Members of Shipping Australia are aiding in relief effort to Western Australia by transporting essential goods by sea.
Outback rains and flooding in late January damaged vital cross-country road and rail links and this has caused a shortage of supplies in the western parts of Australia. Trucks and trains cannot carry goods over damaged infrastructure.
The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development, Barnaby Joyce, has signed a Section 11 exemption from the Coastal Trading (Revitalising Australian Shipping) Act 2012 for voyages between eastern states and territories and Western Australia.
The exemption applies to ships that are capable of carrying containers and to ro-ro cargo and which are carrying cargoes that would otherwise by carried by rail and which are necessary to meet the ordinary requirements of the Western Australian community or businesses.
The exemption runs from 1 February 2022 to 31 March 2022.
Shipping Australia understands that our members have experienced a surge in bookings for east-to-west coastal cargo.
