Australia’s marine electrical requirements may appear somewhat involved on first glance, however over the past few years, a streamlining of registration has been occurring.
This article has the purpose of introducing the fundamental basis for marine electrical installations and will over time, be supported by a series of topic specific articles.
There are broad categories into which vessels fall. These are recreational craft, domestic commercial craft and shipping.
- Recreational vessels are boats which are privately owned and the electrical installations aboard are regulated by individual State or Territory legislative requirements and are overseen by each jurisdictions electrical safety authority.
- Domestic commercial vessels are boats (typically to 35m) which are for a variety of commercial uses like fishing trawlers, passenger ferries, dive boats, work barges etc. and their electrical installations are now governed predominantly by Federal legislation and are overseen by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA). Care does need to be exercised as these vessels may concurrently fall under the individual jurisdictions legislation and consideration must still be given to those requirements.
- Ships are typically large commercial ocean going vessels which for this article will not be considered as they are often registered under foreign flags.
To compound the issue somewhat, there are some inclusions or exemptions for the categories. As an example, boats that are owned on a commercial share arrangement with a management company may be considered domestic commercial vessels rather than recreational vessels whereas boats that are owned by a group of people under a private share arrangement are likely to be considered a recreational vessel.
Understanding the category into which your boat falls, is a vital first step in ensuring compliance.
In coming editions, we will investigate more thoroughly, the various implications for a boat owner with both 12/24vdc systems and 240vac electrical systems and try to help avert problems before they arise.