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ISA Maritime Industry 2025 Workforce Plan

(uploaded 15-07-2025)

Industry Skills Australia has released the 2025 version of its Maritime Industry Workforce Plan.

2025 Maritime Industry Workforce Plan Key points

Ongoing shortages of Engineers, Masters, Officers and Deck Hands are impacting the industry.

Emerging green energy sectors and expanding Maritime industries will increase demand for skilled workers.

The industry is grappling with an ageing workforce and high turnover rates.

Maritime training is hindered by the need for substantial investments, a lack of trainers, and regulatory pressures.

 

Government funding supports VET enrolments, but course availability is limited.

RTOs struggle to maintain cost-effective courses due to low enrolments.

The lack of training berths limits opportunities to meet certification requirements.

The decline in Australian-flagged vessels reduces sea time opportunities for new entrants.

Lack of coordination limits effective access to training berth.

 New International Maritime Organization (IMO) regulations will drive the adoption of cleaner fuels and technologies.

Preparing domestic seafarers for decarbonisation is complex due to evolving technologies and skills demands.

Growing automation and digitalisation in Maritime operations demands new competencies.

The shift to new technologies and alternative fuels demands updated skill requirements and strong safety measures.

The quality of graduate outcomes in the Near Coastal sector is a concern.

Proposed actions

Work with key industry stakeholders to support the implementation of updated maritime training package products which reflect new Marine Order 505 licensing and regulatory requirements.

Using DigComp 2.2 as the Digital Framework to review digital skills for a selected number of occupations in our industries.

View the full report: 

Maritime Industry joint approach to ABF

(uploaded 12-01-2024)

In a similar vein to the Defence correspondence (see below), a joint approach has been made to the Home Affairs Minister to seek funding for maritime industry trainees on  Border Force vessels.

The three maritime unions (AIMPE, AMOU & MUA) together with the two major employer associations (MIAL & AREEA) are preparing a general budget submission but ahead of that proposal have submitted the requests to Defence and Home Affairs in order to promote the inclusion of funding requests in the separate Portfolio submissions.

ABF did undertake maritime training for their own needs a few years ago but this has dropped off in recent times.

View correspondence:

Employer groups join maritime training push

(uploaded 01-09-2022)

The two major maritime employer groups - MIAL and AREEA - have called on the Minister for Skills and Training to address the  critical shortage of essential maritime skills.

The call came just ahead of the Federal Government's Jobs & Skill Summit in Canberra on 1st & 2nd September 2022. It follows on from the call made by the 3 maritime unions for a new maritime industry training program [see story below].

MIAL & AREEA have indicated that they are very much aligned with the maritime unions in many areas of the training question.

View the employers’ letter:

More AMSA Certificates issued in 2024

(updated 19-12-2024)

The numbers of current holders of valid AMSA Certificates of Competency have increased over the last two years. For the last three years AMSA has released to industry the statistics about the Certificates that they produce each year. The third year of statistics has just been released and they reveal an encouraging trend. The numbers of Certificates issued has increased for the second year running.

For Engineers the numbers are particularly positive. In December 2024 there are 1,712 Engineers with STCW level Certificates of Competency issued by AMSA. This is up from 1,557 in 2023 and 1,435 in 2022. So, there has been an increase of 277 Australian Marine Engineers with current Certificates over the last two years.

The explanation is most likely that many Engineers who dropped out of the industry in the 2013-2019 period have re-entered the industry in response to the strong demand for seafarers in recent times.

Breaking down the STCW Certificates issued by AMSA as at December 2024 they are:

Certificate TypeNumber
Engineer Class 1 796
Engineer Class 2 527
Engineer Watchkeeper 516
Electro Technical Officer 133

The adds up to 1,972 which is 260 more than the number of Certificate holders. The discrepancy reflects the fact that some people hold more than one Certificate. For example, quite a few Class 1 holders also hold an ETO Certificate. Some members also hold different levels of Motor and Steam Certificates e.g. Class 1 Motor & Watchkeeper Steam. 

In the DCV/Near Coastal sector the number of Engineer & Engine Driver Certificates has also increased over the last two years from 11,822 to 12,704. An increase of 882.

Breaking this down, the DCV Near Coastal Certificates issued by AMSA as at December 2024 are:

Certificate TypeNumber
Engineer Class 3 726
MED 1 1,201
MED 2 7,974
MED 3 3,234

It is likely that a very large proportion of the MED 2 and MED 3 Certificates in particular are held by Deck Officers operating smaller vessels. The number of EC3 NC is down from 759 in 2022 and 736 in 2023.

