Parliament's Transport and Industrial Relations Committee has released a report on the Maritime Transport Amendment Bill with a majority recommendation that it be passed with amendments.

The bill would amend the Maritime Transport Act 1994 with the objective of improving the efficiency, effectiveness and safety of the maritime transport system.

The bill has three parts, dealing with amendments relating to drug and alcohol testing, oil pollution and limitation of liability, and miscellaneous amendments.

Maritime operators would be required to have drug and alcohol management plans. The bill would also increase the amount of compensation available to meet the costs of a major spill from an oil tanker in New Zealand waters.

The bill was introduced on 10 November 2016 and select committee submissions closed on 1 February 2017. There were 25 submissions and the committee heard from 11 submitters.

The Labour Party and Green Party members of the committee did not support the bill.