Compulsory pilotage routes within the GBR.
Vessel master’s, owners and operators are reminded about the coastal pilotage requirements within the Great Barrier Reef and Torres Strait, as prescribed in Marine Order 54 (Coastal Pilotage) 2014. Coastal Pilotage areas are defined as Hydrographers Passage, Inner Route and Great North East Channel.
The Australian Government introduced compulsory pilotage for vessels 70m (or more) in length, and all loaded oil tankers, all loaded liquified gas carriers and all loaded chemical carriers, in the Inner Route of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) between Cape York (Lat 10º 41’S) and Cairns Roads (Lat 16º 41’s) in October 1991.
The Australian Government introduced additional compulsory pilotage for Torres Strait / GNEC on the 6th of October 2006.
The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) has adopted an AMSA-recommended extension of the two-way route in the GBR & Torres Strait to enhance the safety of navigation and protect the region’s sensitive marine environment.
