OBS_VALUE: Under the Coastal Trading Act 2012, the cabotage regime is based on a three-tier licensing system, comprising: General licences, granting unrestricted coastal trade for a period of five years and available to ships registered in the Australian General Shipping Register; Temporary licences, available to foreign-flagged ships and ships registered in the Australian International Shipping Register, and valid for a limited number of voyages in a 12-month period; Emergency licences, open to foreign-flagged ships and valid for no more than 30 days and issued to respond to national emergencies. 