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Marine order 504 - Certificates of operation - national law

Understand the legal requirements for domestic commercial vessels operating in Australian waters, including certificates of operation, crewing, and safety management systems.

Updated MO504
An updated version of Marine Order 504 came into effect on 1 June 2025. Read more about the changes.

Current Marine Order 504 (Certificates of operation – national law) 2024
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Marine order 504 includes: 

  • application requirements for a certificate of operation
  • criteria which must be met for AMSA to issue or renew a certificate of operation
  • conditions on a certificate of operation
  • requirements for renewing, varying, suspending and revoking a certificate of operation
  • application requirements for temporary crewing permits and appropriate crewing determinations for vessels ≥80m or ≥3000GT or ≥3000kW
  • safety management system and operation requirements
  • additional operational requirements for Class 4 hire and drive vessels
  • key definitions. 
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Legislation and incorporated material 

Exemptions which may apply 

Related content 

Application 
Superseded
Refer to the Marine Order 504 (Certificates of operation and operation requirements — nation… for previous versions of this marine order.
Last updated: 30 May 2025

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