Master (inland waters)

This qualification lets you command a vessel up to 24 metres long in inland waters.

To be eligible for a Master (inland waters) certificate you must:

Be at least 16 years old on the certificate issue date.
Meet medical, eyesight, sea service and course requirements.

For more information, select what you need to apply for below.

Syllabus

Master (inland waters) syllabus AMSA 1115

Master (inland waters) is a domestic certificate of competency issued under Marine Order 505 (Certificates of competency — national law) 2013.

Important disclaimer

This web page provides summary information only. We make decisions about seafarer certificates under Marine Order 505 (Certificates of competency — national law) 2013 and National Standard for Commercial Vessels (NSCV) Part D—Crew Competencies. Please refer to these documents for full details of eligibility and other requirements for certificate applications.

What do you need to apply for?

New certificate

Revalidation

Endorsements

Equivalent certificate

Change your name on your certificate of competency

Replace your lost, stolen or damaged certificate of competency

New certificate

What do I need to do?

To obtain this certificate you will need to:

Meet medical and eyesight requirements

Download the:

1. Eyesight test certificate

The Eyesight test certificate form 542 lets us know that your eyesight meets the necessary standard for working at sea.

If you are colour blind, you will be restricted to working in daylight hours only.

2. Guidelines for the medical assessment of near coastal seafarers

Provide the medical practitioner with the Guidelines for the medical assessment of near coastal seafarers.

Get your eyesight tested by a qualified medical practitioner, and get the practitioner to complete the eyesight test certificate for you.

If you have a current AMSA medical (Certificate of medical fitness form 303), you can use this in place of the eyesight test certificate.

You must submit your completed form as part of your certificate of competency application.

Within the Certificate of competency application form 426 there is a declaration of medical fitness that you must complete. This lets us know that you are medically fit to work at sea.

Provide evidence of sea service

You must have completed either:

60 days working in any deck capacity on commercial vessels greater than or equal to 7.5 metres long with a completed approved task book
120 days working in a deck, or deck and engineering capacity on commercial or recreational vessels greater than or equal to 7.5 metres long, without a task book.

You must complete at least half of the qualifying sea service required for the certificate in the five years before the application.

If you have completed a task book you must attach a copy of the seafarer details page to your application.

You need to submit at least one of the following as proof of qualifying sea service:

Record of sea service form 771
an approved sea service log book
the on board sea service record from your task book
a letter from the vessel operator, owner, master or chief engineer detailing your sea service.

If you want a task book

You can get a Master inland waters task book from us or from some registered training organisations. To order a task book directly from us, use the AMSA chargeable publications order form.

Certificate revalidation

A Master (inland waters) certificate of competency expires five years after it is issued or revalidated. To keep working using your certificate you need to revalidate it every five years.

What do I need to do?

To revalidate this certificate you will need to:

Meet medical and eyesight requirements

Within the Certificate of competency application form 426 there is a declaration of medical fitness that you must complete. This lets us know that you are medically fit, and that your eyesight meets the necessary standard, to work at sea.

If you are colour blind, you will be restricted to working in daylight hours only.

Provide evidence of sea service

There is no sea service requirement to revalidate a Master (inland waters) certificate of competency.

Provide existing certificates

You must submit a copy of your:

existing certificate of competency
valid HLTAID003 Provide first aid certificate, or equivalent.

Complete and submit a certificate of competency application

You can complete a Certificate of competency application form 426 online or download a pdf version and then complete it.

You need to complete all sections of the form. You must:

respond yes or no to all questions and statements in the application form
complete all boxes (if the information requested is unknown or not applicable insert N/A)
download and print the form
attach copies of all required documents
sign the declaration
submit your application and pay a fee at an AMSA-contracted Australia post outlet
provide proof of identity when you lodge your application.

Endorsements

You may apply for the following endorsements to your certificate:

second in command of commercial vessels less than 80 metres long
command commercial vessels less than 80 metres long in inland waters.

