You will require this approval if you operate a ship registered in Australia. All regulated Australian ships are required to have ship security plans, including:
- ships that carry 13 or more paying passengers on overseas voyages
- cargo ships of 500 or more gross tonnes that are used for overseas voyages
- mobile offshore drilling units that are on overseas voyages
- ships that are being used or can be used to carry both passengers and vehicles on interstate vehicles.
Ship security plans enhance Australia's maritime security arrangements by reducing the vulnerability to the attack of Australian ships, ports and other ships within Australia. Plans should:
- aim to prevent unauthorised carriage or possession of weapons or prohibited items on board the ship
- introduce measures to prevent unauthorised access to the ship and any on-board security zones
- install procedures for responding to security threats or breaches of security, including procedures for maintaining critical operations of ship / port interface.
An offshore security plan for an offshore facility operator must set out security measures and procedures to monitor and control access to ship security zones, including measures to detect and deter unauthorised access to those zones. Regulated Australian ships to be used for maritime transport must also have an International Ship Security Certificate (ISSC) in force.
