Williamson Maurice: Maritime Transport Amendment Bill Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf (Environmental Effects) Amendment Bill — Third ReadingsText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeWilliamson Maurice: Maritime Transport Amendment Bill Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf (Environmental Effects) Amendment Bill — Third Readings[Sitting date: 15 October 2013. Volume:694;Page:13861. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon MAURICE WILLIAMSON (Minister for Building and Construction) on behalf of theMinister of Transport: I moveThat the Maritime Transport Amendment Bill and the Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf (Environmental Effects) Amendment Bill be now read a third time. The Maritime Transport Amendment Bill and the Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf (Environmental Effects) Amendment Bill amend the Maritime Transport Act 1994 in order to protect maritime safety and to protect the marine environment. Amendments to the Maritime Transport Act will provide for local regulation of maritime activities enable the implementation of four international maritime conventions and make other miscellaneous changes to improve the clarity effectiveness and enforceability of provisions in the Act.The Maritime Transport Amendment Bill transfers local regulation of maritime activity from the Local Government Act 1974 to the Maritime Transport Act 1994. The bill clarifies the maritime functions and powers of regional councils and harbour masters to regulate maritime safety and maritime-related activities in their regions and to manage port harbour and navigation safety. This consolidates local and national regulations of maritime activity into one statute. The bill introduces new measures that specify the maritime safety responsibilities of port operators and the related powers of the Director of Maritime New Zealand to intervene in the interests of maritime safety. These measures will support and complement the voluntary New Zealand Port and Harbour Marine Safety Code 2004.The bill also updates arrangements for setting council fees and charges for maritime-related purposes and for local enforcement of maritime rules.The bill also enables New Zealand to bring four international maritime conventions into full force: the 1996 Protocol to the Convention on Limitation of Liability for Maritime Claims 1976 the International Convention on Civil Liability for Bunker Oil Pollution Damage 2001 the Protocol Relating to Intervention on the High Seas in Cases of Pollution by Substances Other than Oil 1973 and the Manila amendments to the International Convention on Standards of Training Certification andWatchkeeping for Seafarers 1978. The bill gives effect to the actual text of the Convention on Limitation of Liability for Maritime Claims 1976 as amended by the protocol to the convention of 1996. This simplifies the way that the legislation currently implements the limitation of liability regime. But more significant the amendments enable New Zealand to accede to the 1996 protocol which approximately doubles the liability limit for maritime claims under the existing legislation. It also provides for future increases in thelimitation limit to be given effect by an Order in Council. This will make it a simple process to implement the 51 percent increase in the liability limit that will become available to contracting States in June 2015.The bill will expressly implement the requirement for ships to have bunker oil insurance in accordance with the International Convention on Civil Liability for Bunker Oil Pollution Damage. Shipowners will be required to have sufficient insurance to meet their potential liability under the increased limitation limits of the 1996 Protocol to the Convention on Limitation of Liability for Maritime Claims.The bill amends the Maritime Transport Act to enable emergency intervention powers in respect of ships to be exercised in the event of incidents involving harmful substances other than oil. This will give effect to the Protocol Relating to Intervention on the High Seas in Cases of Pollution by Substances other than Oil.The Manila amendments to the International Convention on Standards of Training Certification andWatchkeeping for Seafarers include regulation of alcohol consumption by merchant seafarers. Seafarers carrying out safety security and marine environment protection duties will be subject to blood-alcohol limits of 50 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood or 250 micrograms of alcohol per litre of breath. This testing regime is based on the testing regime for motor vehicle drivers under the Land Transport Act of 1998.The Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf (Environmental Effects) Amendment Bill transfers the regulation of a dumping and certain discharges related to the exclusive economic zone activities from Maritime New Zealand to the Environmental Protection Authority. In addition the bill creates a new non-notified discretionary category to provide the Environmental Protection Authority with similar options to those currently available under the Maritime Transport Act for considering discharge and dumping activities. The new classification will also provide an appropriate level of oversight and discretion by the Environmental Protection Authority for activities that take place over a short period of time or are routine but still necessitate full regulatory discretion.These bills will provide an updated and improved framework for maritime safety and marine environmental protection. They will also allow for commercial activity within the exclusive economic zone to be carefully managed while ensuring that the regulation is proportionate to the scale and environmental effects of such activities. I commend these bills to the House.