While safety on the water is paramount to all commercial fishers, Transport Canada is reporting that it continues to find deficiencies when conducting recent inspections of small fishing vessels in the Atlantic region.
“Safety is a shared responsibility and it is important that all segments of the fishing industry continue their contribution to the implementation of the safety culture,” said Sau Sau Liu, Senior Communications Advisor for Transport Canada.
Lui said the most common deficiencies found during inspections of small fishing vessels are related to life saving appliances such as distress flares, lifejackets, immersion suits and life rafts; fire safety equipment like portable extinguishers; certificates and documentation (registration, crew) and navigation and radio equipment including VHF radios and Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRB).
The Navigation Safety Regulations that came into force in 2020 apply to over 23,000 commercial vessels of all sizes including fishing vessels, workboats, water taxis and ferries, said Lui. “They require lifesaving equipment that will send emergency signals and provide the vessel’s location to help improve search and rescue efforts.”
According to the regulations, a vessel must be fitted with a float-free EPIRB if the vessel is engaged on a near coastal voyage, Class 1 or an unlimited voyage; or the vessel is more than 12 metres in length and is engaged on an inland voyage or a near coastal voyage, Class 2.
Also, a vessel that is 12 metres or less in length and engaged on an inland voyage in the waters of the Great Lakes, their connecting and tributary waters or the waters of the St. Lawrence River, or on a near coastal voyage, Class 2, must be equipped with a float-free EPIRB; a manually activated EPIRB; a PLB (personal location beacon); or in the case of a vessel that is less than eight metres in length and that operates exclusively in sea area A1, a waterproof portable VHF handheld radio capable of DSC.
Vessel owners or authorized representatives are required to register their beacons into the Canadian Beacon Registry which is maintained by the Department of National Defence.
The new regulations represent a consolidation of nine sets of marine safety regulations into a single one that:
- provides clearer and more up-to-date language on required navigational safety equipment;
- requires vessel owners to have equipment to help reduce the risk of collisions that could cause pollution, like oil spills and threaten endangered marine life, such as whales;
- and requires lifesaving equipment that will send emergency signals and provide the vessel’s location.
The Marine Navigation Safety Regulations, 2020, also include enhanced requirements to address important safety issues highlighted by serious marine occurrences, including requirements for commercial vessels to have equipment on board to help improve search and rescue efforts as well as for collision avoidance.
Some requirements under the new regulations took effect in 2020. In 2021, the Automatic Identification Systems requirements came into effect in April, the Electronic Chart Display Information Systems requirements in October, with a requirement for Bridge Navigational Watch Alarm Systems coming into play in January 2022.
Transport Canada is currently developing phase two and phase three of the regulations governing fishing vessels.
Phase two will update the current construction requirements for small fishing vessels, while phase three will introduce the requirements of the International Maritime Organization Cape Town Agreement (with appropriate Canadian modifications) for large fishing vessels.
In 2017, phase one of the Fishing Vessel Safety Regulations came into force, said Lui.
“These regulations updated the requirements to carry safety equipment for small fishing vessels, including a requirement in section 3.09 that lifejackets or personal flotation devices (PFD) be worn in environmental conditions or circumstances that could jeopardize the safety of persons on board. The regulations also require that all fishing vessels have adequate stability for their intended operation, any new fishing vessel must undergo a stability assessment as well as any existing vessels that undergo modifications or a change in operation that could negatively affect their stability. The regulations also require that all fishing vessels develop in writing safety procedures and perform periodic practice drills.”
In the fall of 2021, Transport Canada launched the online portal for the Small Vessel Compliance Program — Fishing (SVCP-F), a program that helps owners or operators of fishing vessels less than 15 gross tonnage verify and attest their compliance with the regulations.
“Transport Canada encourages all fishing vessel operators’ participation in the program,” said Lui.
The Small Vessel Compliance Program (SVCP) is voluntary. It helps owners or operators meet requirements such as ensuring that the vessel, its machinery and equipment comply with regulations; developing procedures for safe operation and for emergencies and ensuring that crew and passengers receive safety training. Participants receive a blue or orange decal to display on their vessel, showing that the vessel is enrolled in the program.
Between 2008 and 2018, there were an average of 50 serious injuries and 16 fatalities per year from incidents on commercial vessels in Canadian waters. In many cases, the vessels had no way to signal for help.
The new equipment requirements under the Navigation Safety Regulations, 2020, including EPIRBs, Automatic Identification Systems and Electronic Chart Display Information Systems all send emergency signals and provide the vessel’s location to help improve search and rescue efforts.
