#22 with Steve Raaymakers

hipping through the Great Barrier Reef will always present the risk of a major oil spill. The possibility of a 10 000 tonne spill is not out of the question. There is only one thing certain about a 10 000 tonne spill, you can not clean it up. Obviously, it is far more effective to prevent such spills from occurring than to put priority into arrangements for responding to spills. Because major spills are caused by shipping accidents resulting in damage to oil tanks, such as a collision or grounding, the best spill prevention measures relate to safety of navigation.

Figure 1: Mandatory Ship Reporting System Torres Strait and Great Barrier Reef Inner Route Reporting Points To look at this figure click here (size 121 kb)

Safety of navigation for ships transiting the Great Barrier Reef has received a major boost with the recent opening of the Ship Reporting Centre (REEFCENTRE) at the Port of Hay Point, south of Mackay, and the commissioning on 1 January 1997 of a new mandatory ship reporting system (REEFREP), for the Great Barrier Reef region and Torres Strait.

Under REEFREP, all ships greater than 50 metres in length and all tankers transiting the inner route of the Great Barrier Reef and Torres Strait are now required to report their position and course to REEFCENTRE, via VHF radio, upon arrival at designated reporting points. These reporting points have been established about every 100 miles along the coast. REEFREP is supported by three radar stations located at focal points in the Torres Strait, Green Island and Penrith Island which enable REEFCENTRE to confirm ships' reports.

The new system allows authorities to track all shipping movements in the region from a central control point. This is a major advancement as it allows navigational information to be provided to ships, including courses being taken by other ships, concentrations of fishing vessels and adverse weather conditions. This is a major boost to ship safety and incident prevention.

REEFREP can also be used to assist the response to incidents and in enforcement of marine pollution regulations. For example, in July 1997 the Indian vessel Dakshineshwar was refloated from a sand-bank in Torres Strait under direction from REEFCENTRE, and REEFREP was used to keep other ships in the area informed. REEFREP has also been used to identify and track another ship, the Karin B, which was illegally transiting the inner route without a pilot. A successful prosecution was effected.

REEFREP will also increase the chances of identifying and prosecuting ships which undertake illegal 'operational' discharges in the region, a problem that has been extremely difficult to police in the past. Overtime, REEFREP will provide a comprehensive and complete database on shipping movements through Torres Strait and the Great Barrier Reef, which has never been available before. This will be extremely useful to authorities in developing further strategies to improve shipping safety in the region.

Implementation of REEFREP, the world's first mandatory ship reporting system for an international seaway, is one of a number of initiatives stimulated by a risk assessment of shipping in the Great Barrier Reef conducted by the Queensland and Commonwealth Governments in 1993. It has only been possible with the approval of the International Maritime Organization (IMO). Under the International Law of the Sea, coastal States such as Australia are obliged to provide 'right of innocent passage' for all ships. Coastal States cannot unilaterally impose restrictions on shipping that may impinge on this right. Declaration of the Great Barrier Reef as a Particularly Sensitive Sea Area by the IMO in 1991 has given Australia a mandate to take more stringent action, such as REEFREP, to control international shipping through Reef waters.

REEFREP has been established under a joint effort by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) and the Queensland Department of Transport (QDoT).

REEFCENTRE is operated and staffed by QDoT, and is located within the Port Control Centre at the Port of Hay Point, under lease from the Ports Corporation of Queensland. It represents a major commitment by the State and Commonwealth Governments to further protect the Great Barrier Reef from shipping impacts.

The location of REEFCENTRE, REEFREP reporting points, VHF stations and radar stations are shown on figure 1. For further information contact John Macdonald at AMSA on +61 7 3835 3683 or Sean O'Mahony at QDoT on +61 7 3224 2832.

n August 1998, the 7th International Oil Spill Conference (SPILCON '98) will be held in Cairns, bringing an international focus on oil pollution issues to the Great Barrier Reef for the first time.

SPILCON is held in Australia every two years and is considered one of the premier professional conferences on marine oil pollution, providing papers, presentations, posters and trade exhibits on the full range of disciplines relating to this serious environmental issue, from legislation to technological advances to scientific developments.

In addition to conventional conference papers, a field demonstration of spill response techniques and equipment will be held, along with field trips to the Great Barrier Reef.

SPILCON is being organised by AMSA and the Australian Institute of Petroleum (AIP) and has endorsements from the following organisations:

• International Petroleum Industry Environmental Conservation Association (IPIECA)
• International Maritime Organization (IMO)
• Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association (APPEA)
• Maritime Safety Authority of New Zealand

n Slick Talk #16 (Reef Research Vol. 6, No. 1) I reported on progress being made by the Australian Institute of Marine Science with oil spill trajectory modelling and coastal resource mapping, through development and marketing of OILMAP. At the end of that article I stated that despite an ongoing review of literature, I have as yet been unable to identify a single case world-wide where operational use of a computer model in a particular real-spill situation has demonstrably resulted in decreased environmental impact from the spill. This remains the case today, a year and a half later.

I would like to reiterate my invitation to readers to send any published papers which unequivocally show that use of a model in a particular incident has actually protected the environment to a larger degree than if the model had not been used. While impressive graphics associated with the front-end of computer models can be tempting, I would suggest that until such proving has occurred, authorities should be cautious about investing significant resources in oil spill trajectory models.