What is a marine notice

Marine notices are issued both to provide safety advice to vessel operators and in accordance with certain statutory requirements. They are published in the NSW Government Gazette, placed on the Transport for NSW website, distributed to relevant maritime related organisations such as the Marine Rescue and published (where appropriate) in local and/or statewide print media.

There are two main types of marine notices:

• Navigation warnings
• Aquatic licence or special event ‘exclusive use’ conditions.

Navigation warnings

Navigation warnings are published from time to time to advise of hazardous conditions on waterways.

For example, if a vessel sinks in shallow water and becomes an obstruction, or if a coastal bar shifts and changes shape, we may publish a navigation warning to let people know about the potential hazard.

These warnings have no legal status. Transport for NSW issues them in an advisory capacity as the safety regulator for waterways and boating.

As well as providing a service in the interests of 'good government', navigation warnings also form part of Transport for NSW risk management approach to safe navigation.

Transport for NSW makes every effort to warn vessel operators if physical circumstances change which may present a danger that was previously unknown, and which vessel operators may not be aware of.

Aquatic licences and special events

Special event marine notices are authorised by statute, and allow a particular body to have ‘exclusive use’ of waters for the purposes of conducting an activity under an aquatic licence or any other event that may affect the safety of navigation in any particular waters.

A notice must be published when a special event is declared (Section 12 of the Marine Safety Act 1998).

These notices advise the public that certain areas of water are closed to recreational navigation. Notices generally describe the parameters of the area which is set aside for exclusive use, the time and date, and the means by which the area is to be marked off.

Notices are required under the Act so that the public is aware of exclusive use events, so that they don't accidentally move into the middle of a race, a dangerous set of construction works, or a fireworks barge for example.

Once a notice is published, it is an offence to breach it. You can be fined for failing to leave an area that has been set aside as an exclusive use/special event area.

Notices by region and location

Notices are listed by their location, from the north of the NSW to the south. Click a column heading to sort the table by that column, or type in the search box to find a specific location or notice number. Click the name of the notice to read detailed information.

---