Manning

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority is responsible for meeting Australia’s obligations for ensuring that all ships are sufficiently and efficiently manned under the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, 1974 as amended (SOLAS). Furthermore, AMSA is charged with ensuring that companies and crews of vessels adhere to the watchkeeping arrangements and principles outlined in the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers 1975, as amended (STCW) in order to ensure that vessel crewing is adequate and hours of work and rest are managed to minimise fatigue. The Navigation Act 1912 provides AMSA with the powers to issue Minimum Safe Manning Documents.

Minimum safe manning is deemed to be the minimum manning to allow a vessel to travel safely from one port to another. A minimum safe manning document does not necessarily state the operational manning that a vessel may require to conduct any specialised operations at sea or alongside. The onus is on the owner/operator of the vessel to identify and allow for the operations that the vessel will undertake, and any additional crewing that may be required when making their manning submission.

Who requires a Minimum Safe Manning Document?

Vessels that require a Minimum Safe Manning Document are:

• Australian vessels to which the SOLAS convention applies or an Australian non-convention size vessel to which Part II of the Navigation Act applies.
• Foreign flagged vessels to which the SOLAS convention applies and trading in Australian near-coastal waters under a licence to trade as issued by the Department of Infrastructure and Transport.
• Foreign flagged vessels to which the SOLAS convention does not apply and trading in the Australian near-coastal waters on inter-state voyages (see Note 1).
• Non convention size vessels which have been declared under Section 8AA of the Navigation Act (see Note 2).
• Manning determinations for fishing vessels on international voyages are dealt with on a case-by-case basis.
  

Tables 1 and 2 below will assist in determining whether a vessel requires a Minimum Safe Manning Document.

Note 1: A foreign flag vessel to which the SOLAS convention does not apply and trading in the Australian near-coastal waters on intra-state voyages IS NOT required to hold a Safe Manning Document issued by AMSA, but must contact the appropriate State or Northern Territory marine authorities to determine their requirements.

Note 2: Some vessel owners or operators may choose to declare their vessel to come under the Navigation Act 1912. This exercise, though simple, might have implications to the owner/operator. It is highly recommended that vessel owners or operators obtain legal advice before applying for a declaration.

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Applying for a Minimum Safe Manning Document

Companies that have ascertained that their vessel requires a Minimum Safe Manning Document should complete an Application for a Minimum Safe Manning Document (AMSA 93) and submit it to manning@amsa.gov.au

In preparing their application companies should be guided by the following references:

• Marine Orders Part 3 – Seagoing Qualifications
• Marine Orders Part 28 – Operations standards and procedures
• Marine Orders Part 27 – Radio Equipment (Appendix 5)
• National Standard for Commercial Vessels (NSCV) Part D – Crew Competencies
• The USL Code
• IMO Resolution A.890(21) Principles of Safe Manning

AMSA will assess the proposal, liaise with the applicant as required, and issue the Minimum Safe Manning Document on completion.

Fees are payable before the issue of the Minimum Safe manning Document. Information on fees can be found here.

Manning Queries

All manning queries and requests should be addressed to manning@amsa.gov.au

Determining whether the Navigation Act 1912 applies to your vessel

The grids below should assist vessel operators in determining whether their planned voyage and/or vessel come under the jurisdiction of the Navigation Act 1912.

Once it has been determined that the Navigation Act 1912 applies, then it must be determined if Part II if the Navigation Act 1912 applies. AMSA can only issue a Minimum Safe Manning Document to vessels to which Part II of the Navigation Act 1912 applies.

Vessel operators should note that if Part II of the Act applies then the Occupational Health and Safety (Maritime Industry) Act 1993 and Seafarers Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1992 will also apply.

Table 1. Does the Navigation Act 1912 apply to the vessel’s proposed operation?

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Table 2. Does Part II of the Navigation Act 1912 apply to the vessel?

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