AU
USA
UK
ES
FR
BR
TH
INMarine Towage Award Pay Calculator
Work out what a week on the tugs actually pays — the right rank and vessel category, extended-hours and Sunday rates, casual loading and super, calculated the way the award says.
How the Marine Towage Award is applied
- Minimum rates are set per rank and vessel category — the calculator uses the clause 14.1 adult rates, current from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026.
- Casuals get a 25% loading; the Sunday and overtime multipliers below already have it built in.
- This is a 35-hour ordinary week, not the 38 hours common to most awards — the shorter week is offset by extra annual leave (28 days) rather than shorter days, so don’t apply a 38-hour divisor by habit.
- Overtime runs Monday–Saturday: 150% for the first 2 hours, then 200% (casuals: 187.5% then 250%). Sunday work is overtime all day at a flat 200% (250% casual) — there is no ordinary Sunday rate on this award.
- Superannuation (12%) applies to ordinary-time earnings, including the public holiday ordinary-hours rate — but not to overtime.
- Many crews work under clause 14.2 special voyage rates (all-inclusive daily amounts that replace both the daily rate and overtime) or a clause 15 annualised wage with an aggregate roster and time off in lieu. If your crew is on either arrangement, this per-bucket calculator is a simplification — check the actual voyage rate table or annualised wage agreement, which this tool does not model.
Who the award covers
- Harbour towage — tug work assisting ships at, to or from, an Australian port
- Tug and barge operations moving contract cargoes (up to 10,000 tonnes) between ports
- Ratings and General Purpose Ratings, Mates, Masters and Engineers on tugs
- Both vessel categories — Category 1 (0–1850 tonnage/power units) and Category 2 (1850+)
- Labour hire employees placed into marine towage classifications
Dredging and offshore oil and gas crews, Ports Harbours and Enclosed Water Vessels employees, and maintenance contractors covered by manufacturing or electrical contracting awards sit outside this award — check coverage before you classify.
Which level is your team member?
The Marine Towage Award classifies people by role and rank, not a skills ladder — clause 14.1 pays Ratings and General Purpose Ratings, Mates, and Masters and Engineers directly, with the rate also depending on the tug’s vessel category. There is no separate characteristics schedule to work through: match the crew member’s rank and the tug’s tonnage/power rating to the table.
| Level | Per hour | Per week (38h) | Typical roles | The test |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rating / GPR — Category 1 | $31.32 | $1096.20 | Rating · General Purpose Rating | A non-officer tug crew member (clause 2: "officer means a master, a mate or engineer of a tug") on a Category 1 tug (0–1850 tonnage/power units). This is the award’s base classification and standard rate. |
| Mate — Category 1 | $35.59 | $1245.60 | Mate (Tug Mate) | An officer of a tug ranking below the master, on a Category 1 tug (0–1850 tonnage/power units). |
| Master and Engineer — Category 1 | $42.71 | $1495.00 | Master (in command) · Engineer (machinery) | The master in command of the tug, or the engineer responsible for its machinery — both officers, both paid the same Category 1 rate. |
| Mate — Category 2 | $37.17 | $1301.10 | Mate (Tug Mate) | An officer ranking below the master, on a Category 2 tug (1850 or more tonnage/power units). |
| Master and Engineer — Category 2 | $45.03 | $1576.00 | Master (in command) · Engineer (machinery) | The master or engineer of a Category 2 tug (1850 or more tonnage/power units) — the top of the award’s pay scale. |
- Vessel category changes every rate on the table: Category 1 is 0–1850 tonnage/power units, Category 2 is 1850 or more. Confirm the tug’s rating before you classify anyone on it.
- Rating and General Purpose Rating is the base classification — its weekly rate ($1,096.20) is the award’s "standard rate" used to calculate several allowances.
- "Officer" is a defined term (clause 2): a master, a mate or an engineer of a tug. Masters and Engineers share one rate per category; Mates are paid separately, and lower, than Master/Engineer.
- This calculator covers the five clause 14.1 shore/day-work classifications. It does not model the clause 14.2 special voyage rates (all-inclusive daily rates for harbour towage voyages) or aggregate wage arrangements — see the note on rosters below.
Allowances that can apply on top
Base rates and penalties aren’t the whole pay picture. The Marine Towage Award adds allowances for particular duties and situations — being the designated first aid officer, working overtime without notice, using your own car. They’re small lines individually, but they’re legal entitlements and they add up. The common ones (1 July 2026 amounts):
The calculator below doesn’t include allowances — add the ones that apply to your team on top of the result. The full list lives in the award’s allowances clause.
Break entitlements under the Marine Towage Award
Breaks are part of the award too — and missed or worked-through breaks usually carry a penalty rate, so they belong in the roster, not just the tea room. Here’s what the Marine Towage Award requires:
From the award’s breaks clause (clause 13). Verify the current award text before relying on it.
Calculate a week under the Marine Towage Award
Enter the week as it’s actually rostered. Weekend, evening and public-holiday hours are paid at the award’s penalty rates; anything beyond 35 hours is priced as overtime; super is applied to ordinary-time earnings only.
Rates current as of 1 July 2026 (adult minimums, MA000050) — first full pay period on or after that date.
This week’s numbers
Nothing is stored or sent — the maths runs on this page.
Are these the exact legal rates?
The classification minimums are the adult clause 14.1 rates, current at 1 July 2026. Junior and training rates aren’t modelled here, and crews on clause 14.2 special voyage rates or a clause 15 annualised wage are paid under a different structure entirely. Treat the result as a planning number and confirm against the award or your payroll adviser.
Why is the ordinary week 35 hours instead of 38?
The Marine Towage Award sets ordinary hours at 35 a week (clause 12.1(a)), one of the shorter ordinary weeks in the award system. It’s balanced by extra annual leave — 28 additional days a year — rather than shorter shifts, so don’t assume the usual 38-hour threshold applies here.
My crew works a roster with time off in lieu — does this calculator still work?
Only as a rough guide. Many marine towage crews are engaged on clause 14.2 all-inclusive daily voyage rates, or a clause 15 annualised wage covering ordinary hours, overtime and public holidays together with a roster and banked time off. Neither fits a simple per-bucket weekly model — check the actual voyage rate table or the written annualised wage agreement for that cohort.
Does super apply to the public holiday rate?
Yes — public holiday ordinary hours are still ordinary-time earnings, so the 12% super guarantee applies. Overtime, including Saturday, Sunday and the extended-hours (200%) rate for shifts over 16 hours, is excluded. The calculator applies exactly that split.
This is a general calculator, not legal advice. It applies the award’s published adult minimums to the hours you enter — it can’t see your enterprise agreement, allowances or individual arrangements, and junior, apprentice and shiftwork rates differ. Always confirm pay against the award, your agreement or your adviser. If you believe something here is materially wrong or out of date, please contact us — we’ll review it promptly.
Get started
Tommy applies the right award rates to every shift as you roster — penalties, loading and super included. Start with your email and your numbers come along.
