Court document · Maritime, Shipping & Transport

Writ in rem, application for arrest warrant and arrest warrant (Admiralty Rules forms)

Completion guide for the Federal Court's prescribed Admiralty Rules forms used to arrest a ship: writ (Form 6), application for arrest warrant (Form 12), supporting affidavit (Form 13) and arrest warrant (Form 14).

Kind: Court document. A document filed or served in a court or tribunal.
Where it applies: Australia, Commonwealth
AI use: Red Keep AI out of the decisive steps. A lawyer does the work.
Law stated as at: 17 October 2026
Status: Maintained. Checked on 17 October 2026 against the official form at fedcourt.gov.au and the 5 authorities it cites, for Australia and Commonwealth.
Version: 1
Source: Link to the official form. Licence: Link only. The forms are prescribed by the Admiralty Rules 1988 (Cth) and published by the Federal Court of Australia (© Commonwealth of Australia, all rights reserved except where marked).

Where this comes from

The official form is published by fedcourt.gov.au; this page is a completion guide. Last checked on 2026-10-17.

When to use it

Use when acting for a claimant who needs to commence an action in rem and arrest a ship or other property in Australia. Always use the current forms on the Federal Court site. Do not use where the claim is only in personam or the ship is outside Australian waters.

How AI may be used

Lawyer-led. AI may index the file and assemble ship and claim particulars for the lawyer, but it must not write any part of the writ, application, affidavit or caveat. The jurisdictional basis and the deponent's evidence are for the lawyer and the witness.

AI may

Index the file and list the documents that prove each element of the claim, with references.
Assemble ship particulars (name, IMO number, flag, registered owner, demise charterer, current location) from registry and AIS sources for the lawyer to verify.
Build a timeline of the cause of action and of ownership changes for the lawyer's review.

AI must not

Must not draft or edit any part of the writ, application, affidavit, caveat or statement of claim.
Must not decide whether the claim is a maritime lien, proprietary or general maritime claim, or whether a surrogate ship can be arrested.
Must not generate or alter the deponent's evidence.

The lawyer checks

The claim falls within s 4 and the correct in rem basis (ss 15 to 19) is pleaded, including ownership or demise charter at the right times.
A caveat search has been done and the effect of any caveat against arrest (r 40(3)) considered.
The client understands the Marshal's costs undertaking (r 41) and the risk of damages for unjustified arrest (s 34).
Any AI use complies with GPN-AI, including any disclosure it requires.

Method: how the Green, Yellow and Red levels are decided. This is guidance for planning, not legal advice.

Authorities

Official form

Open the official form. Always use the current version from the issuer. Licence: Link only. The forms are prescribed by the Admiralty Rules 1988 (Cth) and published by the Federal Court of Australia (© Commonwealth of Australia, all rights reserved except where marked)..

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