AIMPE has urged AMSA to include its seafarer Certificate of Competency statistics in its Annual Report each year to ensure widespread dissemination of this information. The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) has published figures of licenced aviation professional for many years. Ensuring the personnel in the industry are properly trained must be a key responsibility of a transport safety regulator and reporting on performance of that indicator is a pretty fundamental obligation. AIMPE will continue to push on this issue.

The full report from AMSA can be found here:

Martin Byrne

AMSA Guidance Notices

(updated 27-05-2024)

AMSA has 4 Guidance Notices covering the Marine Engineer STCW level Certificates of Competency. 

Here are the four Notices:

AMSA also has 4 Guidance Notices covering the Marine Engineering DCV level Certificates of Competency. 

Here are the four Notices:

New Entrants

If you are interested in how to become a Marine Engineer click here:

And you could end up here...

Inspecting the main engine of a vessel like the Lowlands Brilliance

Revalidation Short Course Requirements

Clarification

Members have been asking about the requirements for Revalidation of their STCW Certificates of Competency. The following is a summary of the requirements as set out in Marine Order 72 (Marine Engineers) and the STCW Convention.

Revalidation of a Certificate of Competency requires appropriate sea-service of:-

  1. 12 months in total during the preceding 5 years before application, or
  2. 3 months in total during the preceding 6 months prior to revalidating,

or one of the alternative options set out in Schedule 4 of Marine Order 72 (Marine Engineers).

However, even if meeting the above, you must in addition each time you Revalidate (i.e. at 5 yearly intervals)  provide evidence of the following:-

  1. Security Awareness (STCW Code A-VI/6-1), [AIMPE Note: if you have proof of completing this anytime previously you DO NOT have to do this again] and
  2. Proficiency in Survival Craft and Rescue Boats other than Fast Rescue Boats (STCW Code A-VI/2-1), [AIMPE Note: if you have proof of completing this anytime previously you DO NOT have to do the full course again, but MUST do a Refresher Course] and
  3. Advanced Fire Fighting (STCW Code A-V1/3) [AIMPE Note: if you have proof of completing this anytime previously you DO NOT have to do the full course again, but MUST do a Refresher Course].

We understand that most colleges have arrangements to provide the Refresher Course for item 2) Survival & item 3) Advanced Fire in a combined 2-day course.

As to members’ enquiries about continued validity of their Medical First Aid Certificate, the second column on page 3 of AMSA “Fact Sheet STCW-06” deals with this by advising as follows:-

Validity Period for First Aid, Medical First Aid, Medical Care certificates issued under STCW

There is no STCW requirement for revalidation of first

aid, medical first aid, and medical care certificates issued

under STCW. However Maritime Labour Convention 2006,

Regulation 4.1, Guideline B4.1 Medical care on board ship

and ashore states:

“3. Persons referred to in paragraph 1 of this guideline

and any such other seafarers as may be required by the

competent authority should undergo, at approximately

five-year intervals, refresher courses to enable them to

maintain and increase their knowledge and skills and to

keep up-to-date with new developments.”

In view of this Guideline, maritime shipping companies

should determine whether it is necessary to maintain

currency of their certificate.

But as you can see those quoted words are text from the MLC, NOT the STCW, so are not an STCW requirement and, so far, are not reflected in Marine Orders.

Accordingly the legal position is that your Medical First Aid Certificate, once achieved, remains valid.

I hope this assists members.

Henning Christiansen
Director Professional Development,
AIMPE

Marine Orders Part 72

In 2012 AIMPE fought against a proposal to introduce a revised Marine Order Part 3 relating to Marine Qualifications.

AIMPE saw the proposal as a threat to the standards of Marine Engineer Qualifications. The draft MO3 would have removed vital pre-requisites, reduced the length of training dramatically and eliminated the important final standard assurance measure of the Oral examination.

AIMPE lobbied hard across the Federal Parliament - and remember in 2012 the Federal Government (ALP) was a minority government.

With support from key cross bench MPs AIMPE was believed the numbers were there to defeat the proposed MO3 on the floor of the House of Representatives. The government believed it too and they withdrew the proposed MO3.

Subsequently in 2013 AIMPE proposed a separate Marine Engineers Qualifications Bill - see below for details. Ultimately this was not passed by the Parliament.

However in 2014 a different proposal was brought forward by the new Federal Government (L-NP) which restored a separate Marine Order for Marine Engineer Qualifications. The new Marine Order 72 delivered what AIMPE had been fighting for - a separate regulation and it also maintained all of the key elements of the training requirements which AIMPE had argued remained vital. MO72 can be found at:

MO72 issue 140220Z


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