AMSA publishes safety requirements for carrying fishery observers on DCVs
The guidance to clarify safety requirements for carrying fishery observers on domestic commercial vessels has now been published on the AMSA website.
You can access the guidance here.
The majority of fishing vessels may not currently have a certificate or permit that allows special personnel on board.
To help, AMSA is providing a transition period to allow industry time to update their certificates or permits as follows:
- Certificate of survey holders: if your certificate does not permit the carriage of special personnel, you will need to apply to include special personnel numbers when the certificate is due for renewal.
- Exemption 02 or Exemption 40 holders: if your approval does not permit the carriage of special personnel, you will need to apply to vary the approval to include special personnel numbers before 30 June 2030. You can apply to vary an approval by submitting an AMSA form 579(Exemption 02) or AMSA form 523 (Exemption 40).
In the meantime, AMSA advises that you may continue to carry fishery observers provided all other requirements outlined on this page are met. This includes ensuring that the maximum number of people that the vessel is certified to carry is not exceeded.