Transport Canada Marine Releases Two Ships Safety Bulletins:
1- Concentrated Inspection Campaign
2- Fishing Vessel Safety Procedures and Crew Familiarization
APPLIES to ALL Canadian Fishing Vessels
Transport Canada Marine Inspectors will focus on safely operating a Fishing Vessel. Vessel Owners/Captains are responsible for the following items and are required for all fishing vessels. Both Ships Safety Bulletins can be downloaded on the provided links at the end of this post.
For fishing vessels (no longer than 24.4 m and no more than 150 gross tonnage), you, the vessel’s authorized representative (AR) / captain are legally responsible for creating and maintaining written safety procedures specific to the vessel. The crew must be instructed, learn and practice the skills needed to complete these procedures and emergency procedures through recommended monthly drills.
The Written Safety Procedures must include the following:
The location of all safety equipment, and how to use it
Donning and storing of lifejackets and immersion suits
Operating communications equipment (and requesting a med-evac)
All measures they must take to protect persons on board
Prevent persons from falling overboard
Retrieve persons who have fallen overboard
Protect limbs from rotating equipment
Avoid ropes, docking lines, nets, and other fishing equipment that may pose a safety hazard.
Night operations
Emergency Drills
Measures they must take to prevent fires, explosions and flooding on the vessel.
Measures they must take to ensure safe loading, stowage, and unloading of fish catches, baits, and consumables.
How to operate towing and lifting equipment and measures they must take to prevent overloading the vessel.
If the vessel has a deck or deck structure, all measures they must take to maintain water tightness and weather tightness and prevent interior spaces of the hull from flooding; or, if the vessel has no deck or deck structure, measures they must take to prevent the vessel from swamping.
In the case of beam trawling and purse seining operations, how to quickly release loads that can be activated in an emergency.
Reviewing the vessel's stability booklet to ensure the conditions reflect the arrangements and operation of the vessel.
Please Note: Safe Work Procedures must be specific to a fishing vessel. Some vessels will require more/other safe work procedures based on species, and required gear for that species.
FISH SAFE NS offers the vessel owner/ captain help in creating/ updating required safe work procedures and emergency drills. These safe work practices and emergency drills will meet the requirements of Transport Canada & Provincial Department of Labour.
We will come to your location to work with you and your crew to review the required safety equipment for your fishing vessel. We will ensure your crew is familiar with and perform required emergency drills with related safety equipment. While performing the required emergency drills, FISH SAFE NS will assist the vessel's captain in creating and documenting them.
You can download the Ship Safety Bulletin here:
You can download (to print at home) our Nova Scotia Wheelhouse Safety Logbook here.