Passage Planning Guide Great Barrier Reef and Torres Strait (PPG – GBRTS 2019 Edition) The content in this publication is for information purposes only and Witherby Publishing Group Ltd shall not be responsible or liable in any way for any costs, damage, liability or losses that may be incurred from the reliance on, or use by anyone of, the information contained herein. First published in 2015 by Witherby Publishing Third edition published 2019 ISBN: 978-1-85609-818-2 © Witherby Publishing Group Ltd, 2015–2019 British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Certain Hydrographic Material is reproduced under licence by permission of The Australian Hydrographic Service. © Commonwealth of Australia 2019. All rights reserved. THIS PRODUCT IS NOT TO BE USED FOR NAVIGATION NOTICE: This Material may not be copied, reproduced, translated, or reduced to any electronic medium or machine readable form, in whole or part, without the prior written consent of the Australian Hydrographic Service. More information about charts and licensing is available at: www.hydro.gov.au The charts in this publication include data from the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. © Great Barrier Reef Marine Park 2004. Updated data available at www.gbrmpa.gov.au/geoportal Any information within this Guide sourced from the Australian Maritime Safety Authority’s (AMSA) Queensland Coastal Passage Plan (QCPP) is current at the time of publication. The AMSA QCPP provides the approved passage plans used by licensed coastal pilots, specific to the route and vessel under pilotage, as required by Marine Order 54 (Coastal pilotage). Whilst every effort has been made by Witherby Publishing Group to align this Guide to the AMSA QCPP, AMSA does not endorse the content of this Guide. The latest version of the approved AMSA QCPP can be found at: https://www.amsa.gov.au/safety-navigation/navigating-coastal-waters/ queensland-coastal-passage-plan-2019 Notice of Terms of Use All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers. While the advice given in this book (PPG – GBRTS 2019 Edition) has been developed using the best information currently available, it is intended purely as guidance to be used at the user’s own risk. Witherby Publishing Group accepts no responsibility for the accuracy of any information or advice given in the document or any omission from the document or for any consequence whatsoever resulting directly or indirectly from compliance with or adoption of guidance contained in the document even if caused by failure to exercise reasonable care. This publication has been prepared to deal with the subject of Passage Planning Guide – Great Barrier Reef and Torres Strait. This should not, however, be taken to mean that this publication deals comprehensively with all of the issues that will need to be addressed or even, where a particular issue is addressed, that this publication sets out the only definitive view for all situations. Cover image: Emergency Towage Vessel 'Coral Knight' off Pipon Islets, looking back towards Princess Charlotte Bay. Image courtesy of Captain Luke Hosking, MV 'Coral Knight'. Published by Witherby Publishing Group Ltd Navigation House, 3 Almondvale Business Park, Almondvale Way, Livingston EH54 6GA, Scotland, UK +44 (0)1506 463 227 info@witherbys.com witherbys.com Printed and bound in Great Britain by Martins The Printers, Berwick-upon-Tweed III Contents PART 1 – Background and Supporting Notes to the Guide ..........................................................................1 1.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................................3 1.1.1 Explanation of Routes Shown on the Chartlets in this Guide ..................................................................3 1.2 Designated Shipping Areas .............................................................................................................................5 1.3 Main Shipping Routes .....................................................................................................................................6 1.4 Reporting Measures ........................................................................................................................................7 1.5 Requirement to Carry a Pilot ............................................................................................................................8 1.5.1 Pilotage and Regulations for Operating Cruise Ships in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (GBRMP) ....11 1.6 Underkeel Clearance Management (UKCM) System in the Torres Strait .............................................................13 1.6.1 ECDIS Safety Settings ......................................................................................................................15 1.6.2 Tidal Gauges in the Torres Strait .......................................................................................................15 1.6.3 Controlling Depths and Route Choice ................................................................................................16 1.7 The Outer Route ...........................................................................................................................................17 1.8 Emergency Response Vessels .........................................................................................................................17 1.9 Australian Reef Pilots ....................................................................................................................................18 1.10 Pilot Booking Procedure and Contact Details ...................................................................................................20 1.10.1 Ship’s Conduct with the Pilot on Board ..............................................................................................21 1.10.2 Pilot