Commercial Marine Careers

To obtain a commercial marine Certificate of Competency you do not need years of experience on a trading or fishing vessel to begin a career in this industry.

You need to show that you have knowledge and experience onboard vessels - we call this "sea service". When you apply for a Certificate of Competency you need to provide us with the evidence of appropriate amount of sea service.

Sea service can be obtained by either starting work as a general purpose hand on board a vessel or you may be able to use experience you have gained on recreational vessels toward some Certificates of Competency.

The choice of what Certificate of Competency you can obtain will depend on the type of sea service you can provide. A Coxswain and Marine Engine Driver Grade 3 are the basic entry level Certificates of Competency but if you have the appropriate sea service you can apply for a higher level Certificate of Competency.

What your Certificate of Competency will qualify you for
The diagram below shows how your career can move through a Deck or Engineering pathway from lower level certificates such as a Coxswain, through to higher Skipper or Master certificates.

Please select the certificate of your choice to find out more.

 Coxswain Restricted to Aquaculture and Coxswain for operations on the River Murray and Inland Waters are available.
 Master Class 5 for operations on the River Murray and Inland Waters is available.
 Master Class 4 for operations on the River Murray and Inland Waters is available.
 The Marine Engine Driver 1 or trade qualification is required.