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General Purpose Hand near coastal

This is a domestic Certificate of Competency for operating in Australian waters.
This certificate lets you work as a deck and/or engine room hand on a vessel operating in Australian waters.

Eligibility

To be eligible for a General Purpose Hand near coastal certificate (GPH CoC) you must: 

  • be at least 16 years old on the certificate issue date 
  • be able to speak and understand English, including written documents
  • be medically fit for the duties, including eyesight 
  • complete training 
  • gain any needed sea service.

Transitional arrangements

Have you been working as a General Purpose Hand for a while but without a certificate? 

On 1 January 2023 and following extensive industry consultation, supervisory definitions and the duties of a General Purpose Hand were clarified in a revised Marine Order 505 (Certificates of competency)

You might be eligible for transitional arrangements which make it easier for experienced, existing (pre 1 January 2023) people to qualify and apply for the General Purpose Hand certificate. Find out if you're eligible.

When is a General Purpose Hand certificate required?

This certificate is required when an otherwise uncertified crew member is not under the direct supervision of a suitably qualified crew member and:

  • doing deck work on a vessel <100m long and <3000GT within the EEZ under general supervision of the master or an appropriately certified crew member as delegated by the master
  • doing engine work on a vessel with propulsion power <3000kW within the EEZ under general supervision of the chief engineer or another appropriately certified crew member as delegated by the chief engineer.

When is a General Purpose Hand certificate of competency not required?

Crew who are not undertaking deck or engine room tasks, or are directly supervised when undertaking such tasks, do not need to hold a General Purpose Hand certificate of competency.

Crew who already hold a certificate like the Coxswain Grade 1, and deck certificates such as the Master <24, Master (Inland Waters), Master <45m and Master <100m do not need to hold a General Purpose Hand certificate of competency.

General supervision

General supervision is when the person being supervised:

  • receives instruction and direction on tasks
  • receives recurrent personal contact from the supervisor
  • is not frequently attended by the supervisor. 

Direct supervision

Direct supervision is when the person being supervised:
  • is frequently within sight and hearing of the supervisor.

To learn more about the differences between general supervision and direct supervision including examples, see Supervisory definitions.

Types of work a General Purpose Hand can undertake

Anyone can undertake the tasks of a General Purpose Hand provided they are directly supervised by an appropriately certified seafarer.

If a seafarer is not directly supervised and holds no other seafarer certificate of competency, then the General Purpose Hand certificate of competency means that the seafarer can undertake the following tasks whilst under general supervision.

Deck work

This means operation or lookout tasks for any of the following:

  • navigation
  • mooring
  • anchoring
  • cargo.

Engine work

This means tasks related to main or auxiliary machinery used for any of the following:

  • propulsion
  • mooring
  • anchoring
  • cargo.

Note: If you don't perform these deck or engine tasks on a domestic commercial vessel (including fishing vessels) you may not need a GPH CoC. 

Important disclaimer 

These instructions are summary information only. We make decisions about seafarer certificates under Marine Order 505 (Certificates of competency — national law) 2022.  This document has full details of the eligibility and other requirements for certificate applications. 

New certificate

Renewal of Certificate

A General purpose hand near coastal certificate of competency is generally valid for 5 years. To keep working using your certificate you need to renew it every five years.

What do I need to do?

To renew your certificate you will need to:

Equivalent certificate

If you hold a General Purpose Hand certificate, issued by a State or the Northern Territory, in the five years previous to your application, you will be eligible to apply for a General Purpose Hand near coastal certificate.

If you hold any of the following AMSA certificates, you will also be eligible to apply for a General Purpose Hand near coastal certificate:

  • Navigational Watch Rating
  • Engine Room Watch Rating
  • Able Seafarer – Deck
  • Able Seafarer – Engine
  • Integrated Rating
  • Chief Integrated Rating

What do I need to do?

To get a General Purpose Hand near coastal you will need to:

Last updated: 

Thursday 24 August 2023