How to roster maritime and offshore oil & gas staff
Create compliant swing rosters for offshore vessel crews and rig/production staff under the Maritime Offshore Oil and Gas Award (MA000086) and the Hydrocarbons Industry (Upstream) Award (MA000062), including even-time swings, fatigue and hours of rest, and offshore tickets.
Written by
Steve Harris
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This guide provides general information about maritime and offshore oil & gas rostering under Australian awards. Many offshore operations are covered by enterprise agreements with additional provisions. It does not constitute legal, HR, or professional advice and should not be relied on as a substitute for advice specific to your business, workforce, or circumstances.
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Key takeaways
- Offshore work splits across two awards — vessel crew under the Maritime Offshore Oil and Gas Award (MA000086) and rig/production crew under the Hydrocarbons Industry (Upstream) Award (MA000062)
- Crews work swing (even-time) rosters such as 2/2, 3/3, 4/4 and 28/28, mobilising by FIFO, DIDO or BIBO with travel days built into each swing
- Manage fatigue with at least 8 consecutive hours of rest for shiftworkers, 12-hour shifts, and ordinary hours averaged over up to 26 weeks
- Verify AMSA tickets and offshore survival certifications before mobilising — the award is the floor, so check the rates guides for pay figures
Maritime and offshore rostering in Australia
Rostering maritime and offshore oil & gas staff in Australia means planning long swings on remote vessels and platforms, managing crew fatigue, and getting award coverage right across two separate awards. Unlike fixed-location businesses, offshore workforce management revolves around even-time swing rosters, 12-hour shifts, hours-of-rest minimums, and mobilisation by air, road or boat. Getting the pattern, the tickets and the award right is what keeps crews safe and pay compliant.
The first thing to settle is coverage. Marine crew on vessels, rigs and floating facilities are covered by the Maritime Offshore Oil and Gas Award (MA000086), while drilling, platform and production employees sit under the Hydrocarbons Industry (Upstream) Award (MA000062). These awards set the floor for pay and conditions — see our overview of how offshore oil and gas pay works for context.
Industry reality: Offshore operations face remote-site fatigue risk, weather and logistics disruptions, and strict certification requirements. Poor rostering leads to fatigue-related safety incidents, workers mobilised without valid tickets, and underpayment claims when the wrong award or averaging period is applied.
This guide provides a comprehensive approach to creating compliant offshore rosters that meet award requirements, support crew safety, manage fatigue across long swings, and control operational labour costs. Learn more about maritime and offshore rostering software.
Which award covers offshore staff
Offshore work splits across two awards. Match each crew to the right one, then check the relevant rates guide for current classification figures.
| Workforce / setting | Award | Rates guide |
|---|---|---|
| Offshore vessel crew (marine crew on vessels, rigs, floating facilities) | Maritime Offshore Oil and Gas Award (MA000086) | Maritime offshore award guide |
| Rig, platform & production crews (drilling and production employees) | Hydrocarbons Industry (Upstream) Award (MA000062) | Hydrocarbons (Upstream) guide |
| Onshore upstream exploration & operations | Hydrocarbons Industry (Upstream) Award (MA000062) | Hydrocarbons (Upstream) guide |
Critical: The award is the floor and does not set your final pay figures here — for current classification rates, penalties and allowances, use the Maritime Offshore Oil and Gas Award guide for vessel crew and the Hydrocarbons (Upstream) guide for rig and production crew.
6 steps to compliant offshore rostering
Follow these steps to create compliant and effective swing rosters for maritime and offshore oil & gas crews.
Confirm which award applies
Offshore work splits across two awards. Vessel crew are covered by the Maritime Offshore Oil and Gas Award (MA000086), while rig and production crews sit under the Hydrocarbons Industry (Upstream) Award (MA000062).
Key points:
- MA000086 covers marine crew on vessels, rigs and floating facilities offshore
- MA000062 covers drilling, platform and production employees
- Onshore upstream exploration and operations also fall under MA000062
- Professional engineers and some staff roles may be award-free
Classify staff by role and level
Assign each worker the correct classification so their base pay and penalties are right. The award is the floor — check the relevant rates guide for current figures.
Key points:
- Match each role to the award classification descriptors, not just job title
- Vessel crew are classified under MA000086; rig and production crew under MA000062
- Casual employees receive a casual loading on the base rate
- See the award-rate guides for current classification figures
Choose the swing or cycle roster
Decide the swing pattern and mobilisation method for each crew, and account for travel days on every rotation.
