Review Maritime New Zealand’s internal practices and procedures for assessing and approving applications for the issuance or renewal of Minimum Crewing Documents for restricted limit passenger ships to ensure that appropriate, consistent and realistic levels of properly qualified personnel are assigned to a vessel to fulfil all the provisions of Maritime Rule Parts 31B.7 and 31B.8. Particular consideration should be given, but not limited, to the following:
- the size and complexity of the vessel
- the environment in which the vessel operates
- the provision of support where a Master is allowed to perform the duties of both the master and engineer.
- the allowance of dual roles should be clearly and unambiguously stated on the Minimum Crewing Document.
As part of the review, assess the feasibility of the Minimum Crewing Document identifying the baseline number of crew dedicated to operating the vessel without passengers onboard. Additional staff to tend the passengers and provide coverage for emergency situations could then be identified to supplement the baseline group.