{"id":"F1996B04182","name":"Protection of the Sea (Powers of Intervention) Regulations 1983","slug":"protection-of-the-sea-powers-of-intervention-regulations-1983","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":"220 of 1983","makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":110911,"registerId":"commonwealth-F1996B04182-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-03","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Protection of the Sea (Powers of Intervention) Regulations 1983","content":"![](image.001.png)\n\nProtection of the Sea (Powers of Intervention) Regulations 1983\n\nStatutory Rules 1983 No. 220 as amended\n\nmade under the\n\nProtection of the Sea (Powers of Intervention) Act 1981\n\nThis compilation was prepared on 16 December 2006 \ntaking into account amendments up to SLI 2006 No. 360\n\nPrepared by the Office of Legislative Drafting and Publishing, \nAttorney‑General’s Department, Canberra\n\nContents\n\n1 Name of Regulations \\[see Note 1\\]\n\n2 Interpretation\n\n3 Notification of change in ownership of a ship\n\n4 Notification of change of master of ship\n\n5 Notification of change of owner of tangible asset\n\nNotes\n\n1 Name of Regulations \\[see Note 1\\]\n\nThese Regulations are the Protection of the Sea (Powers of Intervention) Regulations 1983.\n\n2 Interpretation\n\nIn these Regulations, unless the contrary intention appears, the Act means the Protection of the Sea (Powers of Intervention) Act 1981.\n\n3 Notification of change in ownership of a ship\n\n(1) For paragraph 18 (1) (b) of the Act, the Authority must be notified of a change in the ownership of the ship in a message transmitted to the Rescue Coordination Centre of the Authority using any of the following means of communication:\n\n(a) telephone;\n\n(b) fax;\n\n(c) email;\n\n(d) telex;\n\n(e) high frequency radio digital selective calling.\n\n> Note In the context of maritime radio communication, the terms ‘high frequency’ and ‘digital selective calling’ may be found cited as ‘HF’ and ‘DSC’ respectively.\n\n(2) A message referred to in subregulation (1) must commence with the code letters TRANSREP and must specify:\n\n(a) in the case of a telephone message:\n\n(i) that the message is urgent; and\n\n(ii) the telephone number, fax number, email address or telex number to be used to send an urgent message to the person who was the owner of the ship; and\n\n(b) in any other case, all of the following:\n\n(i) the date on which the message is transmitted;\n\n(ii) the time of day, expressed as Universal Co‑ordinated Time, that the message is transmitted;\n\n(iii) that the message is urgent;\n\n(iv) the telephone number, fax number, email address or telex number to be used to send an urgent message to the person who was the owner of the ship.\n\n(3) The following particulars of a change in the ownership of a ship are prescribed for the purposes of paragraph 18 (1) (b) of the Act:\n\n(a) the name of the new owner of the ship;\n\n(b) the address of the principal place of business of the new owner;\n\n(c) if the address referred to in paragraph (b) is outside Australia and the new owner has an office or agent in Australia — the address of that office or that agent in Australia;\n\n(d) the telephone number, fax number, email address or telex number to be used to send an urgent message to the new owner of the ship; and\n\n(e) particulars of any change to the flag or name of the ship.\n\n4 Notification of change of master of ship\n\n(1) For paragraph 18 (2) (b) of the Act, the Authority must be notified by the person ceasing to be the master of the ship in a message transmitted to the Rescue Coordination Centre of the Authority using any of the following means of communication:\n\n(a) telephone;\n\n(b) fax;\n\n(c) email;\n\n(d) telex;\n\n(e) high frequency radio digital selective calling.