Key points:
- Common even-time cycles include 2/2, 3/3, 4/4 and 28/28 (weeks or days on/off)
- FIFO, DIDO and BIBO describe fly-, drive- and boat-in/out mobilisation
- Even-time rosters give equal time on and off for better fatigue balance
- Build travel and mobilisation days into each swing
Apply penalties, overtime and averaging
Calculate weekend, public holiday and overtime correctly, and remember offshore ordinary hours can be averaged over an extended period.
Key points:
- 12-hour shifts are common offshore and are set in the roster or agreement
- Ordinary hours can be averaged over up to 26 weeks to suit long swings
- Weekend, public holiday and overtime penalties apply on top of the base rate
- Refer to the award-rate guides for the exact penalty percentages
Manage fatigue, hours of rest and tickets
Build rosters that respect minimum rest, manage fatigue across long swings, and keep offshore tickets current.
Key points:
- Provide at least 8 consecutive hours of rest for shiftworkers under the award
- Monitor cumulative hours across the whole swing, not just each day
- Verify AMSA tickets and offshore survival certifications before mobilising
- Confirm offshore medicals and inductions are current before travel
Publish and sync to payroll
Share the roster and send approved hours to payroll with award interpretation applied.
Key points:
- Publish shifts to the mobile app so crews see their swing instantly
- Export approved hours to Xero or MYOB without re-keying
- Apply automatic award interpretation to penalties and allowances
- Refresh classification rates each 1 July
Hours of rest, shift length and averaging
The mechanics that shape an offshore roster: minimum rest, 12-hour shifts, and averaging ordinary hours across a long swing. Penalty figures live in the award-rate guides.
| Rule | Requirement | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum rest between shifts | At least 8 consecutive hours off | Award minimum for shiftworkers |
| Ordinary shift length | Commonly up to 12 hours per shift | Set in the roster or agreement |
| Hours averaging | Ordinary hours averaged over up to 26 weeks | Suits long even-time swings |
| Weekend & public holiday work | Penalty rates apply | See the award-rate guides for exact % |
| Overtime | Paid once ordinary or averaged hours are exceeded | See the award-rate guides for exact % |
Weekend, public holiday and overtime penalties apply on top of the base rate and are set in each award. Use our penalty rate calculator to model swing costs, and check the rates guides for exact percentages.
Common offshore swing roster patterns
Even-time swing and cycle patterns for offshore vessels, rigs and production facilities.
2/2
2 weeks on, 2 weeks off
Even-time vessel & production crews
3/3
3 weeks on, 3 weeks off
Longer offshore campaigns
4/4
4 weeks on, 4 weeks off
Remote and deepwater operations
28/28
28 days on, 28 days off
Common even-time cycle
FIFO / DIDO / BIBO
Fly-, drive- or boat-in/out mobilisation
Travel days built into each swing
Swing fatigue management
Swing rosters must consider fatigue management principles. Long cycles (3/3, 4/4, 28/28) increase cumulative fatigue, and mobilisation by FIFO, DIDO or BIBO adds travel days on top. Monitor cumulative hours across the whole swing, protect minimum rest, and use even-time patterns to balance recovery with production.
Fatigue, hours of rest and tickets for offshore rostering
Offshore work has strict fatigue and certification requirements that must be factored into rostering decisions.
Critical safety and certification factors for offshore rostering:
Common offshore rostering mistakes
Avoid these costly errors that lead to compliance issues, safety risks, and underpayment claims.
Applying the wrong award
Consequence: Underpayment or overpayment when vessel and rig crews are treated under the same award
Solution: Split coverage correctly — vessel crew under the Maritime Offshore Oil and Gas Award and rig/production crew under the Hydrocarbons (Upstream) Award
Missing minimum hours of rest
Consequence: Fatigue-related safety risk and possible award breaches
Solution: Give shiftworkers at least 8 consecutive hours of rest between shifts and monitor cumulative hours across the swing
Rostering without current tickets
Consequence: Workers mobilised without valid certifications, creating safety and compliance exposure
Solution: Verify AMSA tickets, offshore survival certifications and medicals before mobilising to a vessel or platform
Ignoring 26-week hours averaging
Consequence: Overtime miscalculated when long swings are assessed on a weekly basis
Solution: Assess ordinary hours over the averaging period and automate the calculation with award interpretation
Keeping long-term casuals on regular swings
Consequence: Casual conversion disputes and entitlement claims
Solution: Review casual arrangements regularly and consider permanent conversion for workers on regular swing rosters
Not updating rates each July
Consequence: Underpayment claims once the annual wage review takes effect
Solution: Refresh classification rates every 1 July and let rostering software apply the new figures
Advanced offshore rostering strategies
Strategies for complex offshore rostering scenarios and continuous-operation workforce optimization.
Even-time and back-to-back swing rostering
Offshore operations that run around the clock need paired crews covering back-to-back swing lines, with clear handovers and correct treatment of averaged hours across the cycle.
