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Uniform Shipping Laws code
The Uniform Shipping Laws code (USL code) provides standards for the design, construction and operations of domestic commercial vessels in Australia.
The USL code was first published in 1979 in response to the need for a common national safety standard for commercial vessels. The National Standard for Commercial Vessels has largely replaced the USL code for all new domestic commercial vessels.
Access the My Boat system for guidance on how to keep your vessel compliant.
| Section | Title | Year of publication | Applicable region |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Introduction, definitions and general requirements | 1993 | |
| 2008 |
Commonwealth, New South Wales, Northern Territory, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia |
||
| 2008 | |||
| 2008 | |||
| 2 | Qualifications and manning: trading vessels | 1991 | |
| 2008 | |||
| 3 | Qualifications and manning: fishing vessels | 1991 | |
| 2008 | |||
| 5 |
Construction |
||
| 5A | Preliminary | 1989 | |
| 2008 | |||
| 5B | Structural strength | 1989 | |
| 2008 | |||
| 5C | Watertight subdivision of passenger vessels | 1993 | |
| 2008 | |||
| 5D | Watertight subdivision of class 2 and class 3 vessels | 1989 | |
| 2008 | |||
| 5E | Passengers, passenger accommodation, guard rails and bulwarks | 1989 | |
| 2008 | |||
| 5F | Structural fire protection | 1989 | |
| 2008 |
Commonwealth, New South Wales, Northern Territory, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia |
||
| 2008 | |||
| 2008 | |||
| 5G | Design loading | 1989 | |
| 2008 | |||
| 5H | Aluminium | 1993 | |
| 2008 | |||
| 5I | Copper nickel | 1989 | |
| 2008 | |||
| 5J | Ferro-cement | 1989 | |
| 2008 | |||
| 5K | Fibre reinforced plastic | 1993 | |
| 2008 | |||
| 5L | Steel | 1989 | |
| 2008 | |||
| 5M | Timber | 1989 | |
| 2008 | |||
| 6 | Crew accommodation | 1989 | |
| 2008 | |||
| 7 | Load lines | 1989 | |
| 2008 | |||
| 8 | Stability | ||
| 8A | Preliminary | 1993 | |
| 2008 | |||
| 8B | Simplified presentation of stability | 1993 | |
| 8C | Stability criteria | 1993 | |
| 9 | Engineering | 1993 | |
| 2008 |
Commonwealth, New South Wales, Northern Territory, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia |
||
| 2008 | |||
| 2008 | |||
| 10 | Life saving appliances | 1993 | |
| 2008 |
Commonwealth, New South Wales, Northern Territory, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia |
||
| 2008 | |||
| 2008 | |||
| 11 | Fire appliances | 1989 | |
| 2008 |
Commonwealth, New South Wales, Northern Territory, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia |
||
| 2008 | |||
| 12 | Radio equipment | 1989 | |
| 2008 | |||
| 13 | Miscellaneous equipment | 1989 | |
| 2008 | |||
| 2008 | |||
| 14 | Surveys and certificates of survey | 1993 | |
| 2008 | All regions | ||
| 15 | Emergency procedures and safety of navigation | 1993 | All regions |
| 2008 | All regions | ||
| 16 | Collision regulations | 1989 | All regions |
| 2008 | All regions | ||
| 17 | River Murray traffic regulations | 1989 | All regions |
| 2008 | All regions | ||
| 18 | Hire and drive vessels | 1989 | All regions |
| 2008 | All regions | ||
| Amendments | 1993 | Amendment list 1 | |
| 1996 | Amendment list 2 | ||
| 1996 | Amendment list 3 | ||
| 1997 | Amendment list 4 | ||
| 2007 | Amendment list 5 | ||
| 2007 | Amendment list 6 | ||
| Amendment list 6 attachment A | |||
| 2008 | Amendment list 7 | ||
| 2010 | Amendment list 8 | ||
| 2010 | Amendment list 9 |
Last updated:
Thursday 21 January 2021