Fatigue is known to affect performance and reduce crew effectiveness and efficiency, decrease productivity, lower standards of work, and may impact safety outcomes. Reducing the risk of fatigue-related accidents and injuries requires clear guidance on fatigue management approaches to work safely on domestic commercial vessels. As identified in this study, without said guidance, individuals will likely rely on their own self-managed approaches with some demonstrably unreliable to reduce the risks. Thus, addressing the risks of fatigue and its causes is essential for the domestic commercial vessel fleet. 

As a result of this study, AMSA will commence a safety campaign focusing on the risks associated with fatigue and develop associated guidance to support the industry in this area. Areas of concern as identified in this study will ensure better education and awareness on the following as a start: 

• factors that increase the risk of fatigue at sea; 
• identifiable behavioural symptoms of a fatigued state that seafarers might be able to identify not only in themselves, but in their crew as well;
• effective fatigue coping measures that can be adopted at sea; 
• fatigue management approaches that would assist in managing the risk of fatigue.

This will ensure that appropriate consideration be given to fatigue as part of the crewing assessment as part of the vessel’s safety management system and in meeting legislative requirements set out in Marine Order 504 – Certificate of Operations.