Marine Order 74 (Master and deck officers – yachts) 2015 came into force on 1 January 2016. This marine order allows us to issue certificates of competency for service on yachts.

Under Marine Order 74 (Master and deck officers – yachts) 2015 we can issue four new certificates of competency:

• Watchkeeper deck less than 3000 GT (yachts)
• Chief mate less than 3000 GT (yachts)
• Master less than 500 GT (yachts)
• Master less than 3000 GT (yachts)

The marine order defines yacht as a vessel that:

• is less than 3000 GT
• is for commercial use for sport or pleasure
• does not carry cargo
• does not carry more than 12 passengers.

A yacht does not need to be designed to carry sail and may be a training vessel, sail training vessel or a short range yacht. The full definition provides additional information on training vessels, sail training vessels, sailing vessels and short range yacht. Marine Order 74 should be consulted if further clarification is needed.

See the flow chart in Appendix 1—Pathway diagrams.

Certificates of Recognition

Marine Order 70 – Seafarer Certification (2014) allows us to issue certificates of recognition to holders of an equivalent certificate of competency issued by a national marine administration that we have a formal agreement with. Read more about options available to holders of primary certificates issued by foreign countries.

A Certificate of recognition for an equivalent yacht will only be valid for service on Australian registered vessels that meet the definition of yacht contained in Marine Order 74.

For issue of a certificate of recognition the applicant must demonstrate that they meet the same sea service requirements for issue of an equivalent AMSA certificate of competency.

Sea service

Sea service must be valid and appropriate, and meet the requirements of schedule 3 in Marine Order 74.

We do not accept evidence of sea service based on discharge certificates or letters originating from vessels without supporting letters from employers or owners confirming the sea service.

We consider sea service (work experience) very important and part of the training program for issue of a seafarer qualification or license. Service on vessels that spend considerable time in port will not be accepted.

We spend considerable time confirming and validating sea service and must be satisfied the service claimed, meets the requirements in schedule 3 of Marine Order 74.

Our training requirements

We believe your career progression is very important. If you have already undertaken training, this should be recognised. All units of competency for the approved course of study for a yacht certificate of competency come from the AMSA approved diploma course (see Appendix 1—Pathway diagrams).

If you want to gain a certificate of competency for yachts issued in compliance with Marine Order 74, you have the opportunity to complete the diploma course in two or more blocks of study.

Holders of a certificate of competency—yachts issued by a national administration we recognise, who wish to obtain an AMSA certificate of competency, will need to complete the full diploma course. Any prior learning granted by an AMSA approved training provider will be recognised.

Service on sailing vessels

We issue two sailing vessel endorsements one valid for sailing vessels—fore and aft and the other for sailing vessels—square rigged (see schedule 2 of Marine Order 70).

Holders of any AMSA certificate of competency or certificate of recognition for Master cannot sail as a:

• Master on a sailing vessel unless they hold a current sailing vessel endorsement.
• Officer in charge of a navigation watch on a sailing vessel unless they have completed training required by the vessel’s safety management policies and procedures and have been considered competent by the Master.

Final assessment

For issue of an AMSA certificate of competency (yacht) or AMSA certificate of recognition applicants will need to undertake an oral examination.

Comparison between Marine Order 71 and Marine Order 74

Holders of an AMSA certificate of competency that were issued under Marine Order 71 meet the following requirements for issue of a Marine Order 74 certificate as listed in the table: