FACT SHEET

Australian International Shipping Register

Marine Qualifications
Certificates of Equivalence

Requirements for Certificates of Equivalence

For foreign seafarers seeking employment on ships that

are registered in the Australian International Shipping
Register (AISR) Marine Orders Part 3 - Seagoing
Qualifications as modified by Marine Order 2 - Australian
International Shipping Register specifies the requirements
for issue of a Certificate of Equivalence (COE).
Prospective applicants should read the requirements
before pursuing any application.

Applicants for a Certificate of Equivalence must:

Applicants must hold a valid appropriately endorsed

certificate issued in accordance with the Standards
of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW)
Convention.
For service on a ship registered on the AISR:
The master (STCW Reg II/2), chief engineer (STCW
Reg III/2 or III/3), chief mate (STCW Reg II/2) and
first engineer (STCW Reg III/2 or III/3) must hold a
Certificate of Competency, Certificate of Recognition
or a Certificate of Equivalence issued by AMSA before
being assigned to the ship.

(Notwithstanding the requirements for Australian

nationals or citizens to hold at least two of the top four
positions).

Navigating (STCW Reg II/1) and engineering

watchkeeping (STCW Reg III/1) officers and ratings
must, before joining a ship, apply for a Certificate
of Equivalence. They may however sail on a ship
registered on the AISR for a maximum of three months
whilst holding an interim Certificate of Equivalence,
which they must hold prior to joining the ship.
Ratings must, prior to joining a ship, hold at least an
Interim Certificate of Equivalence.
Note: An Interim Certificate of Equivalence is evidence
that an application for a Certificate of Equivalence has
been made.

Hold a valid Certificate of Competency or Certificate

of Rating issued by a Maritime Administration that
has, in accordance with STCW Reg I/2.7 a formal
agreement with AMSA. (See the following link for a
list of Flag States with which AMSA has agreements:
www.amsa.gov.au/Marine_Qualifications/Certificates_
of_Recognition/)
Provide evidence of an offer of employment on a ship
registered on the AISR.
Hold a current passport.
Demonstrate satisfactory competency in both written
and spoken English.
Hold a valid Certificate of Medical Fitness as
prescribed in Marine Orders Part 9: Health Medical
Fitness, Issue 6
For Deck and Engineer officers only, pass an
assessment in Australian maritime regulatory
framework.
Complete the approved application form
Pay the approved fees
Masters, chief mates and navigating watchkeeping
officers must hold a valid GMDSS General Operators
Certificate (GOC) issued by a Maritime Administration
that has a formal agreement AMSA.
Note - In order to comply with Marine Order 6 Marine
Radio Qualifications masters, chief mates and navigating
watchkeeping officers not already holding an AMSA
GMDSS GOC must apply for an AMSA Certificate of
Recognition GMDSS.

Australian Maritime Safety Authority, Canberra ACT Australia October 2012

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Fact Sheet Australian

Marine Qualifications,
InternationalManning
Ship Register
and the- Marine
ISM Code
Qualifications

Fact Sheet Transferring ownership of an Australian ship

Additional information
A Certificate of Equivalence is for use only on a ship
that is registered on the AISR and will be subject to
any limitations or endorsements on the applicants
primary qualification.

A Certificate of Equivalence cannot be revalidated.

A new Certificate of Equivalence can be issued on
application after satisfactory evidence has been
provided that the primary qualification has been
revalidated.

ISF Marlins English Language test for

Seafarers
The ISF Marlins English Language Test is an on-line
assessment tool, which tests seafarers understanding
of both written and spoken English. There are many
approved test centres located around the world.
For service on a ship registered on the AISR the minimum
acceptable pass mark that must achieved on the Marlins
test is:
Senior Deck Officers

90%

A Certificate of Equivalence will not be issued in

any circumstances in respect of any Certificate of
Recognition.

Senior Engineer Officers

80%

Junior Deck Officers

80%

Junior Engineer Officers

70%

A Certificate of Equivalence or Interim Certificate of

Equivalence will not be issued until AMSA is satisfied
that the primary qualification that the certificate
recognises is valid and authentic.

Ratings

Evidence of satisfactory competence in English can

be demonstrated in one of the following ways:

Hold an STCW Certificate of Competence for which

the examinations were in English, or

Passing the Marlins English language test, or

Pass an English language assessment as approved

by the Manager Ship Operations and
Qualifications.

Assessment in Australian maritime

regulatory framework
The assessment in Australian maritime regulatory
framework will be undertaken as a supervised on-line
assessment.
The on-line assessment will be undertaken in a secure
examination centre either in Australia or at a number of
locations overseas. The on-line assessment will have
two levels of assessment. One level of assessment
will be for senior officers (STCW II/2, III/2 and III/3)
and a lower level will be for junior officers (STCW II/1
and III/1). For all engineer officers the assessment will
include examination in electrical safety and the safety
and environmental hazards associated with handling
refrigerant gases.
Information, including syllabus and how to apply for
the assessment, will be placed on the AMSA web site
in the near future.

60%

The above evidence must be accompanied by evidence

that the employer is satisfied that the seafarer has an
acceptable standard of English that will enable them to
carry out their shipboard duties safely.

Interim Certificates of Equivalence

Foreign seafarers who make application for a Certificate
of Equivalence may be issued an Interim Certificate of
Equivalence. The Interim Certificate of Equivalence
may be issued for a period up to but not exceeding three
months. During this time foreign seafarers may serve
on ships registered on the AISR. This affords seafarers
the opportunity to complete the on-line assessment in
Australian maritime regulatory framework, if applicable,
and provide the necessary documentary evidence for
issue of a Certificate of Equivalence.
An interim Certificate of Equivalence is evidence that
the seafarer has applied for a Certificate of Equivalence.
Interim Certificates of Equivalence will not be issued to
persons holding a position as:
Master
Chief Engineer
Chief Officer
First Engineer
Note: Officers performing, or intending to perform, these
duties on a ship registered on the Australian International
Shipping Register will need to hold a Certificate of
Competency, a Certificate of Recognition or a Certificate
of Equivalence issued by AMSA.
Information on how to register a ship on the
International Register is contained in the Guide
to the Registration of a Ship on the Australian
International Shipping Register.

Australian Maritime Safety Authority, Canberra ACT Australia October 2012

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