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Marine Order 505 Review - Completed

This project reviewed the Maritime Training Package to better align products to regulation known as Marine Order 505 (Certificates of competency – National Law) for domestic commercial vessels.

Skills Ministers have endorsed Maritime training products which have been aligned with Marine Order 505 for domestic commercial vessels.

The regulatory and licensing requirements in MO505 aim to enable seafarers to meet the highest standards of competence and safety in their roles and help safeguard the integrity and effectiveness of maritime training, benefitting both the industry and the seafaring community.

The revised Marine Order 505 (Certificates of Competency – National Law), came into force from 1 January 2023 and introduced 5 new certificates of competency:

  • Coxswain Grade 3 Near Coastal
  • Master <45m Near Coastal (replaces Master <35m, which will be phased out)
  • Master <100m Near Coastal (replaces Master <80m, which will be phased out)
  • Sailing Master Coastal
  • Sailing Master Offshore.

And phased out 3 old certificates of competency, which are no longer issued:

  • Master <35m Near Coastal (replaced by the new Master <45m Near Coastal)
  • Master <80m Near Coastal (replaced by the new Master <100m Near Coastal)
  • Mate <80m Near Coastal (replaced by the existing Master <24m Near Coastal)

The resulting qualifications framework and guidelines provide national consistency, improved qualification pathways, and better safety outcomes for Australian seafarers and domestic commercial vessel operators.

In response to MO505, AMSA and stakeholders requested that training products for Near Coastal job roles be reviewed to reflect licensing and regulatory requirements.  

The revised training products include:

  • a new Skill Set to support the Coxswain Grade 3 licensing category, facilitating occupational mobility for existing maritime workers
  • a new Unit of Competency: Command and manage a voyage on a vessel up to 45 metres (Near coastal)
  • merging of the Certificate III in Maritime Operations (Master Inland Waters) with the Certificate III in Maritime Operations (Master up to 24 metres Near Coastal)
  • updated qualifications, Skill Sets and Units of Competency for Near Coastal job roles to reflect MO505 licensing and regulatory requirements
  • incorporation of Electronic Charting System (ECS) requirements into existing products

Skills Ministers endorsed the revised Maritime Training Package on 14 November 2024.

What does this mean for industry?

The revised training products are now compliant with Marine Order 505 and International Maritime Organization (IMO) guidelines. 

To support the delivery and implementation of the revised training products, the Companion Volume Implementation Guide (CVIG) has been updated to assist assessors, trainers, RTOs and enterprises. The CVIG contains comprehensive list of all products in the Training Package; including mapping information which details the changes that have been made to the training products; implementation advice, and useful links to other information.

ISA will be conducting a webinar to explain the changes to training products and provide implementation advice. Subscribe to be kept updated.

The endorsed Training Package products are now available on training.gov.au.

This project reviewed the Maritime Training Package to align products with a new maritime regulation known as Marine Order 505 (Certificates of competency – National Law) for domestic commercial vessels which came into effect on 1 January 2023, following industry consultation over a two-year period. 

This has resulted in changes to Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) Certificates of competency including: 

  • introduction of a new licensing category Coxswain Grade 3
  • replacement of the Master <35m with Master <45m
  • replacement of the Master <80m with Master <100m
  • phasing out of Mate <80m certificate of competency.  

In response to MO505, AMSA and stakeholders have requested that training products for Near Coastal job roles be reviewed to reflect licensing and regulatory requirements.  

This review includes:

  • updating qualifications, Skill Sets and Units of Competency for Near Coastal job roles to reflect MO505 licensing and regulatory requirements.
  • developing a new Training Package product for workers to achieve the new licensing category Coxswain Grade 3 to support occupational mobility for existing workers in the maritime industry.

To support learners and RTO’s, Industry Skills Australia (ISA) will also:

  • develop a MO505 Guide for AMSA approved providers to identify changes to the licensing and regulatory information in training package products.
  • map career pathways for Near Coastal job roles
  • update Training Package products as part of Training Package maintenance to align with the MO505 project.
  • replace superseded units as part of Training Package maintenance.

Deliverables

This project developed:

  • 1 new Skill Set
  • 1 new Unit of Competency

The project also updated up to:

  • 18 existing qualifications
  • 76 existing Units of Competency
  • 8 existing Skill Sets

Timeline

The reviewed training products were due to be submitted to the Assurance Body by 30 August 2024. 

Consultation Strategy

Industry Skills Australia (ISA) will engage with stakeholders throughout the life of the project and consider all ideas, opinions, and feedback to the revised training products to ensure they meet the needs of industry. A consultation log containing a high-level summary of all feedback and ISA’s response will be maintained and available on our website.

ISA will facilitate three webinars at initial, development and post implementation stages of the project to support stakeholders in understanding the reason for the changes and how implementation of the changes will affect them.

 

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