1.1 The Torres Strait lies to the north and north
east of Cape York and separates Australia and Papua New Guinea. It
is about 90 nautical miles wide and 150 nautical miles long although
useable routes for larger commercial vessels are limited to the Prince
of Wales Channel and the Great North East Channel. The area lies within
the exclusive economic zones of Australia and Papua New Guinea and
includes some areas of the territorial sea and internal waters of
both countries. The recommended pilotage system that is operational
in the area has pilot embarkation areas entirely within the territorial
waters of Australia. The eastern boundary and part of the western
boundary of the PSSA aligns with the "nearest land" definition included
in Annexes I, II, IV and V of
MARPOL 73/78. The northern and a large part of the western boundary
aligns with the Torres Strait Protected Zone (TSPZ) established by
the Torres Strait Treaty between Australia and Papua New Guinea. The
co-ordinates of the Torres Strait PSSA extension are set out below
as amendments to the existing Great Barrier Reef PSSA described in
resolution MEPC.44(30). Note that the geographic positions in italics
are those adopted in 1990 to define the Great Barrier Reef Particularly
Sensitive Sea Area and are unchanged.
1.2 The area is defined by a line:
-
(a) commencing at a point on the coast of Australia
in latitude 11° 00' South, longitude 142° 08' East;
-
(b) running thence north-westerly along the geodesic
to the point of latitude 10° 28' South, longitude 141° 20'
East;
-
(c) thence north along the meridian of longitude
141° 20' East to its intersection by the parallel point of latitude
9° 33' South;
-
(d) thence north-easterly along the geodesic to
the point of latitude 9° 13' South, longitude 141° 57' East;
-
(e) thence north along the meridian of longitude
141° 57' East to its intersection by the southern coastline of
the island of Papua New Guinea at low water;
-
(f) thence generally easterly along the southern
coastline of the island of Papua New Guinea, that is along the low
water line on that coast and across any river mouth and in the case
of the mouth of the Mai Kussa River along the parallel of latitude
9° 09' South, thence along the southern coastline of the island
of Papua New Guinea, that is along the low water line on that coast
and across any river mouth to its intersection by the meridian of
longitude 142° 36' East;
-
(g) thence south along that meridian to its intersection
by the parallel of latitude 9° 21' South;
-
(h) thence north-easterly along the geodesic between
that point of intersection and the point of latitude 9° 09' South,
longitude 143° 47'20" East;
-
(i) thence along the outer limit of the three-mile
territorial sea of Black Rocks, so as to pass to the north-west of
Black Rocks, to the point of intersection of that limit by the outer
limit of the three-mile territorial sea of Bramble Cay;
-
(j) thence along that outer limit, so as to pass
successively to the north and east of Bramble Cay, to the point of
latitude 9° 08'30" South, longitude 143° 55'57" East;
-
(k) thence north-easterly to the point of latitude
9° 00' South, longitude 144° 30' East;
-
(l) thence generally southerly along a line joining
the following geographic positions:
| a.
|
10° 41' S
|
145° 00' E
|
| b.
|
13° 00' S
|
145° 00' E
|
| c.
|
15° 00' S
|
146° 00' E
|
| d.
|
17° 30' S
|
147° 00' E
|
| e.
|
21° 00' S
|
152° 55' E
|
| f.
|
24° 30' S
|
154° 00' E
|
-
(m) thence westerly along the parallel of latitude
24°3 0' South to its intersection by the coastline of Queensland
at low water; and
-
(n) thence generally northerly along that coastline
at low water to the point of commencement.
1.3 A chartlet of the Torres Strait extension
to the Great Barrier Reef PSSA is provided below.
Figure A