Boarding Grounds ...................................................................................................................22 1.10.3 Pilot Boarding Arrangements ...........................................................................................................22 1.11 Preparation for the Passage...........................................................................................................................23 1.11.1 Principles of Passage Planning .........................................................................................................23 1.11.2 Passage Planning Guidance .............................................................................................................24 1.11.3 Purpose of Passage Planning ............................................................................................................24 1.11.4 Error Management ..........................................................................................................................24 1.11.5 Preparations for Planning ................................................................................................................25 1.11.6 Preparing the Plan ...........................................................................................................................25 1.11.7 Preparing Paper Charts ...................................................................................................................25 1.11.8 Preparing ECDIS .............................................................................................................................26 1.11.9 Preparing or Amending Passage Notes .............................................................................................27 1.11.10 Queensland Coastal Passage Plan (QCPP) ........................................................................................28 1.11.11 Great Barrier Reef and Torres Strait Pre-Entry Bridge Team Meeting ....................................................28 1.11.12 Monitoring the Passage Plan ............................................................................................................29 1.12 Charts and Nautical Publications ...................................................................................................................30 1.13 Tidal Streams and Currents ...........................................................................................................................33 1.14 Winds .........................................................................................................................................................34 1.15 Tropical Cyclones .........................................................................................................................................35 1.16 Oil and Garbage Record Books .....................................................................................................................36 1.17 Engine Room – Operation of Shaft Generator .................................................................................................36 1.18 Collisions between Ships and Marine Fauna ...................................................................................................36 1.19 Marine Notices ............................................................................................................................................36 IV 1.20 Groundings and Collisions in the GBRTS – Case Studies ..................................................................................37 1.20.1 Grounding of the ‘Atlantic Blue’ at Kirkcaldie Reef – February 2009 ...................................................37 1.20.2 Grounding of the ‘Shen Neng 1’ on the Douglas Shoal – April 2010 ..................................................38 1.20.3 Contact with Alert Patches Buoy by the ‘Navios Northern Star’ – March 2016 .....................................39 1.20.4 Near Grounding of the MV ‘Admiralty Spirit’ at Stagg Patches and Sudbury Reef – November 2016 .......40 1.21 Traffic Hotspots .............................................................................................................................................43 1.21.1 Torres Strait, Varzin Channel, Eastbound Traffic Hotspot .....................................................................43 1.21.2 Approaches to Gannet Passage Hotspot ...........................................................................................46 1.21.3 Eastbound Transit through Herald and Alert Patches Hotspot ..............................................................49 1.21.4 Sunk and Frederick Hotspot .............................................................................................................52 1.21.5 Gubbins Reef and Hope Islands, Southbound Traffic Hotspot ..............................................................55 1.21.6 Rounding Fitzroy Island Hotspot .......................................................................................................58 1.21.7 Ferris Shoal to Bugatti Reef Hotspot ..................................................................................................61 1.21.8 Hydrographers Passage, between Tern Islet and Scawfell Island, Northbound Traffic Hotspot ................64 1.21.9 Approaches to Cairns/Yorkeys Knob Pilot Boarding Grounds Hotspot .................................................67 1.21.10 North Channel, between Howick Island and Magaera Reef, Northbound Traffic Hotspot ......................70 1.21.11 Piper Island to Inset Reef, Northbound Traffic Hotspot ........................................................................73 1.21.12 Clerke Island, Northbound Traffic Hotspot .........................................................................................76 1.21.13 Torres Strait, East Part, Westbound Traffic Hotspot .............................................................................79 PART 2 – Passage Notes ............................................................................................................................83 Section 1 – Great North East Channel ......................................................................................................83 Great North East Channel – NE-bound ...................................................................................................................85 Great North East Channel – SW-bound ................................................................................................................105 Section 2 – Inner Route and South of Cairns ...........................................................................................125 Inner Route – SE-bound .......................................................................................................................................127 South of Cairns – Southbound ..............................................................................................................................179 South of Cairns – Northbound ..............................................................................................................................201 Inner Route – NW-bound .....................................................................................................................................221 Section 3 – Hydrographers Passage ........................................................................................................267 Hydrographers Passage – SW-bound ...................................................................................................................273 Hydrographers Passage – NE-bound ....................................................................................................................285 Section 4 – Whitsunday Passage .............................................................................................................295 Whitsunday Passage ...........................................................................................................................................297 PART 3 – Annexes ...................................................................................................................................305 Annex 1 – Pre-Entry Bridge Team Meeting GBR and TS ..........................................................................................309 Annex 2 – Getting the Best from ENC in the GBR ...................................................................................................313 Annex 3 – GBRMPA Approved Cruise Transit Corridors .........................................................................................318 Annex 4 – Reef VTS.............................................................................................................................................322 Annex 5 – Ballast Water Management for the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park .........................................................349 V FOREWORD The Great Barrier Reef is an area of global environmental and economic importance. As early as 1975, the Australian Government recognised its significance by creating the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) to regulate all activities that take place within the marine park. Its scientific, cultural and historic importance led to the Park being added to the UNESCO World Heritage Site List in 1981, with the adjoining and connected Gondwana Tropical Rainforests added in 1986. The Park, and the adjoining area encompassing the Torres Strait up to the border with Papua New Guinea, was designated a Particularly Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA) in 1990, which led to the introduction of compulsory pilotage the following year. Consequently, passing through these areas can be a cause of concern for the mariner, particularly if the bridge team is unfamiliar with the region. Although the whole of the Torres Strait and Great Barrier Reef lies within the state of Queensland, regulation of activities within this area is covered by both state and federal legislation. The source information is not always easy to locate and interpret, particularly if the ship has not been able to obtain all the necessary documentation prior to departing the last port. This Guide contains the information the bridge team will need to properly prepare for the ship's transit through the area. All the data contained within this Guide has been collated and validated by Australian Reef Pilots, drawing on their considerable experience in all areas of the Marine Park. It is also their approved familiarisation and training guide. Australian Reef Pilots strongly recommend that this Guide is used, not only as part of the ship's pre-entry procedures, but also as a tool for familiarising and refreshing the bridge team each time the ship is planning a passage through the area. Its design, with pull-out chartlets, allows this Guide to be used in 'real time', giving the navigator the overview that can be lost with the introduction of ECDIS paperless ships. Simon Meyjes, CEO, Australian Reef Pilots Pty Ltd ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Australian Hydrographic Service Australian Maritime Safety Authority Australian Reef Pilots Australian Transport Safety Bureau Great Barrier Reef and Torres Strait Vessel Traffic Service Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority Maritime Industry Australia Maritime Safety Queensland OMC International Sea Swift NOTICES This Material may not be copied, reproduced, translated, or reduced to any electronic medium or machine readable form, in whole or part, without the prior written consent of the Australian Hydrographic Service. THE CHARTS CONTAINED IN THIS PUBLICATION ARE NOT TO BE USED FOR NAVIGATION. 