National Standard for Commercial Vessels (NSCV) Part C1
From 1 September 2025, the updated edition will be introduced. The standard will become mandatory for new domestic commercial vessels from 1 September 2027.
Several fatalities in recent years have resulted in coronial recommendations about items contained within NSCV Part C1 – wheelhouse visibility, escape, accommodation, and personal safety. Examples include people falling overboard due to seats being used to climb on that reduced the effective guardrail heights, ineffective use of emergency escape lighting, escape doors, and openings not functioning against water pressure.
We have amended NSCV Part C1 to address these issues and improve the overall format to make it easier to understand and apply the standard. The changes also aim to better align the standard with current international and national standards.
Key changes
Personal safety
- Improvements to strength and testing standards for continuous safety rails on pilot vessels.
Escape and evacuation
- Clarifying the requirements for assembly stations,
- Improvements to Emergency escape signage and escape lighting.
Accommodation spaces
- Updates to align with national and international standards for:
- noise levels
- sanitation facilities
- air quality in enclosed areas and
- bunk sizes.
Wheelhouse visibility
- Improving and clarifying content for wheelhouse visibility.
Make public transport vessels safer
- Establishing ‘no climb zones’ around the perimeter of vessels to make it harder for children to fall overboard.
The new NSCV Part C1 will only apply to newly constructed vessels and vessels that undergo modifications to the arrangement, accommodation, and personal safety aspects of the vessel.
Read the updated NSCV C1 Here
