The Australian Maritime Safety Authority had not adequately managed the National Plan and annual exercises required to prepare for such incidents had not been conducted for 4 years before the incident. This probably resulted in the ineffective implementation of its Maritime Assistance Services procedures, the inefficient process for issuing directions and inadequate coordination of the incident with state authorities.
To be advised
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) advised the ATSB that it did not agree with the finding that the National Plan had not been adequately managed.
However, AMSA advised that a range of national capability programs have been delivered under the oversight of the National Plan Strategic Coordination Committee (NPSCC), including:
The ATSB is concerned that AMSA does not agree with the investigation’s finding that it had not effectively managed the National Plan. However, the ATSB welcomes the safety action that it has taken, which could adequately address the safety issue when implemented in conjunction with action to address the 3 other safety issues addressed to AMSA. In this regard, the ATSB notes the recommendations of the National Plan review, which require further reviews of its key elements. Therefore, the ATSB will monitor the safety issue and action and has issued the following safety recommendation to AMSA.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau recommends that the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) progresses safety action to address this safety issue in conjunction with action to address the other safety issues addressed to AMSA in this report.
