AMSA Master less than 100 metres near coastal oral exam preparation

The Master less than 100 metres near coastal certificate is a domestic certificate of competency for operating in Australian waters. AMSA says it lets you work as master, chief mate or deck watchkeeper on commercial vessels up to 100 metres long within the exclusive economic zone, and as a General Purpose Hand, Master less than 24 metres and Master less than 45 metres.

AMSA says you need to pass a final oral exam before it issues the certificate. This page covers what AMSA publishes for that exam and how AMSA organises the topics for a larger domestic commercial vessel (DCV).

AMSA certificate name

Master less than 100 metres near coastal

Type

Domestic commercial vessel (near coastal) certificate

Oral examination

Required before AMSA issues the certificate; scheduled for 2 hours

AMSA examiner checklist

AMSA 1076

Also called

the Master 100 orals, Master 100 NC, or the Master <100 m near coastal oral

About the AMSA oral examination for this certificate

AMSA schedules oral exams for two hours. Most are held online using Microsoft Teams, and you can request a face-to-face exam when you book, subject to examiner availability. AMSA lists face-to-face locations for Master <100 m near coastal exams on its booking page, and they depend on examiner availability.

AMSA’s current Master <100 m near coastal examination checklist is AMSA 1076, and AMSA publishes the syllabus alongside it on its Prepare for your oral exam page. Direct links to both documents are listed under Official AMSA sources below. For a full explanation of how AMSA oral exams are booked, run and assessed, read the AMSA oral exam preparation guide.

Who this certificate is for

• People who have completed sea service while holding a Master <45 m near coastal certificate (or one of the older certificates AMSA lists) and are working towards Master <100 m.
• Candidates who have completed, or are completing, the Diploma of Maritime Operations and now need to prepare for the oral exam.

Official AMSA requirements

AMSA sets the requirements for the Master <100 m Near Coastal certificate. In summary, as AMSA listed them on 3 October 2026:

• Be at least 16 years old on the certificate issue date, be able to speak, read and understand English, and be medically fit for the duties (using AMSA’s medical certificate, form 1850, or a current form 303).
• Have completed sea service while holding a Master less than 45 metres near coastal, a Master less than 35 metres near coastal (phased out 1 January 2023) or a Mate less than 80 metres near coastal (phased out 1 January 2023), in charge of the navigational watch on commercial vessels at least 24 metres long. With a Master <45 m or Master <35 m, AMSA requires 180 days including 120 days in charge with an AMSA task book, or 360 days including 240 days in charge without one. With a Mate <80 m or other non-command certificate, it requires 360 days including 120 days in charge with a task book, or 720 days including 240 days in charge without one.
• Complete a Diploma of Maritime Operations at a registered training organisation, and hold a current first aid certificate (HLTAID011 or equivalent) and a marine radio long range operator certificate of proficiency (LROCP) or higher.
• Apply through myAMSA or with the Certificate of competency application (AMSA form 426) at a participating Australia Post outlet.
• Pass a final oral exam. AMSA says that once it has assessed your application it will invite you to book the exam (if you have not already passed an AMSA exam at your training organisation). You pay an exam fee each time you sit it.

This is a summary only, and requirements change. Check AMSA’s certificate page, linked under Official AMSA sources below, for the current requirements before you plan your pathway or book.

What to prepare for: AMSA’s own syllabus and checklist

AMSA publishes a syllabus and an examiner checklist for this certificate. This section follows the headings AMSA itself uses, and summarises them only to show how AMSA organises the material. Download AMSA’s documents, linked under Official AMSA sources, for the full topic lists.

AMSA’s syllabus

Master <100 m Near Coastal – Skills and Knowledge Required for Marine Order 505 (Certificates of competency – national law) 2022

AMSA’s syllabus is organised into these 11 tables:

1. Table 1: Survival at sea
2. Table 2: Fire prevention and fire fighting
3. Table 3: Advanced fire fighting
4. Table 4: Safety, environmental management and social responsibilities
5. Table 5: Navigation
6. Table 6: Vessel stability and construction
7. Table 7: Nautical knowledge
8. Table 8: Command navigation, business and ship operations
9. Table 9: Cargo handling and stowage
10. Table 10: Tanker cargo operations
11. Table 11: Security awareness

AMSA’s examiner checklist

AMSA 1076 – Master <100 m NC examination checklist (aide memoire). AMSA groups the checklist topics under these 14 headings: Management and shipmaster’s business; Standards of watchkeeping; Bridge equipment; Navigational charts and publications; Stress and stability; Cargo work; Marine engineering systems; Ship handling; Prevention of pollution; Emergency situations, response and equipment; Dry docking; Search and rescue; Essential shipboard equipment and machinery; Collision regulations.

