Introduction to Port of Weipa March 2016

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Contacts and related documents

Telephone Facsimile Email Weipa Harbour 4052 7470 4052 7460 [email protected] Control (VTS) Regional Harbour 4052 7412 4052 7451 [email protected] Master Address 100-106 Tingira St, Portsmith, Cairns, Queensland 4870

[email protected]. Generally, you make reports about non-compliant behaviour to your local Maritime Safety Queensland regional office. However, in some special circumstances you may feel that you cannot make a report to Maritime Safety Queensland directly. Such circumstances might include where you  fear civil or criminal liability because of your relationship to the non-compliant behaviour  are under some kind of obligation not to say anything, like an oath or promise  fear being sued for defamation if you say anything  fear reprisals, such as threats or loss of employment, if you make a report. For these special circumstances, Maritime Safety Queensland has established a whistleblower's hotline that can be used to safely make reports of non-compliant behaviour. Such reports are subject to the whistleblower protections provided in part 15A of the Transport Operations (Marine Safety) Act 1994 and part 14A of the Transport Operations (Marine Pollution) Act 1995. The whistleblower protections include:  no civil or criminal liability for disclosing information to an official that is honestly and reasonably believed to be a contravention of the relevant act  a defence of absolute privilege against defamation claim  protection against any contravention of confidentiality, such as an oath or agreement  protection against reprisals.

Maritime Safety Queensland documents

 Standard for Marine Construction Activities within the ‘Amrun’ Marine Construction Activity Area (the Standard)  Port Procedures and Information for Shipping - Port of Weipa

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Introduction to the Port of Weipa

Forward

The Port of Weipa is affected by the additional construction traffic from the Amrun Project . The transportation of materials and workers to and from the Humbug and Hey River Terminals will add new and unfamiliar traffic to the existing mix of trade, commercial, and recreational ships using the harbour. The construction timeframe commences early in 2016 and will continue through 2018 when traffic will reduce to operational requirements. All masters and crew are required to undertake a Port of Weipa marine induction course from their employer, to prepare them for the unique challenges they will face when working on the water in Weipa. You will be required to hold a certificate of completion of the induction as part of your ship’s operating documents. This booklet provides an introduction to the Port of Weipa for people intending to work in the marine construction zone. The Port of Weipa Marine Induction course provided by your employer must, at a minimum, address the content detailed in this document.

Disclaimer

This handbook should only be used a guide, and legislation is determinant. You should review the law if you have any doubts. The information in this edition is current at the time of printing.

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Achieving Maritime Safety

When operating on the water in Queensland, masters and crew must comply with international, national and state conventions, laws and standards. The main maritime international legislative instruments are:  Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea 1972 (COLREG)  International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships 1973 (MARPOL) These international conventions are given force in Australia through the National Standards for Commercial Vessels. (NSCV). In Queensland commercial and recreational ships are regulated by legislation including the:  Marine Safety (Domestic Commercial Vessel) National Law Act 2012  Transport Operations (Marine Safety) Act 1994 and Regulation 2004  Transport Operations (Marine Pollution) Act 1995 and Regulations 2008 Maritime Safety Queensland has also implemented the Standard for Marine Construction Activities within the “Amrun” Marine Construction Activity Area (AMCAA) (the Standard). The Standard reflects the unique and heightened challenges facing vessels operating in the area The Standard was issued as a Harbour Master direction under Queensland law, and is thus a document to which all ships engaged in marine construction activities must adhere. The Standard builds on existing National and Queensland marine safety legislation and is updated as the risk profile of ships in the harbour evolves. The Standard provides for additional requirements and rules for construction ships operating in the Port of Weipa and surrounding waterways, such as:  crew competency  Vessel Traffic Services (VTS) and communication requirements  emergency response plans Ship movements in Queensland’s ports are also governed by Port Procedures and Information for Shipping Manuals. The requirements in the Port Procedures and Information for Shipping Manual – Port of Weipa apply to the geographical areas gazetted as the Weipa Pilotage area. Pilotage areas have been gazetted around designated ports to ensure the safe and efficient movement of shipping, encompassing the approaches, main shipping channels and waters of the port.

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General Safety Obligation

The safety of ships and their operations in Queensland is achieved through the adoption of the General Safety Obligation (GSO). Under Queensland law the GSO requires all ships to be:  safe  properly equipped and crewed  operated in a safe manner Importantly, the GSO extends beyond just the ship’s master. It is the responsibility of all involved with the ship’s operation to ensure safety. The GSO requires:  ship designers, builders and surveyors to ensure the safe condition of ships  persons involved with the operation of a ship to operate the ship safely  owners and masters to ensure the appropriate safety equipment is on board and used correctly. A ship is safe if it is:  seaworthy  only engaging in activities deemed to be considered ordinary perils of the voyage  fit for purpose  properly built  properly maintained  properly equipped  manned appropriately.

