Paragrah Call to action details | Australian Maritime Safety Authority

Revalidate certificate

What do I need to do?

To revalidate your certificate, you need to:

Provide proof of medical fitness

You will need to provide evidence that you are medically fit to perform duties in the capacity of an Engineer watchkeeper. As per Marine Order 76 (Health—medical fitness) 2017 you can only perform the duties of a seafarer on a relevant vessel if you are medically fit to perform the duties.

To revalidate your current certificate you will need an AMSA medical completed on form 303. If this form is completed outside Australia it must be completed in a country that holds an agreement with us.

You can organise a medical examination by contacting Sonic HealthPlus.

To book a medical examination, you can:

Call toll free: 1300 763 822

Email: seafarermedicals@sonichealthplus.com.au

Obtain a Certificate of medical fitness from overseas

We will accept a Certificate of medical fitness completed in a country we have an agreement with for revalidation purposes.

You will need to print the relevant medical paperwork and make an appointment with a medical examiner. The medical examiner must be approved by the administration of the country which has an agreement with us.

With required sea service

If you already have the required sea service, you will need to:

Obtain a letter(s) from your employer(s) confirming:
- sea service
- your participation in the mandatory abandon ship and fire drills required by SOLAS
- your participation in scheduled drills required by the on board Safety Management System (see sample template).
Keep the original of this letter and send us a copy with your application.
Complete continued competence training for the STCW short courses in Advanced fire fighting and Proficiency in survival craft and rescue boats other than fast rescue boats in the previous 5 years.

These continued competence training courses are valid for up to 5 years.

It is a requirement of the STCW Code that seafarers, every five years, provide evidence of having maintained the required standards of competence in fire fighting and sea survival at the appropriate level, as well as fast rescue boats. Currently AMSA considers this requirement as one of the criteria for issue or revalidation of an Australian seafarer certificate issued under the Navigation Act, as specified in the Marine Order 70 series. In the case of revalidation, this is considered every five years. An Australian seafarer certificate will not lapse or expire if, during the five year period of the certificate’s validity, STCW training has not been maintained by the seafarer.

However, AMSA nonetheless strongly recommends seafarers maintain the currency of their STCW Code training over the life of their Australian seafarer certificate, as this is often enforced by foreign Administrations and companies operating foreign flagged vessels.This simply means that seafarers need to be conscious of the period that has elapsed since they last completed STCW Code training requirements and ensure they renew their training five years from this date, even if the five year period does not coincide with the renewal date of their Australian seafarer certificate.

Without required sea service

If you do not have the required sea service, you will need to complete the full STCW short courses in:

Advanced fire fighting
Proficiency in survival craft and rescue boats other than fast rescue boats.

You will also need to complete one of the following options:

Complete an approved revalidation course for your certificate within 5 years before applying to revalidate your certificate.
Complete an oral examination.
Perform duties and functions that we consider at least equivalent to sea service.

Read more about approved training organisations and revalidating your current certificate.

How to apply

You will need to lodge a formal application using the Seafarer form 419 to revalidate your qualification as an Electro-technical officer certificate of competency.

Lodge from within Australia

You will need to fill out the Seafarer form 419, attach all required supporting documents and lodge it at a participating Australia Post retail outlet.

You will need to pay the fees for your application at the post office at the time of lodgement.

Lodge from overseas

You will need to ﬁll out the Seafarer form 419, attach all required supporting documents including a colour passport-style photograph and send the paperwork to us by email to STCW.applications@amsa.gov.au When we receive your email we will let you know how to pay the fee for your application via AMSA online portal.

Get an endorsement

There are two endorsements you can add to your Engineer watchkeeper certificate of competency.

Endorsement as Second engineer

This endorsement adds Second engineer duties to your Engineer watchkeeper certificate of competency on ships less than 3000 kilowatts in any operating area. To add this endorsement, you must have completed:

at least 12 months sea service on ships greater than or equal to 750 kilowatts propulsion power
approved training in engineering management.

Endorsement as Chief engineer

This endorsement adds Chief engineer duties to your Engineer watchkeeper certificate of competency on ships less than 3000 kilowatts operating in near coastal waters. To add this endorsement, you must have completed:

at least 24 months sea service on ships greater than or equal to 375 kilowatts propulsion power
12 months of this sea service must have been done while holding a Marine engine driver grade 1 near certificate of competency, or an unrestricted Marine engine driver grade 1 certificate of competency
approved training in engineering management.

With additional sea service and training courses, you can qualify for:

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