You will need this authority to secure a ship on a buoy mooring in Queensland waters. Buoy moorings are an accepted means of securing ships, providing an alternative to methods like mooring and anchoring. A buoy mooring is attached to the seabed, and consists of a device to which a system of ropes, cables or chains is attached for the purpose of mooring a ship. This is attached to a float or buoy on the surface to mark the location of the structure.
Increasing demand has led to a number of areas having reached their capacity for buoy moorings. As a result, Maritime Safety Queensland gives preference to buoy mooring applications where:
- the nominated ship(s) has fewer alternative methods of storage or where the nominated ship(s) is of a non-trailerable nature and ordinarily not stored on the land
- a business has demonstrated a legitimate commercial need to utilise the buoy mooring.
Maritime Safety Queensland is responsible for the management and control of buoy moorings in Queensland waters, except for Gold Coast waters. The Gold Coast Waterways Authority is responsible for buoy moorings in Gold Coast waterways.