New navigation regulations for vessels including fishing

New Transport Canada Navigation Safety Regulations came into force October 28th, 2020.

This Ship Safety Bulletin discusses the changes and provides a link to the full regulations – SSB 23/2020

These changes were discussed at TC’s CMAC conference in November.  Here is a link to the presentation.

 

Summary of new regulations that apply to all vessels including fishing vessels*:

EPIRB (and other device) requirements:

Vessels sailing beyond sheltered waters are required per Section 209 to carry devices, per the following: 

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AIS (Automatic Identification System)

Vessels that are more than 20m in Length must carry an AIS Class A as of April 26, 2021

  • Please note the regulation calls for the AIS to be turned on during a voyage.

Navigation outside sea area A1

  • All vessels sailing outside of sea area A1 must have a means for 2-way radio communication if engaged on a near coastal voyage, Class 1 or an unlimited voyage (i.e. vessels sailing 25 - 200 NM from shore and on unlimited voyages)

    • This means that some fishing vessels (possibly tuna vessels, draggers and black cod trap vessels) may have to utilize satellite phone communications, single sideband MF/HF radio or an Iridium radio device.

*This summary does not replace the regulations whatsoever.  All readers are instructed to consult the Transport Canada regulations and/or authorized Transport Canada personnel for assistance in interpreting Transport Canada’s regulations.

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