Course Information
Courses for certificates of competency for use on the River Murray and inland waters are awarded at four levels; Restricted Coxswain, Coxswain, Master 5 and Master 4.
The Australian Maritime & Fisheries Academy currently programs River Murray and Inland Waters courses on demand and usually only in the three higher course levels and not at Restricted Coxswain level.
RMIW Coxswain
The Departmnet of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure's (DPTI) website states the following regarding the Restricted Coxswain qualification. To be eligible for this Certificate of Competency you must be at least 18 years old.
With a Coxswain River Murray and Inland Waters Certificate of Competency, you will be qualified to work on trading vessels less than 12 metres in length, within the confines of the River Murray and inland waters.
Sea Service
You need at least 6 months (180 days) sea service on a commercial or recreational vessel at least 4 metres in length on vessels operating on the River Murray or inland waters but if you hold a current open Coxswain Certificate of Competency you do not need to provide any additional sea service. You need to provide evidence of this sea service which can be in the form of one of the following:
- A Record of Service book signed by the Master or owner of the vessel.
- A testimonial from the Master or Owner or Agent of the vessel(s) on which the service took place (if possible on company letterhead). This testimonial should clearly indicate the name and registration number of the vessel, rank and duties on board, dates of commencement and completion of service. Any gaps (e.g. sick or annual leave) should be indicated.
- A Statutory Declaration with all the above details.
Training
To obtain this Certificate of Competency you need to undertake a training course or provide evidence of training. You will need to contact the training providers to obtain course details. Remember that passing a training course is only part of the process.
Before being issued with a Certificate of Competency you will need to do the following training and provide evidence of the following (these are normally part of your course but can be undertaken separately):
- Certificate in Elements of Shipboard Safety.
- Current Senior First Aid Certificate, you will normally undertake this training at the same time as you study of your Coxswain certificate.
What you need to renew
Certificates of Competency are issued for 5 years and can be renewed at any time in the 12 months before it expires or at any time after it has expired.
RMIW Master 5
The Departmnet of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure's website states the following regarding the Master 5 qualification.
To be eligible for this Certificate of Competency you must be at least 19 years old. Your Certificate of Competency will expire after 5 years. It is up to you to renew it.
Sea Service
You need the following amount of sea service which will depend on the Certificate of Competency you already hold.
- For holders of a Coxswain River Murray and Inland Waters Certificate of Competency must provide 6 months (120 days) sea service in the last 5 years on vessels less than 80 metres in length.
- For the holder of an open Coxswain Certificate of Competency or an open Master Class 5 Certificate of Competency must provide 3 months (60 days) sea service in the last 5 years on the river on vessels less than 80 metres in length.
- For anyone else must provide 12 months (240 days) in the last 5 years documented sea time of which 6 months (180 days) must be on the river on vessels less than 80 metres in length.
You need to provide evidence of this sea service which can be in the form of one of the following:
- A Record of Service book signed by the Master, Owner or Agent of the vessel.
- A testimonial from the Master or owner of the vessel(s) on which the service took place (if possible on company letterhead). This testimonial should clearly indicate the name and registration number of the vessel, rank/duties on board, dates of commencement and completion of service. Any gaps (e.g. sick or annual leave) should be indicated.
- A Statutory Declaration with all the above details.
Training
To obtain this Certificate of Competency you need to undertake a training course or provide evidence of training. You will need to contact the training providers to obtain course details. Remember that passing a training course is only part of the process.
Before we issue you with a Certificate of Competency you will need to do the following training and provide evidence of the following. These are normally part of your course but can be undertaken separately:
- Certificate in Elements of Shipboard Safety or Occupational Health and Safety at Sea.
- Current Senior First Aid Certificate, you will normally undertake this training at the same time as you study for your certificate.
What you need to renew
Certificates of Competency are issued for 5 years and can be renewed at any time in the 12 months before it expires or at any time after it has expired.
RMIW Master 4
The Departmnet of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure's website states the following regarding the Master 4 qualification.
To be eligible for this Certificate of Competency you must be at least 20 years old.
Your certificate will expire after 5 years. It is up to you to revalidate it.
What your Certificate of Competency will qualify you for
- With a Master Class 4 River Murray and Inland Waters Certificate of Competency you are qualified to master trading vessels less than 80 metres in length, but only in those waters.
Sea Service
You need to provide evidence of sea service that shows you have served as Watchkeeper or have been supervised by the person in Command as follows:
- For holders of a Coxswain River Murray and Inland Waters or Master 5 River Murray and Inland Waters Certificate of Competency you must provide 12 months (240 days) sea service.
Watchkeeping sea service must include:
- 6 months (120 days) within the last 5 years.
- 6 months (120 days) must be on vessels greater than 12 metres in length.
For holders of an open Master 4 Certificate of Competency you must provide 3 months (60 days) sea service.
Watchkeeping sea service must include:
- 3 months (60 days) within the last 5 years.
- 3 months (60 days) must be on vessels greater than 12 metres in length.
For anyone else you must provide 30 months (600 days) sea service
Watchkeeping sea service must include:
- 12 months (240 days) within the last 5 years.
- 18 months (360 days) must be on vessels greater than 12 metres in length.
You need to provide evidence of this sea service which can be in the form of:
- A Record of Service book signed by the Master, Owner or Agent of the vessel (Record of Service books lodged without a supporting Testimonial will not be considered for watchkeeping service).
- A Watchkeeping testimonial from the Master or owner of the vessel(s) on which the service took place.
Training
To obtain this Certificate of Competency you need to undertake a training course or provide evidence of training. You will need to contact the training provider to obtain course details. Remember that passing a training course is only part of the process.
Before we issue you with a Certificate of Competency you will need to do the following training and provide evidence of the following. These are normally part of your course but can be undertaken separately:
- Certificate in Elements of Shipboard Safety or Occupational Health & Safety at Sea.
- Current Senior First Aid Certificate. We will not accept expired certificates.
What you need to provide to revalidate:
Certificates are issued for 5 years and can be revalidated at any time in the 12 months before it expires or at any time after it has expired.
Please contact us to register your interest in attending the next course in 2012 as this course may well be booked out before the end of this year.
