TSB Canada Reassess Marine Safety Recommendations

Transportation Safety Board of Canada says safety in marine sector improved slightly, but progress hindered by complexity of regulations

Safety in Canada's marine sector has improved slightly, but complex and lengthy regulatory processes continue to hinder progress. Of the 19 outstanding marine recommendations assessed in 2012, two progressed to "fully satisfactory", two regressed and 13 remained unchanged. The remaining two recommendations were assessed for the first time in 2012.

Fully Satisfactory Recommendations
In 2000, the Board recommended that Transport Canada (TC) require small passenger vessels to provide pre–departure briefings, be equipped with deployable liferaft and accessible lifesaving equipment and have the means to immediately alert others during emergency situations (recommendation no. M01-03). Since then, TC has amended several regulations and shared safety guidance with small passenger vessel owners.
The Board also identified a need for large passenger vessels to carry voyage data recorders (M08-03). TC has amended the Voyage Data Recorder Regulations so that as of January 2012 they will address this requirement, and it has tasked its inspectors to monitor and enforce compliance through regular inspections.

Regressed Recommendations
The Board has identified a number of issues involving fishing vessels. The design and construction of fishing vessels operating in ice (M08–04) pose significant concern. While TC's proposed amendments to the Fishing Vessel Safety Regulations will reduce risks, more than 6,000 registered fishing vessels will be exempt from construction improvements, leaving them exposed to safety deficiencies.

Unchanged / Unable To Assess
The Board was unable to reassess one recommendation (M04–01), which targets the requirement for small passenger vessels operators to have safety management systems, as the information provided by TC was unclear.

See the Marine recommendations for more details.