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Chapter 7Coastal shipping permitsIn order for foreign vessels to trade on the Australian coast it is necessary for them toobtain shipping permits. Permits can be obtained for a single voyage or for a series ofvoyages along the coast. The extent to which these permits are sought and issued isa proxy measure of the competition which exists between Australian flag and foreignflag vessels. Definitions of permits are provided in Appendix B.Total tonnages planned to be shipped under cargo permits issued to applicants underSVPs and CVPs increased from 15.0 million tonnes in 2006 to 15.3 million tonnes in2007 (Figure 7.1).Single voyage permitsFigure 7.2 illustrates the number of SVPs issued, and the pre-voyage estimation oftonnes of cargo to be carried, between January–June 1991 and July–December 2007.The number of SVPs issued in July–December 2007 decreased by 6.4 per cent comparedwith January–June 2007 and by 6.7 per cent compared with the July–December 2006period. The associated estimated tonnes of cargo to be carried decreased by 1.0per cent compared with January–June 2007, and decreased by 7.3 per cent comparedwith July–December 2006.On a calendar year basis the total number of SVPs issued in 2007 was 962 comparedwith 805 in 2006. This represented a increase of 19.5 per cent. Over the same periodestimated SVP cargo increased by 4.9 per cent from 13 297 thousand tonnes to 13 944thousand tonnes.Table 7.1 gives a breakdown of SVPs by cargo types for July–December 2007. Generalcargo (including containerised cargo) permits now represent 1.7 per cent by weight,while making up 34.6 per cent of total permits issued. Bulk cargo accounts for 98.3per cent of the total tonnage moved under SVPs.Continuing voyage permitsAlthough CVPs were available prior to 1998, they were rarely requested or issuedduring this period. Since 1998, there have been significant fluctuations in both thenumber of permits issued and the tonnage to be carried, as shown in Figure 7.3. InJuly–December 2007, a total of 624 thousand tonnes of cargo were to be carried underCVPs, compared with 689 thousand tonnes in January–June 2007 and 814 thousandtonnes in July–December 2006.CVPs issued since the start of 2006 have been for 3 months maximum duration ratherthan the 6 months allowed previously. One CVP is estimated to be equivalent tothree SVPs on average.47