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Master (Inland waters) near coastal

This is a domestic Certificate of Competency for operating in Australian waters.
With this certificate you can command a commercial vessel up to 45 metres long in inland waters.

This certificate will allow you to work as:

  • Master on commercial vessels up to 45 metres long in inland waters
  • Work as a General Purpose Hand NC

To be eligible for a Master (Inland waters) certificate 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
  • Gain any needed sea service
  • Complete training.

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

Syllabus

Important disclaimer

This web page provides summary information only. We make decisions about seafarer certificates under Marine Order 505 (Certificates of competency — national law) 2022. Please refer to this document for full details of eligibility and other requirements for certificate applications.

New certificate

What do I need to do?

To obtain this certificate you will need to:

Renewal of Certificate

A Master (Inland waters) certificate of competency is generally valid for five years. To keep working using your certificate you need to renew it every five years.

What do I need to do?

To renew this certificate you will need to:

Endorsements and restrictions

You may apply for the following endorsement to your certificate:

  • Command and operate the engines of a vehicular ferry-in-chains attached to the shore by a cable.

Endorsement to command and operate the engines of a vehicular ferry in chains attached to the shore by a cable

If you want to get this endorsement at the same time as your certificate, you can add this to your application for a new certificate. You will need to include the sea service laid out below with your application.

If you are adding this endorsement to a current certificate you will need to:

Remove a daylight hours restriction on your certificate

If you have this restriction on your certificate you may apply to have the restriction removed.

What do I need to do?

To remove this restriction, you will need to:

Equivalent certificate

If you hold a State or Territory perpetual Master Class 5 (restricted to inland waters), or perpetual Master Class 4 (restricted to inland waters), we invite you to apply for a Master (Inland waters) allowing you to command a commercial vessel up to 45 metres long in inland waters.

If your existing certificate is restricted to operating within daylight hours only, your Master (Inland waters) certificate of competency will be subject to the same restriction.

What do I need to do?

To get a Master (Inland waters) you will need to:

Last updated: 

Friday 6 January 2023