What does my Safety Management System need under Marine Order 504?
Under Marine Order 504, every domestic commercial vessel owner or operator must implement and maintain a Safety Management System (SMS), and it has to be built on a risk assessment of your own operation, not a generic template.
It must cover key elements such as safe operating procedures, crew qualifications and training, vessel maintenance, emergency procedures, health and safety, and a process for continuous improvement. Alongside these, the order calls for a fatigue-risk-management plan (Class 1, 2 and 3 vessels), a drug & alcohol policy, statements of master and designated-person responsibility, a stability risk assessment, a record of vessel modifications, and an assembly station.
The obligation applies to every DCV owner or operator (including grandfathered and certificate-exempt vessels), though the depth can scale for some smaller operations (see the small-vessel question below).
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.