What changed in Marine Order 504 on 1 June 2025?
The revised Marine Order 504 (Certificates of operation – national law) 2024 came into effect on 1 June 2025. It governs both the application requirements for a Certificate of Operation and the Safety Management System (SMS) requirements for domestic commercial vessels, and it applies to owners, operators, masters and crew alike.
Your SMS must be built on a risk assessment of your operation and document a defined set of elements: among them a fatigue-risk-management plan (Class 1, 2 and 3 vessels, including those eligible for a simplified SMS), a drug & alcohol policy, operational and emergency procedures, statements of master and designated-person responsibility, a stability risk assessment, a record of vessel modifications, and an assembly station.
Requirements are tiered: a simplified SMS is available for some eligible vessels under 7.5 m, and hire-and-drive (Class 4) operations have their own differentiated requirements. Every DCV owner or operator is required by law to implement and maintain an SMS, including grandfathered and certificate-exempt vessels.
General information for Australian operators, current as of 2026-10-11. Rules change and recreational rules vary by state. Always confirm against the source(s) linked above (your AMSA, Australian Sailing or state maritime authority). This is not legal advice.