Safe Transport Victoria are the control agency for level 1 maritime casualties (not search and rescue) of all vessels in coastal waters, but not in commercial and local port waters. We are also a support agency for level 2 and level 3 maritime emergencies.

Levels of emergency

Incident Typical features
Level 1 The region and/or state tiers are not activated for control:

  • the response is day-to-day business, and the incident is managed by a control agency’s incident management team
  • the response is in the incident area only
  • the response duration is a single shift or less
  • there is little to no potential for escalation.

The region and/or state tiers are not activated for coordination:

  • there is a single or limited multi-agency response
  • resources can be sourced from one local government district.

The regional and state tiers are not activated for recovery coordination: there is little or no impact on the community and infrastructure.
Level 2 The region and/or state tiers are activated for control:

  • the incident is of medium complexity
  • the response duration is multiple shifts
  • there are one or two incident areas
  • the incident could potentially become an emergency
  • the incident involves multiple hazards.

The region and/or state tiers are activated for coordination:

  • a limited multi-agency response is required
  • the resources of more than one agency must be coordinated
  • there is a medium-term impact on critical infrastructure
  • resources are sourced from the district or state levels
  • there is a medium impact on the community.
Level 3 The region and/or state tiers are activated for control:

  • the incident is of high complexity
  • the response duration is protracted
  • there are multiple incident areas
  • the incident could become a state of emergency or lead to the declaration of a state of disaster.

The region and/or state tiers are activated for coordination:

  • there is significant impact on critical infrastructure
  • there is actual or potential loss of life or multiple, serious injuries
  • there is major impact on the routine functioning of the community, which needs the establishment of relief services.

 

Categories of emergency

For the purpose of delineating roles and responsibilities, maritime emergencies are divided into four categories: maritime casualty, oil spills, hazardous and noxious substance spills, and wildlife affected by marine pollution events.