\n\n> Note In the context of maritime radio communication, the terms ‘high frequency’ and ‘digital selective calling’ may be found cited as ‘HF’ and ‘DSC’ respectively.\n\n(2) A message referred to in subregulation (1) must commence with the code letters TRANSREP and must specify:\n\n(a) in the case of a telephone message:\n\n(i) that the message is urgent; and\n\n(ii) the telephone number, fax number, email address or telex number to be used to send an urgent message to the person ceasing to be the master of the ship; and\n\n(b) in any other case, all of the following:\n\n(i) the date on which the message is transmitted;\n\n(ii) the time of day, expressed as Universal Co‑ordinated Time, that the message is transmitted;\n\n(iii) that the message is urgent;\n\n(iv) the telephone number, fax number, email address or telex number to be used to send an urgent message to the person ceasing to be the master of the ship.\n\n(3) The following particulars of a change in the master of a ship are prescribed for paragraph 18 (2) (b) of the Act:\n\n(a) the name of the new master of the ship;\n\n(b) the date of engagement of the new master.\n\n5 Notification of change of owner of tangible asset\n\n(1) For paragraph 18 (3) (b) of the Act, the Authority must be notified of a change in the ownership of a tangible asset in a message transmitted to the Rescue Coordination Centre of the Authority using any of the following means of communication:\n\n(a) telephone;\n\n(b) fax;\n\n(c) email;\n\n(d) telex;\n\n(e) high frequency radio digital selective calling.\n\n> Note In the context of maritime radio communication, the terms ‘high frequency’ and ‘digital selective calling’ may be found cited as ‘HF’ and ‘DSC’ respectively.\n\n(2) A message referred to in subregulation (1) must commence with the code letters TRANSREP and must specify:\n\n(a) in the case of a telephone message:\n\n(i) that the message is urgent; and\n\n(ii) the telephone number, fax number, email address or telex number to be used to send an urgent message to the person who was the owner of the tangible asset; and\n\n(b) in any other case, all of the following:\n\n(i) the date on which the message is transmitted;\n\n(ii) the time of day, expressed as Universal Co‑ordinated Time, that the message is transmitted;\n\n(iii) that the message is urgent;\n\n(iv) the telephone number, fax number, email address or telex number to be used to send an urgent message to the person who was the owner of the tangible asset.\n\n(3) The following particulars of a change in the ownership of a tangible asset are prescribed for paragraph 18 (3) (b) of the Act:\n\n(a) the name of the new owner of the tangible asset;\n\n(b) the address of the principal place of business or residence of the new owner;\n\n(c) the telephone number, fax number, email address or telex number to be used to send an urgent message to the new owner;\n\n(d) particulars of any change to the tangible asset.\n\n> Notes to the Protection of the Sea (Powers of Intervention) Regulations 1983\n\n> Note 1\n\n> Note: The Protection of the Sea (Powers of Intervention) Regulations 1983 (in force under the Protection of the Sea (Powers of Intervention) Act 1981) as shown in this compilation comprise Statutory Rules 1983 No. 220 amended as indicated in the Tables below.\n\n> Note: Under the Legislative Instruments Act 2003, which came into force on 1 January 2005, it is a requirement for all non-exempt legislative instruments to be registered on the Federal Register of Legislative Instruments. From 1 January 2005 the Statutory Rules series ceased to exist and was replaced with Select Legislative Instruments (SLI series). Numbering conventions remain the same, ie Year and Number.\n\n> Note: > Note: Table of Instruments\n\n```html\n

