Maritime Safety Queensland (MSQ) is a

Queensland government The Queensland Government is the democratic administrative authority of the Australian state of Queensland. The Government of Queensland, a parliamentary constitutional monarchy was formed in 1859 as prescribed in its Constitution, as amended f ...

agency of the

Department of Transport and Main Roads The Department of Transport and Main Roads, known often as TMR, is a department of the Queensland Government, formed in April 2009 with the merger of the Queensland Transport and the Department of Main Roads. The department manages Queensland ...

. The agency is responsible for the safety of all water vessels in

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

waterways. It deals with

marine pollution Marine pollution occurs when substances used or spread by humans, such as industrial, agricultural and residential waste, particles, noise, excess carbon dioxide or invasive organisms enter the ocean and cause harmful effects there. The major ...

and provides

pilotage Piloting or pilotage is the process of navigating on water or in the air using fixed points of reference on the sea or on land, usually with reference to a nautical chart or aeronautical chart to obtain a fix of the position of the vessel or ai ...

for Queensland

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as H ...

s. The agency also maintains boating infrastructure including

harbours A harbor (American English), harbour (British English; see spelling differences), or haven is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be docked. The term ''harbor'' is often used interchangeably with '' port'', which is ...

and channels. Maritime Safety Queensland was established on 1 October 2002 under the ''Maritime Safety Queensland Act 2002''. The agency's main offices are located at Mineral House in George Street,

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...

. MSQ has a number of pilotage office located across the state. It publishes tide and other charts, cyclone contingency plans and

beacon A beacon is an intentionally conspicuous device designed to attract attention to a specific location. A common example is the lighthouse, which draws attention to a fixed point that can be used to navigate around obstacles or into port. More mode ...

directories. MSQ investigated the collision of Jessica Watson's boat with Chinese bulk carrier, the ''Silver Yang'', at the start of her round the world trip. The agency found that Ms Watson had not acted responsibly or planned adequately.

Oil spills

Maritime Safety Queensland has had to respond to a number of oil spills. These include the

2010 Great Barrier Reef oil spill The 2010 Great Barrier Reef oil spill occurred on 3 April 2010, when the Chinese bulk coal carrier, ran aground east of Rockhampton in Central Queensland, Australia. The vessel is owned by Shenzhen Energy Transport Co. Ltd. The ship was more ...

and the

2009 southeast Queensland oil spill The 2009 southeast Queensland oil spill occurred off the coast of southeast Queensland, Australia on 11 March 2009, when 230 tonnes of fuel oil, 30 tonnes of other fuel and 31 shipping containers containing 620 tonnes of ammonium nitrate spille ...

. In 2006, response teams from MSQ coordinated cleanup efforts after the ''Global Peace'' leaked oil from damaged fuel tanks into Gladstone Harbour.

References

External links

* {{official, http://www.msq.qld.gov.au/ Government agencies of Queensland Transport in Queensland Maritime safety organizations Government agencies established in 2002 2002 establishments in Australia

Oil spills

See also

References

External links