Description of the Particularly Sensitive Sea Area
To minimize the risk of damage from ship groundings and pollution damage
by international shipping activities and the destruction and degradation of this
unique, diverse, and significant habitats and ecosystem, mariners should exercise
extreme care when navigating in the area bounded by a line connecting the following
geographical positions which is designated as a Particularly Sensitive Sea Area:
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(a) commencing at a point on the coast of Australia in latitude 11°00'
South, longitude 142°08' East;
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(b) running thence north-westerly along the geodesic to the point of
latitude 10°28' South, longitude 141°20' East;
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(c) thence north along the meridian of longitude 141°20' East to its
intersection by the parallel point of latitude 9°33' South;
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(d) thence north-easterly along the geodesic to the point of latitude
9°13' South, longitude 141°57' East;
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(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;
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(f) thence generally easterly along the southern coastline of the island
of 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 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;
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(g) thence south along that meridian to its intersection by the parallel
of latitude 9°21' South;
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(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;
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(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;
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(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;
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(k) thence north-easterly to the point of latitude 9°00' South, longitude
144°30' East;
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(l) thence generally southerly along a line joining the following
geographic positions:
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a. 10°41' S 145°00' E
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b. 13°00' S 145°00' E
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(m) thence easterly to a point of latitude 13°00' South, longitude
147°00' East;
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(n) thence generally south-easterly to a point of latitude 19°00' South,
longitude 156°00' East;
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(o) thence south to a point of latitude 24°30' South, longitude 156°00'
East;
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(p) thence westerly along the parallel of latitude 24°30' South to its
intersection by the coastline of Queensland at low water; and
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(q) thence generally northerly along that coastline at low water to the
point of commencement.
Note: The geographic positions from sections (a) to (k) inclusive
are those in resolution MEPC.133(53), adopted in 2005 to
define the Great Barrier Reef and Torres Strait Particularly Sensitive Sea Area.
All coordinates are based on the WGS84 datum and are depicted in the
diagram in the chartlet below.