Year and
number

Date of notification
in Gazette and FRLI registration

Date of
commencement

Application, saving or
transitional provisions

1983 No. 220

14 Oct 1983

5 Feb 1984 (see r. 2 and Gazette 1984, No. S31)

1991 No. 332

29 Oct 1991

29 Oct 1991

—

2006 No. 360

15 Dec 2006 (see F2006L04057)

16 Dec 2006

—

\n```\n\n> Note: > Note: Table of Amendments\n\n```html\n

ad. = added or inserted am. = amended rep. = repealed rs. = repealed and substituted

Provision affected

How affected

R. 1.................

rs. 2006 No. 360

R. 3.................

am. 1991 No. 332; 2006 No. 360

R. 4.................

am. 1991 No. 332; 2006 No. 360

R. 5.................

rep. 1991 No. 332

ad. 2006 No. 360

\n```","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"Unauthenticated. Configure AI_GATEWAY_API_KEY or use a provider module. Learn more: https://ai-sdk.dev/unauthenticated-ai-gateway","source":"analysis-cron"},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":true,"description":"The compilation’s amendment table shows r.3 and r.4 were amended (1991 and 2006) and r.5 was repealed and later added (1991; ad. 2006). The text of the Regulations explicitly permits modern communication methods (email, HF DSC) and prescribes additional particulars (e.g. Australian office/agent when the owner is overseas) (r.3(1),(3)(c); r.4(1); r.5(1)). Those amendments indicate an expansion and technical update of the original notification mechanisms and prescribed details (see Notes — Table of Amendments; r.3–r.5)."},"complexity_factors":["Multiple notification scenarios covered (change of ship ownership, change of master, change of owner of a tangible asset) requiring separate prescribed details (r.3(3); r.4(3); r.5(3)).","Several permitted communication methods with technical variety (telephone, fax, email, telex, high frequency radio digital selective calling) increase operational permutations (r.3(1); r.4(1); r.5(1)).","Rigid message-format requirements: messages must start with code letters TRANSREP and include an ‘urgent’ indication and different required content depending on telephone v. other means (r.3(2); r.4(2); r.5(2)).","Time-stamping requirement for non-telephone messages uses Universal Co‑ordinated Time (UTC) which imposes precise timing practice (r.3(2)(b)(ii); r.4(2)(b)(ii); r.5(2)(b)(ii)).","Different notifier roles are explicit in some places but implicit in others: the person ceasing to be master must notify for master changes (r.4(1)), while notification duties for ownership changes are referenced to the Act (paragraph 18) but not restated here (r.3; r.5), creating potential ambiguity about who must send certain notices.","Prescribed particulars include overseas-office/agent contact when owner’s principal place is outside Australia, and particulars of flag/name or tangible-asset changes — requiring parties to maintain up-to-date international contact details and asset identifiers (r.3(3)(c),(e); r.5(3)(b),(d)).","Administrative compliance burden: obligation to supply and keep accurate phone/fax/email/telex numbers and to ensure messages follow the formal coding and urgency flags (r.3(2); r.4(2); r.5(2)).","Low regulatory discretion: the Regulations prescribe form and content strictly, limiting administrative flexibility (see r.3–r.5 overall).","Amendment history recorded in the compilation suggests evolving scope and technical updates over time; users must consult amendment table for provenance (Notes — Table of Amendments)."],"plain_english_summary":"These Regulations set exactly how and what must be reported to the Authority’s Rescue Coordination Centre when a ship’s ownership or master changes, or when ownership of a tangible asset changes. Messages must begin with the code TRANSREP, be sent by listed communication methods, be marked urgent, and include prescribed identity and contact details so the Authority can contact the former and new parties quickly."},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The regulations remain tightly focused on their original purpose of establishing notification procedures for changes in ship ownership, masters, and tangible assets. The 2006 amendments added email as a communication method and updated Rule 5 (which had been repealed in 1991) to cover tangible assets, but these were modernizations and restorations rather than scope expansions. The legislation has not grown beyond its original administrative function of maintaining accurate contact records for maritime emergency response."},"complexity_factors":["Only 5 operative regulations (Rules 1-5), with Rule 1 being purely nominal (naming)","Single defined term ('the Act') in the interpretation section","Highly repetitive structure — Regulations 3, 4, and 5 follow an identical tripartite format (communication methods, message format, required particulars)","No cross-references between regulations except references to the parent Act (section 18)","Simple conditional logic limited to distinguishing telephone messages from other communication methods","No exceptions, exemptions, or nested conditions","Straightforward prescriptive requirements with clear lists of required information"],"plain_english_summary":"These regulations require ship owners, masters, and owners of maritime equipment to notify the Australian Maritime Safety Authority when a ship's ownership or master changes, or when ownership of relevant tangible assets transfers. Notifications must use AMSA’s Rescue Coordination Centre channels and begin with the code word \"TRANSREP.\"\n\nKeeping contacts and asset details current lets AMSA respond quickly to distress or pollution incidents and meets Australia’s international maritime safety obligations."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/protection-of-the-sea-powers-of-intervention-regulations-1983","history":"/api/acts/protection-of-the-sea-powers-of-intervention-regulations-1983/history","analysis":"/api/acts/protection-of-the-sea-powers-of-intervention-regulations-1983/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/protection-of-the-sea-powers-of-intervention-regulations-1983/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/protection-of-the-sea-powers-of-intervention-regulations-1983/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/protection-of-the-sea-powers-of-intervention-regulations-1983/documents"}}