Endorsement to act as second in command of a commercial vessel less than 80 metres long

What do I need to do?

To obtain this endorsement you will need to:

1. Meet medical and eyesight requirements

Within the Certificate of competency application form 426 there is a declaration of medical fitness that you must complete. This lets us know that you are medically fit, and that your eyesight meets the necessary standard, to work at sea.

If you are colour blind, you will be restricted to working in daylight hours only.

2. Provide evidence of sea service

You need to show you have experience working under supervision on inland waters while holding your Master (inland waters) certificate.

You must have completed 7 days sea service on commercial vessels greater than or equal to 24 metres long and part 2 of the Master inland waters task book.

You must attach a copy of the seafarer details page from part 2 of the Master inland waters task book to your application.

You need to submit at least one of the following as proof of qualifying sea service:

Record of sea service form 771
an approved sea service log book
the on board sea service record from your task book
a letter from the vessel operator, owner, master or chief engineer detailing your sea service.

Get a task book

For this endorsement you must complete part 2 of the Master inland waters task book. You can get a Master inland waters task book from us or from some registered training organisations. To order a task book directly from us, use the AMSA chargeable publications order form.

Endorsement to command a commercial vessel less than 80 metres long in inland waters

To obtain this endorsement you will need to:

1. Meet medical and eyesight requirements

Within the Certificate of competency application form 426 there is a declaration of medical fitness that you must complete. This lets us know that you are medically fit, and that your eyesight meets the necessary standard, to work at sea.

If you are colour blind, you will be restricted to working in daylight hours only.

2. Provide evidence of sea service

You need to show you have experience working under supervision on inland waters while holding your Master (inland waters) certificate.

You must have completed 14 days on commercial vessels greater than or equal to 24 metres and part 3 of the Master inland waters task book.

You must attach a copy of the seafarer details page from part 3 of the Master inland waters task book to your application.

You need to submit at least one of the following as proof of qualifying sea service:

Record of sea service form 771
an approved sea service log book
the on board sea service record from your task book
a letter from the vessel operator, owner, master or chief engineer detailing your sea service.

Get a task book

For this endorsement you must complete part 3 of the Master inland waters task book. You can get a Master inland waters task book from us or from some registered training organisations. To order a task book directly from us, use the AMSA chargeable publications order form.

Related information

If you would like to find out more about endorsements, refer to the National Regulator Endorsements Approval 2014.

Equivalent certificate

If you hold Master Class 5 (restricted to inland waters), we will give you a Master inland waters certificate.

If you hold Master Class 4 (restricted to inland waters), we will give you a Master inland waters endorsed to command a commercial vessel less than 80 metres long in inland waters.

If your existing certificate is subject to any other restriction, your Master inland waters metres certificate of competency will be subject to the same restriction.

If your existing certificate has any other endorsement, your Master inland waters certificate of competency will have the same endorsement.

What do I need to do?

To get a Master inland waters you will need to:

Meet medical and eyesight requirements

Within the Certificate of competency application form 426 there is a declaration of medical fitness that you must complete. This lets us know that you are medically fit, and that your eyesight meets the necessary standard, to work at sea.

If you are colour blind, you will be restricted to working in daylight hours only.

Provide existing certificate

As part of your application for an equivalent certificate you must submit a copy of your:

existing certificate of competency
valid HLTAID003 Provide first aid certificate, or equivalent.

Complete and submit a certificate of competency application

You can complete a Certificate of competency application form 426 online or download a pdf version and then complete it.

You need to complete all sections of the form. You must:

respond yes or no to all questions and statements in the application form
complete all boxes (if the information requested is unknown or not applicable insert N/A)
download and print the form
attach copies of all required documents
sign the declaration
submit your application and pay a fee at an AMSA-contracted Australia post outlet
provide proof of identity when you lodge your application.

Last updated:

Monday 2 December 2019