A Guide to Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) Certification Process for Domestic and International (STCW) Seafarers
Australia is the largest island nation in the world with over 60,000 km of coastline. With over 27,000 domestic commercial vessels and over 75% of the world’s largest bulk carriers come toAustralia each year, about 74% of trade in goods by value is transported by ship. With over 66,000 domestic seafarers, the qualifications and certifications are issued byAustralianMaritime Safety Authority (AMSA) is a statutory authority established under theAustralian Maritime Safety Authority Act 1990 (AMSA Act).
AMSA has the jurisdiction over Australia's exclusive economic zone which covers an area of over 10 million square kilometers. Apart from seafarer certification, AMSA is also responsible for maritime safety and protection of the marine environment, infrastructure to support safe navigation, search and rescue service to the maritime and aviation sectors, and other services to the maritime industry on a commercial basis, to name a few.
A seafarer on domestic vessels or on an Australian registered vessel in international waters must hold the right qualifications to perform specific duties required by the job including fishing vessels. AMSA issues both domestic and international qualifications to the seafarer and approved training organizations who impart necessary training to the aspiring or professional seafarer.
Pic: AMSA Regional Office - For accurate details, please check with AMSA. Credits: AMSA
How to Get AMSA Certifications?
- For all domestic qualifications use the certificate of competency form 426. This you can submit through post or through a registered training organization.
- For international qualification applications, use form 419.
AMSA Seafarer Certificate Requirements
Domestic Qualifications & Certifications
- Domesti Deck Qualifications: Master <24m NC, Master (Inland Waters), Master <35m NC, Mate <80m NC, and Master <80m NC
- Domestic Engineer Qualifications: Marine Engine Driver (MED) Grade 3 NC, MED Grade 2 NC, MED Grade 1 NC, and Engineer Class 3 NC
- Domestic Dual Qualifications:General purpose hand NC,Coxswain Grade 2 NC, and coxswain grade 1 (Could used for Deck and Engne)
- Domestic STCW Requirements for Registered Australian Vessels (RAV)
International Qualifications & Certifications
Deck Certifications
- AMSA Master CoC: Includes Master Unlimited, <24 m foreign going, Master <500 GT, and Master <3000 GT
- AMSA Chief Mate CoC: Includes Chief mate unlimited and Chief mate <3000 GT
- Mate CoC: Mate less than 500 gross tonnage
- Watchkeeper Deck: IncludesWatchkeeper Deck unlimited, and Watchkeeper deck less than 500 GT
Deck Yacht Certifications
- Master Yachts: Master Yachts <3000 GT, and Master Yachts <500 GT
- Chief Mate Yachts: Chief mate <3000 GT (yachts)
- Watchkeeper Deck Yachts: Watchkeeper deck less than 3000 gross tonnage (yachts)
Engineer Certifications
- Engineer Class 1: Engineer Class 1 (Motor), Engineer Class 1 (Steam), and Engineer Class 1 (Steam and Motor) - STCW Chief engineer
- Engineer Class 2: Engineer Class 2 (Motor), Engineer Class 2 (Steam), and Engineer Class 2 (Steam and Motor) - First Engineer Officer orSTCW Second engineer
- Engineer Watchkeeper: Engineer Watchkeeper (Motor), Engineer Watchkeeper (Steam), and Engineer Watchkeeper (Steam and Motor)
- Electro-Technical Officer: AMSAETO Requirements
Rating Certifications
- Deck Ratings: Navigational Watch Rating, and Able Seafarer - Deck Rating
- Engine Room Ratings: Engine Room Watch Rating and Able Seafarer - Engine Rating
- Integrated Ratings:Integrated Rating and Chief Integrated Rating
Other Certifications
- Marine Cook Certificate: Marine Cook or Ship's Cook Certificate Requirements
LAST UPDATED ON Jul 8, 2019