Safety Management System

Owners/operators, masters, and crew demonstrate compliance with the GSO through their Safety Management System (SMS). An SMS is a collection of documents about a ship’s operating policies, procedures and risk management practices. The objectives of an SMS are to prevent human injury or loss of life, avoid losses due to damage or operational downtime and avoid damage to the environment. The SMS will:  provide for safe practices in ship operation and a safe working environment  establish a means of identifying hazards and then eliminating or reducing them  continuously improve the safety-management skills of personnel on shore and onboard ships, including preparing for emergencies related both to safety and environmental protection  facilitate compliance with mandatory rules and regulations including occupational health and safety, and environment protection legislation  ensure that applicable codes, guidelines and standards recommended by the International Maritime Organization, authorities, classification societies and maritime industry organisations are taken into account. The SMS procedures should address operations and activities that present the greatest risk to the crew, passengers, the vessel and the environment, and include but not be limited to:  emergency planning and preparedness

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 crew arrangements, induction records & training  watchkeeping including fatigue  communicating with other vessels and shore agencies  navigational safety  managing the loading, carriage and discharge of cargo  transferring of people to and from the vessel  operating & maintenance of plant and machinery  fuelling, oil pollution prevention and response. The owner/master of the ship must also ensure that every crew member has:  Access to the SMS  A working knowledge of those parts of the SMS relevant to their role on the ship. For ships operating in the Port of Weipa, the SMS must also include a record of each crew member’s Weipa induction training

Marine Execution Plan

All commercial operators are required to submit a Marine Execution Plan at least 30 days prior to the commencement of operations. The purpose of the Marine Execution Plan is to:  provide an overview on the way ships are intended to be operated when in the port  demonstrate the understanding of the operator of local conditions  identify the nature and scope of ship operations to be undertaken  demonstrate understanding of regulatory requirements for operating in the port of Weipa  provide an indication of requirements for local bunkering and waste facilities  demonstrate or reference the ship’s SMS and method of handling emergencies.

Workplace health and safety

Under Queensland Work Health and Safety law ships are workplaces. Owners and operators of ships must ensure they comply with applicable legislation, including the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 and the Commonwealth’s Occupational Health and Safety (Maritime Industry) Act 1993. The construction activities in Weipa involve the transportation of materials and equipment, including plant and machinery. Masters and crew have a responsibility to ensure that construction ships are safe workplaces as well as safe ships. Masters and crew have a responsibility to ensure that plant and equipment is loaded and unloaded in a safe manner and are stored, carried or operated on their ship in a safe manner. Loading and unloading procedures, as well as procedures for the securing of loads during transit, must be detailed in the ship’s SMS. Masters and crew must understand:  What is being loaded  How is it being loaded

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 That cargoes being carried may require segregation.  How will a load affect the stability of the ship  How will it be safely secured and stored for the transit Procedures for the operation of plant and machinery onboard ships, such as cranes, must be described in the SMS, including strategies in the event of fire or other emergency.

Fleet composition

Trading Ships

Weipa’s primary trade is the export of bauxite, with some 28 million tonnes leaving the port each year. Additionally, bulk fuel is imported, together with food and other supplies for the community, requiring in excess of 1000 annual shipping movements to the anchorages and berths.

Lorim Point Berths (East and West)

Ships arrive to load bulk bauxite, vessels berth head out, starboard side alongside. Tankers discharge bulk fuel and can berth head in or head out, depending on state of tide.

Humbug Wharf

This is a multi-user berth and is used for discharge of food, stores and equipment for the community. This berth will be the main discharge berth for all equipment and materials for the South of Embley project.

Evans Landing

Products tankers arrive in part loaded condition to discharge bulk fuel for Weipa, this berth is also used to bunker mother ships and fishing vessels

Emergency Anchorages

There are three emergency anchorages within the inner harbour; Jackson Channel, west of Jessica Point and at the eastern end of Cora South Channel. As trade ships possess limited manoeuvrability, care must be taken by other ships when navigating through trade shipping routes, pilot boarding grounds, anchorages, channels, swing basins, and berths.

Commercial Ships

There a number of fishing vessels based in Weipa and mother ships operate regularly especially in the Gulf prawn seasons. Commercial and fishing vessels can be seen operating in all parts of the harbour.

