Maritime Offshore Oil and Gas Award

If you engage maritime employees on vessels supporting offshore oil and gas operations in Australia - supply, support, anchor-handling, construction or survey vessels servicing offshore facilities - and those crew are not award-free, the Maritime Offshore Oil and Gas Award 2020 (MA000086) generally applies to that work. The platform and rig workforce and onshore processing fall under other instruments, and other maritime awards cover towage and tourism vessels, so confirm coverage against the Fair Work source before setting pay.

MA000086 classifies employees by the maritime role on the vessel and the certificate of competency it requires, from general crew and integrated ratings up through mates, marine engineers and masters. You place each person at the classification matching their actual role and the ticket they use, then pay at least that minimum, with higher-ticketed positions sitting higher. Read the current rate for the correct classification from the Fair Work Pay Calculator rather than relying on memory.

Where casual engagement applies, casual crew are paid an hourly rate plus a casual loading, commonly 25% across modern awards, in place of paid leave and other permanent entitlements. Much offshore work is permanent and roster-based, but where casuals are used the loading interacts with the roster, penalty and allowance structure. Treat 25% as a guide only and confirm the exact loading, and how it applies to offshore work, for this award on the Fair Work source before running pay.

Offshore vessels operate continuously, so weekend work is routine and is often handled through swing-based roster arrangements rather than a simple daily penalty. As a general guide across awards, Saturday penalties commonly run around 25% and Sunday around 50%, but MA000086 sets its own figures and roster provisions. Confirm how weekend work is treated for the relevant roster and classification on the Fair Work Pay Calculator rather than assuming a standard weekend loading applies.

Public holiday entitlements flow from the National Employment Standards and the award. Offshore operations continue through public holidays, and as a guide public holiday work across awards can attract penalties of up to 150%, though offshore rosters may address this through swing arrangements. The award's own provisions determine what applies to a given roster and employment type. Always verify the current public holiday entitlement for offshore crew on the Fair Work source before processing that pay run.

Overtime generally applies to hours worked beyond an employee's ordinary or rostered hours, and offshore swings have particular arrangements for how hours are counted and compensated across a tour of duty. The award sets overtime rates and how they apply, including higher rates on Sundays and public holidays where relevant. Because offshore hours are structured differently to shore work, identify when ordinary hours end for each roster and confirm the applicable overtime treatment on the Fair Work Pay Calculator.

Offshore maritime work is typically organised around swings or tours of duty, with extended periods on board followed by compensating time off, and pay, penalties and allowances apply across that whole cycle rather than a standard week. This makes correct calculation more involved than ordinary rostering. Map each employee's swing against the award's hours, penalty and allowance provisions, and confirm the current rates and how they apply across the cycle on the Fair Work source.

Where the award provides for part-time engagement, part-time employees work fewer than full-time hours on a reasonably predictable pattern, generally under a written agreement setting out the agreed arrangement, with changes agreed in writing. Part-timers receive pro-rata leave and the same classification minimum rates as full-timers. Offshore rostering makes part-time arrangements less common and more complex. Check the part-time provisions in the award for the full requirements before engaging someone on that basis.

The award can provide allowances reflecting the offshore environment, such as offshore or industry allowances, certificate or licence allowances, leading hand or in-charge allowances, and amounts tied to extended periods working away on a vessel. Because these are particular to offshore work, they are easy to miss if payroll is configured for shore-based roles. Identify which apply to each crew role and confirm the current amounts on the Fair Work Pay Calculator before paying.

Yes. Annual leave loading is an extra payment on top of base pay when a permanent employee takes paid annual leave, set at 17.5% under this award. It applies to full-time and part-time crew, while casuals do not accrue annual leave and instead receive the casual loading. Continuous and offshore shift workers may have alternative treatment where their roster loadings would otherwise exceed the loading. Apply it when processing leave for permanent staff and confirm the calculation against the Fair Work source.

Award minimum rates and many allowances are reviewed each year in the Fair Work Commission's Annual Wage Review and take effect from the first full pay period on or after 1 July. The 2026 review increased modern award minimums by 4.75%. You must apply the new rates from that pay period, not the calendar date, so verify the current figures for each classification, allowance and roster arrangement on the Fair Work Pay Calculator every year.

Offshore maritime work is highly regulated and safety-critical, and the award's classifications reflect the position a person holds on the vessel and the certificate of competency it requires. A crew member acting as master, mate or marine engineer is doing higher-classified work than a general rating and should be paid accordingly. Map each person's actual role and the tickets they hold and use to the right classification, then confirm the current rate on the Fair Work source.

The risks with MA000086 sit in classifying crew by maritime ticket and role, calculating pay correctly across swings and tours of duty, and capturing the offshore-specific allowances and penalties that ordinary shore payroll can miss. The safest approach is to match each role to the right classification, apply the correct entitlements across the roster cycle, and refresh every figure from the Fair Work Pay Calculator each 1 July. Valont runs award-compliant payroll for offshore maritime operators, mapping crew to the correct classifications, allowances and penalties so figures stay current and accurate.