1 November 2017
Purpose
The purpose of this Industry Advice Notice (IAN) is to inform industry, Authorised Officers (AOs), Plant Export Assessors (PEAs) and the Biosecurity Operations Division of updates to the bulk vessel components of the Plant Export Operations Manual.
Summary of changes and key points
- New instructional material for the export inspection of empty bulk vessels at berth is now available. See Attachment 1 for a list of the new and rescinded documents in the PEOM.
- Changes affect AOs, PEAs, exporters and the department’s inspection, audit and assessment services.
- Buddy System — clarification has been provided around the buddy system. Two BVI3001 accredited inspection AOs must perform the inspection of empty bulk vessels. Only one inspection AO can enter a hold at any one time. The other inspection AO must remain outside the hold and observe their buddy's inspection of the hold.
- Reporting Khapra beetle (Trogoderma spp.) and Rodents — AOs no longer need to report Khapra beetle and rodents to the department. They do, however, need to record the detection in the ‘Comments’ section on the Bulk Vessel Approval Record.
- Marine surveyor certificate requirements — the vessel owners or owner's agent must provide a written declaration to the inspection AO that the marine surveyor is qualified. The name of the marine surveyor on the issued certificate must match the name on the written declaration. The marine surveyor must have a different employer to the BVI3001 accredited AOs conducting the inspection.
- All parties (client/bulk vessel owner/agent/Master) are responsible for notifying an accredited AO if they suspect the condition of the vessel has changed.
Implementation dates
Inspection: Industry and AOs must ensure compliance with the new instructional material from 13 November 2017.
AO training: AO candidates will be trained against the new instructional material from
13 November 2017.
AO assessments: AO candidates will be assessed against the new instructional material from 13 November 2017.
AO job functions: The BVI3001 — Inspecting empty bulk vessels job function was made available to external AOs on 3 October 2017 (see IAN 2017-43). Potential applicants must fulfil certain pre-requisites and may apply for this job function through the Authorised Officer Program at Plant Export Training
Important
All clients and AOs can begin using the new material from today, however it is not mandatory until the implementation date of 13 November 2017.
Authorised Officer responsibilities
AOs and industry must comply with the new instructional material from the date of implementation.
Contact information
If you have any questions regarding this IAN please email Grain Export or phone 02 6272 3229.
Mr David Ironside
Assistant Secretary
Plant Export Operations Branch
Attachment 1 – New and rescinded instructional material for the inspection of empty bulk vessels at berth
New instructional material for release on 6 November 2017:
- Guideline: Empty bulk vessels for export
- Work Instruction: Inspecting empty bulk vessels
- Reference: Bulk vessel terms and definitions
The instructional material to be rescinded on 13 November 2017:
- Volume 10: Inspection of empty bulk vessels
- Work Instruction: Inspection of empty bulk vessels
- Reference: Glossary of ships terms
Note: Guidelines and Volumes contain policy and processes that must be complied with. Guidelines and Volumes contain information relevant to both industry and AOs.
Work instructions provide a step-by-step account of the activities an AO must undertake to correctly inspect plants and plant products, empty containers and vessels for loading on behalf of the department.
Reference material contains supporting information to further assist AOs to understand and perform their inspection tasks.