Under some of those headings, AMSA’s checklist lists topics such as the following (a summary, not the full list):

• Management and shipmaster’s business: limits to near coastal certificates and area of operation; class societies and flag state; load-line rules; the Navigation Act, Marine Orders and the national law; safety management systems and the master’s authority; OHS/WHS legislation including psychological wellbeing of personnel; log book entries; approved stability information; statutory certificates; taking over command; types of survey; reporting of incidents, near misses and deficiencies.
• Cargo work: basic understanding of the IMSBC code and bulk cargoes; cargo securing; statutory requirements and testing of equipment; cargo-related case studies; heavy-lift precautions; the IMDG code; bridge visibility; loading and discharging precautions; ship–shore safety checklist; ballasting and de-ballasting.
• Marine engineering systems: engineering systems such as steering gear; engine room alarms and failures.
• Emergency situations, response and equipment: case studies; blackout or steering failure; grounding; collision; water ingress; confined space entry; distress, urgency and safety messages; towing; man overboard; the Master’s obligation to render assistance; heavy weather preparations and tropical revolving storms; damage control; emergencies in port.

Examples of topics AMSA rates A

AMSA says A-rated topics are safety-critical knowledge you must demonstrate to pass, and advises spending the most time on them. On this checklist, examples of topics AMSA rates A include:

• Management and shipmaster’s business: limits to near coastal certificates and area of operation; safety management systems and the master’s authority; OHS/WHS legislation; responsibilities and duties; statutory certificates; taking over command; reporting of incidents, near misses and deficiencies.
• Standards of watchkeeping: maintaining a proper lookout and an anchor watch; navigation in restricted visibility and in congested waters; navigation with a pilot on board; performing a watch and position fixing; taking over and handing over a watch; voyage planning; watchkeeping records and night orders.
• Bridge equipment and navigational charts: ECDIS, chart plotters and various bridge equipment; chart corrections, symbols and abbreviations; gyro and magnetic compass errors; interpreting charts; Notices to Mariners; tidal calculations; methods of obtaining compass errors.
• Stress and stability: effect of density on draft; basic principles of flotation; free surface effect and angle of loll; drawing and interpreting a GZ curve; shipboard stresses and stability information; cargo shift and listing; load line marks and draft reading; seasonal zones.
• Ship handling and Prevention of pollution: embarking and disembarking a pilot; launching a rescue craft or liferaft in adverse weather; mooring, unmooring and dredging anchor; anchoring; ship and tug interaction; squat and bank effect; action in a pollution incident and to prevent pollution; the garbage management plan and record book.
• Emergency situations, dry docking and equipment: blackout or steering failure; grounding; collision; water ingress; confined space entry; distress, urgency and safety messages; the Master’s obligation to render assistance; onset of heavy weather and avoiding tropical revolving storms; preparations for docking; routine maintenance, deck machinery and watertight bulkheads.
• Collision regulations: buoyage Region A; Rules 1, 2, 3 and the annexes; Rules 4–18, 19, 20–31 and 32–35.

What AMSA tells candidates

• AMSA’s checklist says questions should be framed around managing the ship as a whole.
• AMSA says the examiner checklist shows the topics you need to understand and the level of knowledge expected, and that the syllabus lists the knowledge and skills you will be assessed against.
• The syllabus tables are taken directly from AMSA 730, Skills and Knowledge Required for Marine Order 505, and only the tables specific to this certificate are included.

Suggested study structure

This is our own suggested study structure. It is not an AMSA syllabus and it is not a list of actual exam questions.

• Use the checklist headings as your timetable. AMSA’s 14 checklist headings give a natural order. Work through each heading and start with the topics AMSA rates A.
• Compare the AMSA 1076 and AMSA 1099 checklists. If you hold Master <45 m, put the two checklists side by side to see where Master <100 m adds topics, for example case studies in cargo work and emergencies, and the IMSBC code.
• Map the 11 syllabus tables to your service. For each table, note one real job from your sea service you could describe in the orals.

How AMSA Examiner helps you prepare

AMSA Examiner is a study platform. After you register and enrol for a rank, it gives you these tools:

• Learning topics that you work through in order.
• A Quiz Bank for practice questions.
• Mind maps for revision.
• A study plan built around your exam date.
• Weak-area identification and a revision book.
• Exam readiness reports.

The content you see depends on the rank you enrol for and on what has been published for that rank. AMSA Examiner’s practice material is study material. It is not official AMSA examination content, and it cannot predict the questions you will be asked.

Preparation strategy

AMSA’s own advice is to use the checklist as your study plan, prepare examples from your sea service, practise answering aloud and check your readiness before you book. For this certificate, that advice looks like this:

Related certificates

• Master <45 m Near Coastal oral exam preparation. Master <45 m near coastal is the certificate AMSA lists first as a prerequisite for Master <100 m.
• Chief Mate <3000 GT oral exam preparation. AMSA lists Master <100 near coastal as one of the certificates that make you eligible for Chief Mate <3000 GT.
• All AMSA oral exam preparation guides, including the other certificates this site covers.