Who does this notice affect?
This notice is of interest to all vessel masters, shipping agents and corporations who deal with the department for vessel biosecurity clearance activities.
What is MARS?
A new IT system called the Maritime Arrivals Reporting System (MARS) is an online web portal to be used by commercial vessel masters and shipping agents to submit pre-arrival documents required of all international vessels seeking Australian biosecurity clearance.
MARS Pilot is Complete
The department began the implementation of MARS in a phased approach between July and September with two pilot locations, Mackay and Gladstone. The pilot identified operational readiness and informed change management activities for the national roll-out of MARS.
See Industry Notice 69-2016: MARS Pilot
MARS Stage 1 of the National Rollout starts with the Pilbara
The stage 1 rollout of MARS begins from Monday 26 September for the identified ports in the Pilbara - Dampier, Port Hedland, Port Walcott, Onslow, and Cape Preston.
Stage 1 Rollout Schedule
Dampier, Port Hedland, Port Walcott, Onslow, Cape Preston |
|---|
Rollout phases | Dates | What you need to know and do |
|---|
Agency registration | From 26 September | Department staff have been in touch over the phone to schedule meetings with affected agencies and will assist with registration at agency offices as needed. |
Lodge MARS reports | From 30 September | Lodge pre-arrival reports (PAR and Ballast Water) for vessels arriving on or after 10 October at these ports – AS A FIRST PORT. Vessels arriving at these ports as a subsequent port will be managed under existing arrangements, unless the first port happens to be ports that are already managed under MARS – Gladstone, Port of Mackay, Dalrymple Bay and Hay Point. |
Vessel inspections | From 10 October | Department biosecurity officers will be conducting inspections using MARS. As MARS is a paperless system, all correspondence will be received and provided electronically. |
Implementation approach and timeline
The broad implementation timeline is as follows:
| Activity | Location? | Commencement |
|---|
Pilot | Mackay, Gladstone | Completed during July and September 2016 |
Information Packs | All locations via departmental biosecurity officers | Distributed during August and September |
Information Sessions | Capital Cities | Completed between 19 – 23 September |
Stage 1 Rollout | Dampier, Port Hedland, Port Walcott, Onslow, Cape Preston | 26 September |
Stage 2 Rollout | All other locations | 24 October |
Implementation Complete | | 2 December 2016 |
Updates to the timeline and information pertaining to the national rollout of MARS will be published periodically on the department's Vessels related webpages as well as through additional industry notices.
Support
Locally based biosecurity officers will be the key contacts at each of the Pilbara locations and will provide personalised registration and MARS training support to agencies and masters.
Further support can also be sought from the Maritime National Coordination Centre (MNCC) on 1300 004 605 or +61 8 8201 6185 (outside Australia).
MARS User Guides (master and agent), Quick Reference Guides (for MARS registration and PAR and ballast water submission instructions) and an eLearning presentation have been provided and distributed. See the MARS Communications and Training Materials webpage for downloadable versions.
Further information
Email CD MARS to provide feedback and ask questions or to be added to our email distribution list to stay informed about MARS.
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