4 Part 1– Background and Supporting Notes to the Guide The courses in this Guide are derived from the chartlets of the QCPP, with specific guidance taken from AMSA-licensed pilots. Any discrepancies between this Guide and the courses in the QCPP should be noted and discussed during bridge team meetings and during the Master Pilot Exchange. Navigators are reminded that the QCPP is the only Approved Passage Plan as per Marine Order 54 (Coastal pilotage). If you require specific guidance on your route through the Great Barrier Reef and Torres Strait, you should consult your pilotage service provider (see Section 1.10). Designated Shipping Areas © Commonwealth of Australia (GBRMPA). Must not be used for marine navigation. DESIGNATED SHIPPING AREA MAJOR PORTS GREAT BARRIER REEF MARINE PARK BOUNDARY GREAT BARRIER REEF MARINE PARK MANAGEMENT AREA BOUNDARY MAJOR CATCHMENT BOUNDARY DESIGNATED SHIPPING AREAS WITHIN THE GREAT BARRIER REEF MARINE PARK Lucinda THIS MAP IS INDICATIVE ONLY. Derived from information or materials produced by: Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority Queensland Department of Natural Resources & Mines Geoscience Australia, National Mapping Division Royal Australian Navy, Hydrographic Office Royal Automobile Club of Queensland Times Books (Great Britain) Royal Navy (Great Britain) Environmental Systems Research Institute (USA) Map projection: Unprojected geographic coordinates Horizontal datum: Geocentric Datum of Australia, 1994 Names are not necessarily authoritative. Kilometres 0200300100N Map No. SDC 040604 June 2004 Cape Flattery Mourilyan Townsville Lucinda Abbot Point Hay Point Port Alma Gladstone Cairns 6 Part 1– Background and Supporting Notes to the Guide 1.3 Main Shipping Routes Torres Strait Great North East Channel Prince of Wales Channel One and a Half Mile and Two Mile Openings Grafton Passage Palm Passage Hydrographers Passage Port Alma Hay PointQueensland Townsville Cairns Cape Flattery Torres Strait and Great Barrier Reef Shipping Routes Capricorn Channel Whitsunday PassageREEF GREAT The Inner Route PAPUA NEW GUINEA Jomard Entrance Booby Is. Compulsory Pilotage Cape York Peninsula Abbott Point Mackay Dalrymple Bay Daru Port Moresby Route taken by merchant ships that do not require a pilot on board BARRIER S O U T H P A C I F I C O C E A N CORAL SEA Gladstone Bundaberg 7 Part 1– Background and Supporting Notes to the Guide 1.4 Reporting Measures REEFREP Mandatory Ship Reporting System (REEFREP) The Great Barrier Reef and Torres Strait Ship Reporting System (REEFREP) is an integral component of REEFVTS, providing the requirement for ships to identify themselves and their intended passage through the region. This information, together with sophisticated monitoring and communication systems, enables a ship’s transit to be monitored through the Great Barrier Reef and Torres Strait. Ships are required to provide the following reports: ?Pre-Entry Position Report ?Final Report and, where applicable: ?Intermediate Position Reports ?Route Deviation Report ?Defect Report. Details of the reporting requirements can be found in Marine Order 63, the REEFVTS User Guide and Annex 4. The latest REEFREP documentation can be found on the internet at https://www.msq.qld.gov.au/Shipping/Reefvts 8 Part 1– Background and Supporting Notes to the Guide 1.5 Requirement to Carry a Pilot Great North East Channel Prince of Wales Channel One and a Half Mile and Two Mile Openings Grafton Passage Palm Passage Hydrographers Passage Port Alma Bowen Queensland Townsville Karumba Lucinda Cairns Cape Flattery Weipa Great Barrier Reef and Torres Strait Pilotage Areas Capricorn Channel Whitsunday Passage The Inner Route PAPUA NEW GUINEA MacKay Hay Point Whitsunday Islands Torres Strait S O U T H P A C I F I C O C E A N CORAL SEA REEF GREAT BARRIER Hydrographers Passage 9 Part 1– Background and Supporting Notes to the Guide Inner Route Saibai Island Papua New Guinea Great North East Channel Cape York Prince of Wales Channel Via Gannet Passage Torres Strait Compulsory Pilotage Limit 8.0 m to 12.2 m draught Torres Strait Map Compulsory Pilotage Limit Eastbound traffic can disembark their pilot after crossing 143-22E Westbound must have a pilot on board before crossing 143-24E Compulsory Pilotage Limit Less than 8.0 m draught Dalrymple Island Pilot Boarding Yorke Island Pilot Station Goods Island Pilot Boarding Thursday Island Pilot Station Booby Island Pilot Boarding Torres Strait Pilot Boarding Points Great North East Channel Varzin Passage Gannet Passage Prince of Wales Channel Inner Route Via Varzin Passage Moa Island Badu Island Areas of Compulsory Pilotage The following are the areas of compulsory pilotage, where an AMSA-licensed pilot must be on board at all times: Torres Strait – Booby Island Pilot Boarding Ground All ships >70 m LOA, and all loaded oil tankers, chemical tankers and liquefied gas carriers irrespective of length that are transiting this area are to use an AMSA-licensed pilot from the Booby Island Pilot Boarding Ground (10° 36.30' S, 141° 49.80' E). However, ships with a draught of less than 8 m do not require a pilot from Booby Island, but may board the pilot at Goods Island Pilot Station at 10° 33.90' S, 142° 04.40' E. Torres Strait – Goods Island Pilot Boarding Ground Ships with a draught of <8 m that require a pilot will board near Goods Island at the position 10° 33.90' S, 142° 04.40' E. Inner Route The Inner Route is the route that runs between the Australian coastline off Queensland and the Great Barrier Reef. Following the route from Cape York to Cairns involves navigating the ship in confined waters for a distance of approximately 500 miles. All ships >70 m LOA, and all loaded oil tankers, chemical tankers and liquefied gas carriers, irrespective of length, that are transiting this area are to use an AMSA-licensed pilot between the Torres Strait and Cairns.