Between February and April 2026, stakeholders were invited to provide input on proposed changes to Marine Order 503. This marine order sets out certificate of survey requirements for domestic commercial vessels.
Consultation outcome
The feedback received was largely supportive of most of the proposed reforms. Submissions also raised a range of comments and suggestions on specific proposals, reflecting the diverse interests and experiences of different parts of the sector.
Marine Order 503 will be updated to reflect some of the key feedback received. It will then be released later this year and commence on 1 December 2026.
- Background
Marine Order 503 (Certificates of survey – national law) 2018 (MO503) outlines certificate of survey requirements for domestic commercial vessels (DCVs). These requirements help ensure that commercial vessels operating in Australia are safe and seaworthy.
As part of AMSA’s ongoing review of the survey framework, we asked for feedback on some proposed changes to MO503.
The changes aim to:
- improve clarity
- reduce administrative burden
- make the marine order more practical and easier to use.
We also identified ways to better support new and emerging vessel technologies. This includes changes to clarify how we treat 'novel vessels' under the survey framework.
- Consultation process
AMSA published the draft marine order and a summary of the proposed changes on the AMSA website. An archived version is available for reference. Stakeholders were encouraged to provide a submission through the online submission form, via email or by contacting AMSA Connect.
The consultation was promoted through a news article posted on the AMSA website, a news article in the Survey Matters newsletter and through the February 2026 edition of the ‘AMSA update’ newsletter. A targeted direct email was sent to more than 9,300 known domestic commercial vessel contacts. Feedback to the consultation was also encouraged through AMSA’s social media channels including Facebook and LinkedIn.
AMSA raised awareness of the consultation process through its regular stakeholder engagement activities, including through the National Safety Committee and the Regional Safety Committee forums.
- Submissions
AMSA received 31 submissions from stakeholders across the domestic commercial vessel sector.
This included:
- recognised organisations (RO)
- accredited marine surveyors (AMS)
- vessel owners and operators
- seafarers
- industry peak bodies
- government agencies.
Get the report
A summary of the feedback received and AMSA’s responses is available in the consultation feedback report.
Enquiries
Please contact AMSA Connect with any queries about this consultation.