
            • Past Australian Biosecurity Award recipients
          • Pacific engagement
            • Exporting to Australia from the Pacific
            • Working together with our Pacific neighbours
            • Australia's biosecurity system
            • Inside the department
              • Meet the team
            • Your local authority
          • Be a Junior Biosecurity Officer
            • Activities for kids
            • Teacher resources on biosecurity
          • Visual resources
        • Reform of the biosecurity system
          • Biosecurity Training Centre
          • Industry Partnerships and Engagement
        • Reports and publications
          • 2008-12 Imported cargo processing, a DAFF time release study
          • Biosecurity Matters Newsletter
          • Australian Quarantine a shared responsibility: The Nairn report
            • Australian Quarantine a shared responsibility: The Government response
        • Pest and disease surveillance at Australia’s borders
        • Torres Strait and Northern Peninsula Area Biosecurity Strategy
      • Biosecurity research and innovation
        • Biosecurity Innovation Program
        • How we work with you
        • Centre of Excellence for Biosecurity Risk Analysis
        • Innovation Ideas initiative
        • Innovation Pilots Initiative
        • Biosecurity Innovation Exchange 2018
      • Import risk analyses
        • Import request
        • Conducting an import risk analysis
          • Appropriate Level of Protection
          • Australia’s international biosecurity obligations
          • Roles and responsibilities in an import risk analysis
          • Scientific Advisory Group
        • Animal import risk analyses
          • Review of prawns and prawn products
            • Background: prawn and prawn products review
            • Prawn imports and biosecurity
            • Submissions received on the Review of prawns and prawn products – draft report
            • Submissions received on Australia’s current prawn import policy
          • Cooked turkey meat from the United States
            • Cooked turkey meat from the United States - Commencement of a review
          • Cooked duck meat from Thailand
          • Dairy products for human consumption
          • Fish and fish products for use as pet food and stockfeed
          • Hatching eggs of poultry
          • Import of live sturgeon for aquaculture
          • Natural sausage casings
          • Psittacine birds
          • Egg powder from approved countries
          • Zoo bovids from approved countries
        • Plant risk analyses
          • Plant commodity/country and pest risk analyses
          • How we conduct a plant risk analysis
        • Group pest risk analyses
          • Group pest risk analysis for scale insects
            • Draft report fact sheet
          • Group pest risk analysis for thrips and orthotospoviruses
            • Draft report
            • Fact sheet
            • Final report
          • Group pest risk analysis for mealybugs
            • Draft report
            • Draft report fact sheet
            • Final report
            • Final report fact sheet
        • Biological control agents
          • Risk analyses
            • Completed Risk Analyses
            • Current Risk Analyses
          • Host test lists
          • Protocol for biological control agents
        • Weed assessments
          • Development of the Weed Risk Assessment system
          • Weed risk assessments frequently asked questions
          • Reasons for the Weed Risk Assessment system
          • The Weed Risk Assessment process
            • Weed Risk Assessment system
        • Biosecurity Import Risk Analysis guidelines
        • Centre of excellence for biosecurity risk analysis
        • Biosecurity advices
        • Register as a stakeholder
      • Emergency preparedness and outbreak response
        • Exercises
          • Exercise Volare (2024)
        • Maintaining good animal welfare outcomes in an emergency animal disease outbreak
        • National Environmental Biosecurity Response Agreement review
          • NBC approach to the NEBRA five year review recommendations
        • Horse Disease Response Levy review
        • Wildlife Exotic Disease Preparedness Program
          • Feral animals as hosts of exotic disease: Identification of potential disease contact between feral animals and sites of exotic disease incursion
          • Avian Influenza Viruses in Migratory Shorebirds and Nomadic Water Fowl in South Australia
          • Avian Migration and Movement pathogens in the Australo-Papuan context
          • AWHN OIE Report 2004
          • AWHN OIE Report 2005
          • Destroy and Let Lie Disposal Project
          • Development and Validation - Newcastle Disease
          • Field Surveillance and Monitoring - Leishmania in the Northern Territory
          • Final report: preparing Australia by preparing Papua New Guinea
          • GIS Mapping Software in National Surveillance Database
          • Identifying and Mapping Hendra virus
          • Identifying and Mapping Hendra Virus (2)
          • Identifying and Mapping Hendra Virus Strain Diversity (Stage 1)
          • Improving the Relevance and Efficiency of Wild Bird Surveillance for AI
          • Reservoirs of Infection: The Epidemiological Characteristics of an Emerging Pathogen
          • Summary Report - Contraceptives Pigs
          • Summary Report - pigs disease spread
      • Animal
      • Plant
      • Pests, diseases and weeds
      • Environmental biosecurity
        • Managing Environmental Biosecurity
          • How we engage
          • First Nations
          • Research and innovation
        • How the system works
        • Exotic environmental pests
          • The Environmental Biosecurity Project Fund
          • Priority list of exotic pests, weeds and diseases
            • Technical information about the Exotic Environmental Pest List
            • Higher-risk exotic environmental pests
      • Biosecurity questions and answers
      • Legislation
        • List of Biosecurity Preparedness Plans
        • List of Goods That May Carry Hitchhiker Pests
        • The Biosecurity Act 2015
          • Updates to information sharing provisions
          • Changes to import requirements
          • Introduction to the Biosecurity Act Interactive Learning tool
          • Reviewable decisions
        • Reportable biosecurity incidents
          • Reportable biosecurity incidents form
        • Compliance and enforcement
          • Biosecurity Compliance Plan 2016-17
          • Biosecurity Compliance Statement
          • Compliance and enforcement tools
          • Redline - report a biosecurity breach
          • Export and import laws and the role of the department
          • Infringement Notice Scheme
            • Infringement notices at the airport
            • Other infringement notices
      • Fees and charges
      • Forms
      • Coronavirus
        • Food and agriculture
        • Exports
        • Imports
        • Domestic animals

