What is a Vessel Management Plan?

A Vessel Management Plan is a document containing essential information about a heritage vessel which can be used to guide its ongoing care and interpretation, demonstrate sound planning, and record its historical significance.

According to the Australian Maritime Safety Authority Marine Safety (Certificates of Survey) Exemption 2021 (AMSA EX02):

A vessel management plan, for a heritage vessel, means a management plan, certified by an accredited marine surveyor with heritage vessel experience, knowledge and skills, that includes the following matters:

a)      the history of the vessel and its significance;

b)      the standards to which the vessel was built (if any);

c)      the proposed use and operating profile of the vessel;

d)      a detailed evaluation, based on a report by an accredited marine surveyor, of the vessel’s current condition and fitness for purpose for its proposed use and proposed operating profile as set out in the safety management system;

e)      the repair and maintenance schedule for the vessel;

f)       how any non-compliance of the vessel with the National Standard for Commercial Vessels is to be managed;

g)      survey and inspection arrangements that will apply to the vessel.

The Australian National Maritime Museum (ANMM) creates VMPs for its vessels, as many are operational and floating. The ANMM models its VMPs off the above guidelines, however these are not created solely by marine surveyors. Instead, most of the work is undertaken by staff (such as curators and fleet technicians) who consult with marine surveyors and other specialists as required. VMPs at the ANMM are considered ‘living’ documents, to be referred to frequently and updated in line with new requirements.

Below are some examples of Vessel Management Plans developed by the ANMM, including a template checklist for creating your own.

Please note:

• These documents are intended as a guide only, and contain out-of-date information.

• Some information has been removed for privacy reasons.

• Many of these documents are relatively in-depth examples. The size and extent of your own VMP will be determined by the amount of information available about your vessel, the extent of its ongoing requirements, and your plans for its interpretation.

Information on this page prepared with the assistance of David Payne (Honorary Research Associate, Australian National Maritime Museum) and David O’Sullivan (Assistant Curator of Maritime Heritage, Western Australian Museum).