Safety issue

The Queensland regulations for fishing vessel certificates of competency are ambiguous and are not consistent with the Uniform Shipping Laws Code (USL Code) or the National Standard for Commercial Vessels (NSCV). The regulations allow a fishing vessel to be operated up to 200 miles from the coast by a skipper who may not have been appropriately trained, experienced or qualified for that operational area.

Safety Recommendation

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau recommends that Maritime Safety Queensland takes action to address this safety issue.