Recreational ships

Weipa has one of the highest ownership of recreational ships per capita in Queensland. These are predominantly trailer based, operating from the boat ramps. Recreational ships pose a potential

Introduction to Port of Weipa – March 2016 - 7 - hazard to commercial ship operations. Recreational ships often do not carry the sophisticated communications technology that commercial ships do and the experience of masters operating recreational ships varies considerably. Maritime Safety Queensland produces and distributes educational material to aid recreational ship masters. This information includes chartlets showing commercial ship navigational areas and recommended small ship courses. Special care should be taken when operating in the vicinity of recreational ships.

Construction ships

These ships are covered by the Standard for Marine Construction Activities within the “Amrun” Marine Construction Activity Area (AMCAA). The construction fleet in Weipa comprises a differing array of ships with unique manoeuvring characteristics and factors to consider when operating in their proximity. For example, much of the construction material to Hey Point, is being transported on unpowered barges secured to tugs. Tug and tow configurations have limited manoeuvrability and unique stability requirements. Once underway, tugs may be unable to hold position in confined waters without risking losing control of their barge. Dredging of new barge ramps and construction of associated infrastructure, will be first component of construction activities prior to transport of personnel, construction materials and fuel to the Amrun project. Slow moving tug and tow combinations and dredges across the construction area are mixing with fast ferries employed to transport workers to and from Hey River. All passenger ships are not to exceed a maximum speed of 25 knots (exemptions apply for emergency situations). 6 knot “Reduce Wash” zones will be established in the vicinity of barge ramps and ferry landings and berths.

Geography

The Port of Weipa and surrounding waters are depicted within the Australian hydrographic charts for the Port of Weipa (AUS 4), the MSQ published Weipa Chart (SS11-182). In addition, Maritime Safety Queensland has produced charts of the Port of Weipa showing key construction areas and alternative channels for construction craft. To aid situational awareness all waterways users should be familiar with the port’s natural and man-made landmarks and consult these charts as part of their pre-voyage planning and navigating their ships.

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Marine Construction Activity Areas

The Amrun Marine Construction Activity Area (AMCAA) is defined as ‘the waters of the Port of Weipa, including Cora North and South Channels and the Embley and Hey Rivers. Some construction-related activities also take place outside these defined limits, including transporting dredged spoil material, via South Channel, to the offshore spoil ground located outside the port. Within the AMCAA specific locations exist – masters and crew should be familiar with these areas and the types of operations that take place in them. In some of these locations specific construction traffic rules have been introduced as part of the Standard.

Humbug Wharf

This wharf will be the main berth of discharge of equipment and materials.

Humbug Barge Terminal

A passenger ferry berth and the main RoRo barge terminal will be established to the West of Humbug Wharf in association with a Heavy Mechanical Equipment (HME) berth. At Humbug, masters and crew need to pay particular attention to the trade ships arriving and departing the Humbug and Lorim Point wharves and navigating the Cora Channel. Port construction traffic rules control movements at Humbug.

Cora Bank and Channels

(South Channel for entering Weipa should not be confused with Cora South Channel) Trade vessels berthing at Lorim Point enter through South Channel before using Cora South Channel and approaching the berth from the East. Trade vessels departing Lorim Point use Cora North Channel and the departure Channel before entering South Channel to leave Weipa. Trade vessels berthing at Humbug Wharf and Evans Landing will enter through South Channel then use the Departure Channel to approach the berth swinging to berth into the tide, but can also be expected to enter the port on a similar route to the trade vessels approaching Lorim Point through Cora South Channel. Tankers will berth at Evans Landing and will also berth at Lorim East to discharge fuel.

Tidal Information

Tidal data can be found in the annual Queensland and Australian Tide Tables. Weipa Harbour has high water tides up to 3.38 metres and low water tides of 0.7 metres during spring tides. The mean spring tidal range is 2.2 metres while neap tidal range is 0.8 metres. Tidal flow is commonly 1.5 to 2.5 knots, and in some states of tide can flow in excess of 3.5 knots. When operating in Weipa Harbour due caution must be observed and proper allowances made for tidal influence on your ship’s handling and manoeuvring characteristics. Waterways users are advised to consider the tidal flow at all states of tide at various locations in the areas in which your ship operates. This will assist in safer ship handling.

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Water Density

Seawater is usually 1025k/m3 but may vary during the monsoon after periods of rain.

