From 1 September 2018, owners of human-powered and sailing vessels less than 7.5 metres in Australia can be exempt from having to get a unique identifier for each vessel, if a certificate of operation covers the vessels, AMSA informed.
Alternatively, owners may choose to continue to apply for a unique identifier for each vessel and remain exempt from having a certificate of operation. The unique identifier does not need to be displayed on the vessel.
We recognised that requiring a unique identifier for every human-powered vessel and sailing vessels less than 7.5 metres, may not be practical for some operators, particularly operators with a high number of unpowered vessels that are replaced frequently. Exemption 1 allows greater flexibility around the unique identifier requirements for human-powered and small sailing vessels covered by a certificate of operation.
The change to Exemption 1 means that owners of human-powered vessels and sailing vessels less than 7.5 metres will now have two options:
- Option 1 -Obtain a certificate of operation for the vessels and be exempt from all UI requirements. Each vessel will not need to have a unique identifier, as long as they are covered by a certificate of operation. This option may suit operators with a high number of unpowered vessels that are replaced frequently. This is because it may be more cost and time effective to obtain and renew a certificate of operation once every five years than applying for a unique identifier for every new vessel and replacement vessel.
- Option 2 -Continue to operate without a certificate of operation and exempt only from UI display requirements Human-powered vessels and sail vessels under 7.5 metres can continue to operate exempt from the certificate of operation requirements under Exemption 3 and apply for a unique identifier on a vessel-by-vessel basis. The unique identifier does not need to be displayed on the vessel. This option may suit operators who have only a small number of human-powered vessels or small sail vessels, or where the vessels are not frequently replaced.
The following vessels are exempt from the requirements to have and display a unique vessel identifier:
- a domestic commercial vessel that is registered under the Shipping Registration Act 1981 and marked in accordance with that Act.
- a domestic commercial vessel that is a tender, if it displays, prominently and clearly either:the words ‘Tender to’ followed by the name or unique vessel identifier of its parent vessel
- the name of the owner of the vessel followed by the word ‘tender’, or
- the unique vessel identifier of its parent vessel followed by ‘– T’
- a domestic commercial vessel that is covered by a certificate of operation, if it is:a human powered vessel, or
- a sailing vessel that is less than 7.5 metres long
The following domestic commercial vessels are exempt from the requirement to display a unique vessel identifier:
- A human-powered vessel
- A sailing vessel that is less than 7.5 metres long
- A personal watercraft used in an aerial freestyle device operation.