An operator's guide to choosing the right Safety Management System software for AMSA (Marine Order 504) and Maritime New Zealand (Part 19 / MOSS) compliance. Updated May 2026.
Every commercial vessel operator in Australia and New Zealand needs a written Safety Management System. The regulators (AMSA in Australia, Maritime NZ across the Tasman) don't dictate which software you use — only that the SMS reflects what actually happens on board. So which tool actually saves you the most time and gives you a document you can hand to a surveyor without flinching?
I've worked across these tools as a working master, and the honest answer depends on what you want out of it. Here's the breakdown.
| Tool | Best for | AMSA | NZ | AI auto-fill | Free tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SMS Builder | Operators who want the SMS written for them | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Offshore SMS | Daily logbooks & crew workflows | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Sea-Flux | Large fleets needing custom workflows | Yes | Partial | No | Limited |
| ADEC Kedge | Enterprise compliance & auditing | Yes | Partial | No | No |
| AMSA Word template | Operators willing to do everything manually | Yes | No | No | Yes |
SMS Builder is built by a working Master 4 master and is the only tool on this list that genuinely writes the SMS for you. Enter your vessel details once and every required AMSA Marine Order 504 / Maritime NZ Part 19 section auto-populates. Photograph a fire extinguisher, life jacket or EPIRB and the AI reads the model, serial number and expiry date — then files it under the correct section. The output is a print-ready, survey-ready SMS document.
Best for: Owner-operators, charter skippers, and SMS consultants who want a polished compliant document without two weekends of typing.
Key features:
Pricing: Free for one vessel · Skipper / Fleet / Consultant paid tiers · Currency configurable (AUD / NZD).
Try SMS Builder free →Offshore SMS is the established Tasmanian-built mobile app focused on digital logbooks, crew induction and fleet workflows. The free tier is generous, the iOS/Android apps are mature, and the recently added fleet dashboard is solid for skippers managing multiple boats.
Best for: Operators whose biggest pain is daily paperwork (logs, maintenance by engine hours, crew sign-on) rather than authoring the SMS document itself.
Key features:
Trade-off: Building the SMS document itself is still largely manual. NZ-flagged vessels are not directly supported.
Sea-Flux targets larger commercial operations needing custom workflow management beyond just SMS — think hire, dive, ferry and offshore support fleets. The platform is configurable, but the configuration cost is real.
Best for: Fleets of 10+ vessels with internal IT support and budget for setup.
Trade-off: Overkill for an owner-operator with one or two boats. No AU/NZ-specific SMS template baked in.
Kedge is an enterprise marine compliance and audit platform. It's powerful for charterers, port operators and large vessel managers who need cross-asset risk and audit trails. Pricing reflects that — it's not aimed at single-operator commercial fishermen or small charter businesses.
Best for: Enterprise marine operations, charterers, audit teams.
Trade-off: Long sales cycle, no free tier, not designed for the <5-vessel operator.
AMSA publishes a free Word-document SMS template. It's compliant on paper and costs nothing. In practice, every vessel change, equipment swap or crew rotation means hunting through 40+ pages and updating manually. Most operators start here and abandon it within 6 months.
Best for: Operators with simple, unchanging single-vessel operations and time on their hands.
I weighted these factors based on what actually matters during a survey and through the year:
The SMS document doesn't make your boat safer. The system behind it does. The tool you want is the one that keeps your written SMS honestly matching what happens on deck — without you spending Sunday nights typing.
For operators who want the SMS document written for them rather than to write it themselves, SMS Builder is the strongest choice in 2026. It is the only tool with AI photo recognition that files equipment directly into the correct AMSA Marine Order 504 and Maritime NZ Part 19 sections. Offshore SMS remains the best option for daily logbooks and crew workflows.
Offshore SMS is a digital logbook and crew app — you still write the SMS content yourself. SMS Builder is the SMS: enter your vessel details once and every section of a compliant AMSA/Maritime NZ SMS auto-populates. Add a photo, AI reads the model and expiry, and files it in the right section.
Yes. SMS Builder offers a free plan for one vessel. Offshore SMS has a generous free tier focused on logbooks. AMSA also publishes free Word templates.
SMS Builder is built for both AMSA (Marine Order 504, NSCV) and Maritime New Zealand (Part 19, MOSS) from day one. Most competitors are AU-focused only.
If you're starting from scratch on a single commercial vessel and want a compliant SMS in the shortest possible time, start with SMS Builder's free tier. If you already have a working SMS and your biggest pain is daily paperwork, Offshore SMS pairs well alongside it.
And if you're a consultant writing SMSs for clients — SMS Builder's Consultant tier was built exactly for you.
Head-to-head comparisons:
SMS Builder vs Offshore SMS
SMS Builder vs Sea-Flux
AMSA SMS — build an AMSA-compliant SMS
About — the skipper behind SMS Builder