Where candidates go wrong
MED 1 candidates usually know engines well. They come unstuck on the parts of the syllabus they think are someone else's job — legislation, stability, pollution, fire systems — and on questions about the limits of their own certificate. The examiner is assessing whether you can be trusted as the chief engineer of a working vessel, not just whether you can change an impeller.
What AMSA publishes
| Document | What it is |
|---|---|
| AMSA MED 1 NC page (updated 18 March 2026) | Eligibility, sea service, training, oral, limits, renewal |
| AMSA 1111 (v2.0, Jan 2023) | The syllabus: outcomes and standards |
| Form 1079 examination checklist | The examiner's record and a study aid |
| "Prepare for your oral exam" | How examiners assess |
AMSA 1111 contains these tables, extracted from AMSA 730:
| Table | Title |
|---|---|
| 2 | Elements of shipboard safety |
| 3 | Follow sound environmental work practices |
| 11 | Marine engine driving (outcomes 11.1–11.11) |
| 12 | Engineering, vessel construction and machinery (12.1–12.13) |
| 13 | Practical mathematics (13.1–13.2) |
| 13A | Engine driving and regulations (13.3a–13.16a) |
This course groups those outcomes into: engine operation and faults; fuel, lube and cooling; electrical and batteries; outboards, bilge, fire and steering; and safety, emergencies, legislation and records. The outcome numbers are cited in each lesson so you can cross-check against the syllabus.
What your ticket lets you do
| Role | MED 1 limit |
|---|---|
| Chief engineer — inboard | under 1,500 kW |
| Chief engineer — outboard | any power |
| Second engineer | under 3,000 kW |
| Assistant / engine room | under 3,000 kW |
| Validity | 5 years |
| Renewal | 120 days' sea service in the preceding 5 years |
| Steam endorsement (optional) | 100 hours on steam vessels ≤ 750 kW, AMSA steam task book, state/territory boiler licence |
Eligibility, sea service and the grade progression are covered in Marine Engine Driver (Grades 3, 2 and 1); they are not repeated here.
CAUTION — domestic only MED 1 is a National Law certificate under Marine Order 505. It is not an STCW certificate and does not qualify you to serve as an engineer officer on a foreign-flag superyacht. See Australia: AMSA, the National Law and STCW.
How the examiner assesses
AMSA says examiners test how you apply knowledge, not just what you remember: how you would respond to a situation, examples from your sea service, why you made decisions, and the legislation or procedure behind them.
Answer scenarios in a fixed order:
- Make safe — people, vessel, environment.
- Find the cause — what you check and why, in order.
- Fix or restrict — the repair, or the limitation on the vessel.
- Tell the master — including what the vessel can and cannot do.
- Record it — log, maintenance record, SMS.
TIP — use your own vessels Examiners like real examples. "On the 18 m cat I worked in Airlie Beach, we had…" is worth more than a textbook paragraph — provided it is true.
What the examiner wants to hear
That you know the syllabus scope and the exact limits of MED 1. That you answer the question asked, in a safe order, and always finish by telling the master and recording the outcome. And that you are honest about what you do not know, then explain how you would find out safely.