To apply for a near coastal certificate you will need to show evidence of sea service. Each certificate requires a specific amount and type of sea service. Check the requirements for the certificate you want.
AMSA will only assess your sea service after you apply for a certificate of competency.
Calculating sea service
Sea service is counted in days. A day of sea service is 8 hours of work that relates to the certificate you want to apply for.
If you work for less than 8 hours, you can add shifts together until you have 8 hours, which will count as one day.
If you work for more than 8 hours in a 24-hour period, you can only count one day even if you worked more than one shift.
Recording sea service
You can record your sea service a number of ways. We will accept sea service recorded in:
- a Record of sea service (form 771)
- this sea service letter template DOCX23.05 KB signed by a supervisor, the vessel operator, owner, master or chief engineer
- an AMSA approved task book
If you can't get a supervisor, vessel operator, owner, master or chief engineer to issue you a letter or sign your sea service record, you must submit both:
- one or more Record of sea service (form 771), and
- a Commonwealth statutory declaration stating:
- why you were unable to get your sea service record signed
- the names of all vessels on the 771 forms
- that the information on the 771 forms is true and correct.
Types of sea service
For some applications you need evidence of sea service doing specific duties.
Deck duties
Deck duties include:
- navigation, including chart work
- mooring
- anchoring
- handling cargo.
Record deck duties as:
| D | Deck |
|---|
- In charge of navigational watch
In charge of a navigational watch or officer of the watch means you are in charge of the navigation of the vessel.
You can also be in charge of a bridge team, which is there to support in the navigation process. The master is always in command, however, during long voyages a chief mate or deck watchkeeper may take charge of the watch while the master is resting or doing other work.
You are not in charge of a navigational watch when working:
- as a general purpose hand
- as a navigational watch rating
- under training
- to assist a master
- under the direct supervision of the person in charge of the vessel.
Record time in charge of navigational watch as:
INW In charge of navigational watch/officer of the watch
Engineering duties
Engineering duties are operating or maintaining main or auxiliary machinery used for:
• propulsion
• mooring
• anchoring
• cargo.
Record engineering duties as:
| AE | Assistant to engineer or engine driver |
|---|---|
| EW | Engineer watchkeeper |
| E | Engineer or engine driver |
| EIC | Engineer in charge |
Deck and engineering duties
If you are doing both deck and engineering duties, you can record these as:
| DE | Deck and engineering |
|---|
Coxswain duties
Coxswain duties are:
- commanding and operating the engines of a vessel under 12m long.
Record Coxswain duties as:
| C | Coxswain grade 1, 2 or 3 |
|---|
General purpose hand (GPH) duties
GPH duties are:
- assisting with deck and engine work under general supervision.
Record GPH duties as:
| GPH | General purpose hand |
|---|
Types of operation
Vessel not underway
You can use some sea service accrued while a vessel is not either:
- underway, or
- at anchor with a person on watch.
You must be working in a deck or engineering capacity or doing refitting work.
The maximum amount you can use in an application is:
- 15% of the sea service required for a deck certificate
- 33% of the sea service required for an engineering certificate.
Sea service on private luxury yachts
Privately owned luxury yachts are often referred to as 'white boats' or 'superyachts'. We may accept commercial sea service accrued on luxury yachts if:
- you are being paid to work on the vessel, and
- the duties you are performing relate directly to the certificate you have applied for.
This sea service does not need to be completed within Australian waters.
If you claim commercial sea service on a luxury yacht, you will need to give evidence that the sea service was completed as part of a commercial operation. You must provide:
- either:
- a copy of the vessel’s Safety Management System (including your signed induction), or
- a crew list / muster stations list (that includes your name on it)
- and any of the following:
- a letter from the vessel owner or operator with details of the vessel, confirming that you were in paid employment, the nature of the duties performed, and period of employment
- your employment contract which clearly identifies the vessel/s, the duties you undertook, and the period of your contract
- pay slips from the vessel or business owner of the vessel.
You must also provide the standard evidence of sea service.
The regulations
We assess your sea service based on the requirements in Marine Order 505 (Certificates of competency – national law) 2022.