- Crew rotation: Use paired even-time lines (2/2, 4/4, 28/28) so every shift is covered without gaps across the swing
- Averaging: Assess ordinary hours across the 26-week averaging period rather than a single week when checking overtime
- Award split: Apply the correct award to vessel crew versus rig/production crew on the same operation
Learn more: FIFO roster patterns explained
Skills and ticket-based allocation
Match qualified workers to shifts based on AMSA tickets, offshore survival certifications, and classification level. Different roles require specific coverage and supervision on every swing.
Example ticket requirements by activity:
- Vessel & marine crew: AMSA seafarer certificates
- Mobilising offshore: Offshore survival training & medicals
- Drilling & production: Rig-specific competencies
- All crew: Current inductions & site clearances
Tip: Use rostering software with skills tagging to ensure ticketed workers are assigned to appropriate roles and receive roster warnings for missing or expiring certifications.
Fatigue and mobilisation contingency planning
Weather delays, flight and boat disruptions, and sickness are common on offshore swings. Build flexibility into rosters to cover absences without breaching minimum rest or pushing crews into unsafe fatigue.
- Relief pool: Maintain a pool of ticketed relief workers to cover mobilisation delays and unplanned absences
- Rest limits: Protect the minimum 8 consecutive hours of rest and enforce cumulative-hour limits before extending a swing
- Real-time costing: Use accurate time capture to see wage costs across the swing before you commit to extra shifts
Free offshore rostering calculator
Model weekend, public holiday, and overtime costs across a swing so offshore labour budgets stay accurate before you publish.
Overtime & penalty rate calculator
FEATUREDCalculate weekend, public holiday, and overtime penalty costs for accurate offshore swing payroll.
Maritime and offshore rostering software
How specialized rostering software simplifies offshore workforce management, swing planning, and award compliance.
Automatic award interpretation & compliance
Built-in award interpretation applies weekend and public-holiday penalties, overtime and hours averaging across long swings, keeping pay right for both the maritime offshore and hydrocarbons upstream awards.
Swing & even-time rostering
Plan back-to-back and even-time swings (2/2, 4/4, 28/28) from one platform, tag crew by ticket and certification, and see which lines are over or under staffed at a glance.
Accurate time capture & labour costing
Capture accurate hours across shifts and see real-time wage costs including penalties and averaged overtime before you publish the swing roster.
Model penalty costs before you publish
Use the free overtime & penalty rate calculator to estimate weekend, public holiday, and overtime costs across a swing so offshore labour budgets are accurate up front.
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RosterElf helps maritime, offshore and resources operators manage complex swing and even-time rosters with support for award compliance. Join 30,000+ Australian businesses rostering smarter.
Right to disconnect (New from August 2025)
From 26 August 2025, employees of small business employers have the right to disconnect - meaning they can refuse to monitor, read, or respond to contact from their employer outside of working hours unless the refusal is unreasonable. This applies to offshore workers and should be considered when planning contact during a crew's time off between swings.
Regulatory sources & compliance
This guide is aligned with official Australian offshore and maritime workplace regulations and safety standards.
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How RosterElf helps with offshore crew rostering
Purpose-built tools to make offshore crew rostering faster, easier, and compliant for Australian businesses.
Related guides & resources
Learn more about offshore rostering and workforce compliance.
Maritime offshore award rates
Current MA000086 pay rates for offshore vessel crew.
Hydrocarbons (Upstream) rates
Current MA000062 pay rates for rig and production crew.
FIFO roster patterns explained
Swing and even-time patterns for remote operations.
Managing fatigue on swings
Rest, cumulative hours and fatigue on long swings.
Common roles in maritime
Download free job description templates for your maritime team
Simplify your rostering today
Join thousands of Australian businesses using RosterElf to create compliant rosters, apply award interpretation, and manage swing and even-time offshore crews. Built for Australian businesses.
Frequently asked questions
- Offshore oil and gas workers typically work swing (cycle) rosters — a block of days or weeks on the vessel or platform followed by an equal or set block off. Common even-time cycles include 2/2, 3/3, 4/4 and 28/28 (weeks or days on then off). The right pattern depends on how remote the operation is, whether it runs continuously, and fatigue considerations. Read more in our guide to FIFO roster patterns explained.
- An even-time roster gives a worker equal time on and off — for example 2 weeks on then 2 weeks off (2/2), or 28 days on then 28 days off (28/28). Even-time cycles are common offshore because the extended time off helps crews recover from long shifts and the travel involved in getting to a remote vessel or platform. Workers usually mobilise by FIFO, DIDO or BIBO (fly-, drive- or boat-in/out), so travel days should be built into each swing.