New AMSA Marine Order 504: What It Means for Your Vessel—and How to Stay Compliant Without the Stress

Hannah M
Apr 30
2 min read

Ferry operators in Sydney harbour who use SeaLogs. SeaLogs helps to keep them updated with AMSA regulatory changes and updates — Stay compliant with the new AMSA Marine Order 504 effortlessly and keep your vessel safe.

Effective from 1 June 2025, AMSA is introducing major changes to Marine Order 504 (MO504). These updates significantly raise the bar for your Safety Management System (SMS).

If you're not prepared, you're not just risking paperwork delays—you're risking non-compliance, crew safety, and serious financial penalties.

But here’s the good news:

These changes don’t have to be a headache.

With SeaLogs, navigating MO504 becomes automated, audit-proof, and stress-free.

What’s Changing with Marine Order 504—and Why It Matters

The updated Marine Order 504 is focused on:

Reducing preventable incidents
Clarifying responsibilities onboard
Enhancing operational safety across vessel classes

But it also means more responsibility for operators—and more documentation. Here’s what’s new and how SeaLogs makes compliance effortless.

1. Simplified SMS for Small Vessels

Applies to:

Class 2 (non-passenger)
Class 3 (fishing)
Class 4 (hire & drive)Vessel Specs:
Under 7.5m
Up to 4 day passengers
No dangerous goods
Must operate in non-restricted zones

How SeaLogs can help: Auto-generate a simplified SMS directly from your dashboard. Just check the compliance criteria—SeaLogs handles the formatting, records, and audit trail.

2. Mandatory Drug & Alcohol Policy

Required for: ALL vessel classes—including hire and drive.

Operators must:

Document their D&A policy
Communicate it clearly to all the crew
Review and update regularly

How SeaLogs can help: Upload your policy once, and SeaLogs will:

Push crew acknowledgements
Record digital sign-offs
Send reminders for periodic review

3. Fatigue Risk Management Now Mandatory

Applies to: Class 1, 2, and 3 vessels Operators must:

Assess fatigue risks
Monitor hours of rest
Mitigate safety hazards tied to crew exhaustion

SeaLogs Solution:

Track rest hours and duty cycles by signing in and out
Identify risk hotspots with built-in fatigue analytics
Prevent issues before they start

4. Clear Accountability for Master & Designated Person

Every SMS must now include defined responsibilities for:

The Master
The Designated Person

How SeaLogs can help: Assign roles inside the platform. Every task and action is logged, timestamped, and tied to a user—zero ambiguity, total accountability.