What an SMS Manual is, what it must contain, and the fastest way to produce a complete vessel Safety Management System Manual PDF that is ready for survey. AMSA Marine Order 504 and Maritime NZ Part 19 covered.
The "SMS Manual" is the heart of every commercial vessel's compliance. It is the bound document — paper, PDF or digital — that the master keeps current, that the crew can refer to, and that the surveyor will ask to see. This page explains what's inside an SMS Manual, the legal minimums in AU and NZ, and how to generate one without spending three weekends in Microsoft Word.
Generate your SMS Manual free →An SMS Manual is the controlling written document for the operation of a commercial vessel. It says, in your own words, how this specific boat is operated safely — by whom, in what conditions, with what equipment, under what procedures, and how the operator responds when something goes wrong. It is not a tick-box form. It is the operating handbook.
In Australia, AMSA's Marine Order 504 requires every Domestic Commercial Vessel operator to maintain an SMS. In New Zealand, Maritime Rule Part 19 (MOSS) requires the equivalent.
| Section | What it contains |
|---|---|
| 1. Introduction & purpose | Why this Manual exists, who it applies to, how it is reviewed. |
| 2. Definitions | Terms used in the Manual (master, crew, designated person, near miss). |
| 3. Vessel particulars | Name, AMSA/MNZ ID, dimensions, survey class, hull, machinery, equipment. |
| 4. Operational area & limits | NSCV service category, area of operation, weather and condition limits. |
| 5. Roles & responsibilities | Owner, master, crew, designated person — including the AMSA-mandated designated person added in June 2025. |
| 6. Operational procedures | Departure, voyage, arrival, anchoring, mooring, refuelling, passenger management. |
| 7. Risk assessment | Identified hazards, controls, residual risk. Including the new formal stability risk assessment. |
| 8. Emergency response | Fire, flood, MOB, collision, grounding, medical, abandon ship, assembly station. |
| 9. Maintenance schedule | Scheduled tasks by time and engine hours, defect logging, service records. |
| 10. Drug & alcohol policy | Mandatory under Marine Order 504 (June 2025). |
| 11. Fatigue management | Mandatory under Marine Order 504 (June 2025). |
| 12. Crew induction | Sign-on procedure, familiarisation, drills, records. |
| 13. Records & review | Incident, near-miss, drill, training and maintenance records. Annual review. |
| 14. Appendices | Forms, checklists, equipment lists, certificate copies. |
AMSA publishes blank Word templates that you can download, fill in, and export as PDF. It works on paper but every change — new crew member, replaced extinguisher, updated procedure — means hunting through 40+ pages and editing manually. Most operators abandon this approach within 6 months.
A marine safety consultant will write your SMS Manual for you. The output is good, the price reflects 15–25 hours of professional time. Ongoing maintenance still falls back on you unless you pay an annual retainer.
SMS Builder generates a complete SMS Manual PDF automatically from your vessel details. Enter the boat once, photograph your equipment, and the Manual writes itself — including drug and alcohol policy, fatigue management, stability risk assessment, assembly station and all the post-June-2025 additions. Re-export the PDF any time the boat, crew or equipment changes.
Generate your SMS Manual PDF free →The controlling written document for how a commercial vessel is operated safely. Required under AMSA Marine Order 504 in Australia and Maritime Rule Part 19 (MOSS) in New Zealand.
Generate a complete SMS Manual PDF for your own vessel at sms-builder.com. AMSA also publishes blank Word templates that can be saved as PDF after editing.
AMSA does not specify a file format. PDF is the standard because it preserves layout and is easy to print, sign and email. A digital SMS that produces an on-demand PDF is equally compliant.
At least annually and whenever the vessel, crew, equipment or operation changes materially.