Get your certificate of survey without delay

By Gerard Walsh

Being aware of the required documents, and asking the right questions of your surveyor, designer or builder, could help you save time and money.

AMSA’s Marine Surveyors Accreditation Guidance Manual (SAGM) should be in every vessel owner and surveyor’s toolbox.

If you’re a vessel owner or operator, we encourage you to download the SAGM (part 2) from our website and familiarise yourself with any sections relevant to your vessel or operations.

The SAGM is our official go-to vessel certification reference guide. It clearly sets outs how your vessel will be surveyed under the national system, how often, and the documentation required.

AMSA relies on the recommendations of accredited marine surveyors to determine if your vessel meets the applicable safety, design, construction and equipment standards under the national law.

Our assessors must be able to access all the relevant documentation referred to in a recommendation to ensure prompt issue of certification.

It's essential that drawings and plans, approvals, technical evaluations and calculations are prepared and submitted alongside requirements outlined in the SAGM.

If your accredited marine surveyor has, for example, not adequately completed a plan approval letter or referenced the exact standards applied, this will delay the issue of a certificate.

When an assessor requests additional information, it’s often because a recommendation hasn’t been made using the SAGM checklists.

We’re finding instances of this in the design and plan approval phase—and these delays are easily preventable.

It’s worth having a look at the sample plan approval letter and recommendation, and supporting documentation expectation matrix in the SAGM.

The one-page matrix is especially valuable as it conveniently links the survey activity to the required AMSA form or report.

amsa.gov.au/ marinesurveyorsmanualparts1and2