The Defence Force and the National Maritime Coordination Centre
The Case of the PING AN HAI Illustrates the NMCC in Action
One morning late last year, Joint Force Headquarters personnel monitoring the Automated Identification System (AIS) noted that a tanker registered in China – the Ping An Hai - was anchored in the waters of the Coromandel Peninsula.
The NZ Customs Liaison Officer to the NMCC (NZC-LO) checked Customs information on the vessel and found it had been cleared from Tauranga to proceed to Taiwan. But in anchoring inside NZ territorial waters, the vessel had committed a breach of Customs law.
The first report that the Ping An Hai was anchored was of concern to Customs because it was in contravention of its clearance to proceed overseas.
The NMCC’s initial task is to determine what is the greatest possible risk to New Zealand in the situation, and how to deploy the assets available to mitigate that risk.
The possible risks ranged from relatively minor (illegal anchoring) to more serious concerns such as illegal landing of people or goods, or environmental damage from ballast water or tank cleaning.
The NZC-LO consulted the Maritime Operations Officer (J33M) to see which naval vessels were in the area that could be diverted to investigate the vessel if required. HMNZS Te Kaha had just sailed from Devonport and was advised to prepare to be tasked for this.
NZ Customs advised Ping An Hai’s agent her Outbound Clearance had been revoked and the agent should direct the tanker to return to Tauranga. In the course of the conversation with the agent, it was discovered the vessel might be cleaning tanks or discharging ballast, which would pose a pollution hazard.
HMNZS Te Kaha was directed by the J33M to conduct a visual inspection and ascertain if the vessel was conducting any activity inconsistent with anchoring under ‘Force Majeure’, in particular cleaning tanks or discharging ballast.
A Navy Seasprite helicopter from 6 Squadron joining HMNZS Te Mana for previously planned activity, was then directed to conduct a visual inspection of the Ping An Hai to ascertain any discharge overboard which could also lead to pollution.
When contacted by Te Kaha, the Ping An Hai advised she had anchored to seek shelter from the previous evening’s high winds.
Te Kaha and the Seasprite confirmed no sign of pollution from the vessel. After no pollution risk was established, Maritime NZ and Department of Conservation were no longer concerned about the vessel’s presence. The tanker advised she had been ordered to sail by her agent, and left for Tauranga.
This incident illustrates how the command and control mechanisms between civil agencies and the NZDF work to benefit New Zealand as a whole.
Established in 2002, the National Maritime Coordination Centre coordinates maritime patrol and surveillance information and activity to ensure the best outcome for New Zealand from a whole-of-government perspective.
“The NMCC provides an important and effective bridge between the NZDF and those government agencies that need access to the New Zealand Defence Forces’s assets”
Rear Admiral David Ledson, Chief of Navy
The NMCC is under the governance of Customs and brings together several agencies: the New Zealand Defence Force, New Zealand Customs Service, Ministry of Fisheries, Department of Conservation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Maritime New Zealand, and the New Zealand Police.