Commercial vessel biosecurity reporting

All commercial vessels must use MARS for vessel pre-arrival reporting.

Commercial vessel types that must use MARS to report noting that some vessels having additional requirements to be met:

Australian vesselsCruiseHeavy liftRo-Ros (Roll On Roll Off)
BargesFishingLivestockSuperyachts - chartered
Break bulkGeneral cargoMilitaryTankers
ContainerGovernmentOffshore installationsTugs

Routine vessel inspections

All vessels entering Australian territory from international waters pose a potential biosecurity risk. Routine vessel inspections (RVIs) are undertaken by biosecurity officers to ensure that biosecurity risks are identified and treated accordingly.

Some of the risks associated with international vessels include:

  • deaths or illness of passengers or crew occurring in transit
  • disembarking crew or passengers
  • animals and rodents on board including ships pets or hitchhiking animals or imported animals carrying disease
  • Food stores and galleys that could be housing stored product pests or diseased fruit and vegetables
  • plants and insects and disease carrying organisms such as souvenirs with plant and animal content and items with feathers and seeds that can carry exotic pests, disease organisms or plant or marine pests in unmanaged ballast water
  • marine pests (biofouling)
  • biosecurity risk material
  • the presence of rodents or insects like the Flighted Spongy Moth Complex or khapra beetle
  • Waste (garbage) such as dry stores, cooked and uncooked meat, vegetable scraps and eggs) as a breeding ground for exotic pests and diseases

A vessel's risk level is determined by an assessment of the vessel's past inspection history and the information provided to the department in pre-arrival reporting by the vessel’s master and/or shipping agent.

An RVI includes the inspection of all galleys, pantries, provision stores, management of the vessel's waste facilities, ballast water verification, cabins and inspection of any other areas of the vessel as required, or as deemed appropriate by the biosecurity officer.

Vessels that have a history of poor sanitation are deemed high risk and as such require an increased level of inspection, including areas such as workshops, incinerators, upper deck storerooms, steerage areas. Some vessels have additional reporting requirements.

Assessing the biosecurity risk

On arrival at an Australian port, that is a first point of entry, an inspection of the vessel by biosecurity officers may be conducted to assess and manage potential biosecurity risks.

Barges and towed vessels

Barges and dredges are classified as commercial vessels by the department and are subject to biosecurity pre-arrival reporting requirements. A barge is a flat-bottomed vessel typically pushed or towed for the transport of heavy goods. Towed vessels include, but are not limited to the following vessel types:

  • barges (dumb barges; jack-up barges; pipe-laying barges)
  • dredges
  • mobile offshore drilling units (semi-submersible rigs; jack-up rigs)
  • floatels (floating accommodation barges).

Where vessels are towed from an international port and transferred to an Australian vessel outside Australian territory for delivery into a port, the master of the (Australian) vessel is required to submit pre-arrival reporting. This is the responsibility of the tug or tow vessel operator, in most circumstances.

Livestock carriers

Livestock vessels entering Australian territory are considered to be of high biosecurity risk due to the nature of the cargo.

Information provided to the department in pre-arrival reporting, such as the Pre-Arrival Report (PAR) and Ballast Water Report and statement by the person in charge of livestock vessel is used to assess the actual risks attributable to individual vessels.

All livestock vessels must undergo inspection on every visit to Australia, irrespective of the vessel’s history or last port of call.

All livestock vessels are inspected at berth. Vessels must also be thoroughly cleaned disinfected, (with Soda Ash) and disinsected prior to arrival, in accordance with biosecurity procedures. For more information see Information for livestock exporters and industry participants.

Cruise vessels

Refer to the cruise vessel webpage: Cruise vessels

Offshore installations

Refer to the offshore installations webpage: Offshore installations

Non-commercial vessels

Refer to the non-commercial vessel webpage and specific pre-arrival reporting: Non-commercial vessel arrival biosecurity reporting - yachts and private superyachts

Australian registered vessels

Refer to the Australian registered vessels webpage: Australian registered vessels

General enquiries

Call 1800 900 090

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Page last updated: 23 September 2024

We acknowledge the continuous connection of First Nations Traditional Owners and Custodians to the lands, seas and waters of Australia. We recognise their care for and cultivation of Country. We pay respect to Elders past and present, and recognise their knowledge and contribution to the productivity, innovation and sustainability of Australia’s agriculture, fisheries and forestry industries.

Artwork: Protecting our Country, Growing our Future
© Amy Allerton, contemporary Aboriginal Artist of the Gumbaynggirr, Bundjalung and Gamilaroi nations.

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