Weather

The prevailing winds tend to be Easterly to South Easterly, and can be quite strong on some occasions reaching strong wind force at times. During the monsoon season winds can be expected from the North West, frequently reaching ‘Strong Wind’ strength. Ships masters should be aware of their vessels limitations as far as weather conditions are concerned. Some ships are unable to operate in certain sea and swell conditions. These vessel parameters must be spelt out in the vessels SMS.

Extreme Weather/Cyclone Contingency

Weipa is situated at 13 degrees South latitude and is at risk of tropical cyclones usually affecting the area during the months November to April. As per the requirements of the Port Procedures and Information for Shipping Manual, all ships must have appropriate extreme weather/cyclone contingency plans in place and be ready to activate them at short notice. In the Port of Weipa, all construction ships are required to have these procedures endorsed by the Regional Harbour Master (Cairns). These plans must be revisited and updated prior to the commencement of the Cyclone Season. Ships’ SMS must also describe procedures for operating in adverse weather, including when work should be suspended. The Standard details the port operations in the event a cyclone warning is issued by the Bureau of Meteorology

Things to Remember

Safety Culture

Behaviours create a culture. A safety culture is built when people behave in a safe way, and when those safe ways of working are recognised and rewarded.

ESTUARINE CROCODILES ARE PRESENT IN WEIPA THROUGHOUT THE YEAR ALL PERSONS SHOULD BE AWARE OF THE DANGER PRESENTED BY THESE CREATURES Government and industry are co-operating in Weipa to create an on-water safety culture. Examples of how they are working together to improve safety may include: Building a safety culture has to be managed like any other area of a business. Efficiency is critical to commercial success, but compromises to safety will result in delays and additional costs. Compromising safety for commercial gain is not in keeping with a performance-based safety approach. To achieve maritime safety and ensure a zero harm the responsibilities of marine safety must extend beyond the minimum requirements dictated in legislation. Ships must be appropriate for the work they are conducting and maintained accordingly. Likewise, crew, and the master, must be competent as well as qualified to undertake a given task.

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Implementation of SMS on board must take into consideration the ship’s current operating conditions and environment. Crew implementation and management commitment to safety systems will encourage greater results in performance-based safety.

Situational Awareness and Navigation

A good lookout by using all available means, including your sight and hearing, must be kept at all times while operating on the water. Master and crew are required to maintain a proper lookout and ensure that they have sufficient local knowledge of the area and its activities. It is essential that all ships’ masters know the navigation channels, tidal flows, navigational aids (night and day), depths, special precautions and proper communication reporting processes that apply to Weipa Harbour. This will assist in understanding the needs of other operators, and in reducing the risk of collisions or near misses. Use the local marine charts and nautical publications to assist with your understanding of the following in the Port of Weipa:  port depth, channel, berth, anchorages and swing basin information  navigation warnings, hazards, buoyage operations or any other works  recommended transit/passage paths/plans  ship passing restrictions  recommended small ship routes  Port of Weipa Construction Traffic Rules Before operating a ship in the Port of Weipa it is also important to note the following:  The Port of Weipa uses the IALA Buoyage System ‘A’.  Marine Construction Activity ferries are limited to 25 knots in all areas and must display a yellow flashing light.  The regional shipping schedule, which includes Weipa is usually published by the duty VTSO at approximately 1300 hours daily and can be found online at https://qships.tmr.qld.gov.au/webx/  Trading Ships have “Right of Way” and construction craft must keep clear at all times.  Trading ships have limited manoeuvrability and visibility. Interactions with trade ships must be avoided. Construction ships must avoid swing basins when a trade ship is in or in proximity to a swing basin and Cora Channels. Passengers embarking and disembarking also represent a potential hazard where time pressures can result in compromised safety. At these times crew should be alert to the heightened risks of ‘person overboard’ and interactions with heavy equipment and machinery.

Communication

VTS allows the Regional Harbour Master to manage the safe and efficient movement of ship traffic approaching, departing and operating within the Weipa Pilotage Area. Information on ship movements can be obtained from VTS. The detailed reporting requirements for ships, small ships and construction traffic can be found in the Weipa Port Procedures and Information for Shipping Manual. Due to the increased level of ship activity in the Port of Weipa, there are extra policies regarding communication that apply in this area. These include:

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 All ships require clearance from the harbour master in order to enter, depart or move within a pilotage area. It is the responsibility of the master or pilot to contact VTS to obtain necessary clearance and information prior to movement and follow all directions  Ships are not to move within the pilotage area unless satisfactory two-way communications are maintained with the VTS.  Ships must communicate with each other for collision avoidance and reducing unsafe ‘close quarters’ situations. Do not call up the ship/pilots on VHF radio when trade ships are manoeuvring to berth alongside or swinging in the harbour.  VHF channels 6, 8, and 12 are designated for specific users and are not to be used for calling or seeking information.  Construction ships must use Channel 10 for all harbour working, except when being called by commercial ships on Channel 12.  Channel 10 is a dedicated VHF channel for construction ships.  All construction ships must be able to simultaneously work VHF Channels 12 and 10, while maintaining a listening watch on Channel 16.  Construction ships must use UHF radio for communicating between individual operations and in house communications.  Any marine incident or pollution incident should be reported immediately to Weipa Harbour Control on VHF Chanel 12 or 10.

Weipa vessel traffic service (VTS) radio channels

VTS area: Yes

Level of VTS service: IALA Level II: local information service

Channel Call sign Service

VHF Channel 16 User Emergency and initial calling

VHF Channel 12 Weipa VTS Port operations/VTS

VHF Channel 10 Weipa VTS Construction Traffic

VHF Channel 8 User Tug operations/working

VHF Channel 6 User Tug operations/working

VHF Channel 67 User Weather

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Marine incidents Marine Incident Reporting

Vessels operating under the Marine Safety (Domestic Commercial Vessels) National Law Act 2012 All incidents must be reported to Maritime Safety Queensland (as the National Law Delegate) via an initial report, as soon as reasonably practicable after becoming aware of the incident. The initial report can be via phone, email or faxed letter. The initial report does not need to be on the marine incident report form but can be if you wish. When making an initial report of a marine incident the minimum details required for the report are:  The incident details (date, time, location, type of incident and incident description explaining what happened);  Details on your vessel (domestic commercial vessel); and  Details of persons involved (owner/master and if available, the injured person details). Both the owner and master of a Domestic Commercial Vessel that is involved in a marine incident must report the incident within 72 hours on Incident Report form AMSA 529. Further details of these requirements and relevant forms are available on the AMSA website: http://amsa.gov.au/domestic/vessels-operations-surveys/domestic-incident-reporting/

Vessels operating under the Navigation Act 2012 All incidents must be reported directly to the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) using Form 18 - Incident Alert within four hours of the incident occurring. A detailed incident report must be submitted to AMSA on Form 19 within 72 hours of the incident occurring. Reports are to be submitted by fax: +61 2 6230 6868 or 1800 622 153 or by email: [email protected]. Further details of these requirements and relevant forms are available on the AMSA website: http://amsa.gov.au/vessels/ship-safety/incident-reporting/comm-vessels-gen-report/index.asp Vessels operating under the Transport Operations (Marine Safety) Act 1994 All marine incidents must be reported to a shipping inspector within 48 hours and a written marine incident report is also to be submitted. Shipping inspectors are marine safety officers (located at MSQ regional offices) and officers of Queensland Water Police and Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol. The report must be made on the approved Form F3071. This form can be downloaded from the MSQ website: http://www.msq.qld.gov.au/Safety/Marine-incidents.aspx

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Pollution prevention

Masters and crew have a responsibility to avoid discharges of ship-sourced pollutants. Marine pollutants include oil, chemicals and chemical residues, sewage, and garbage. Compliance with ship-sourced pollution prevention legislation is in part demonstrated through pollution prevention documents. Depending on the type of ship, these documents can include a Shipboard Oil Pollution Emergency Plan; Oil Record book; and Shipboard Sewage Management Plan. A full list of the documents required are available from the MSQ website, www.msq.qld.gov.au

Ship-Sourced pollution reporting

To minimise potential damage to the marine environment and property, masters of a ship are to report a discharge or probable discharge without delay to the harbour master. The following details shall be provided to Weipa VTS:  date/time of incident  location  report source & contact number  nature, extend and estimated quantity of spill  type of oil or description  spill source and point of discharge from source  identify and position of nearby ships; or alleged polluter  nature and extent of spill and movement and speed of spill  local weather/tide/sea conditions  whether a sample of substance has been collected. The VTS Centre will complete a Marine Pollution Report based on the above information and fax to the relevant authorities. Depending on the circumstances Harbour Control may provide additional advice to the ship’s master.

Contacts and related documents

Weipa VTS 07 4052 7470 (PH) 07 4052 7460 (Fax) [email protected]

Regional Harbour Master 07 4052 7412 (PH) 07 4052 7451 (Fax) [email protected] 100-106 Tingira St, Portsmith, Queensland 4870

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