SMALL COMMERCIAL VESSEL COMPLIANCE
Items that Transport Canada Marine Safety “TCMS” will be looking for on initial inspection through the Small Vessel Monitoring and Inspection Program “SVMIP”.
• It is up to the owner of the vessel to contact the nearest TCMS office and send it an official request – TCMS document requesting inspection. You can download this request document on TCMS website:
www.tc.gc.ca/marinesafety
• TCMS will be confirming the vessel has a commercial license number. Up until 2002 commercial vessel licenses were the same as pleasure license numbers. Commercial vessels were given until April 1, 2004 to change their pleasure boat license to commercial ones: example:
Pleasure lic. # 30KA9090, Commercial lic. # C12219BC. When applying for the commercial number you will have to state the vessels’ gross tonnage “GT”. If your vessel is under 27’ 10” not including the swim grid, it will be 5 or less gross tons by using the tabular method of tonnage calculations. Over 5 GT things become much more onerous and expensive for passenger & charter boats.
TABLE 2 – 1 TABULAR TONNAGE CHART
Length Overall Gross Tonnage New Tonnage
Less than 8 metres 4.6 2.3
From 8 m to under 8.5 m 5.0 2.53
From 8.5 m to under 9 m 6.0 3.01
From 9 m to under 9.5 m 7.0 3.56
From 9.5 m to under 10 m 8.0 4.17
From 10 m to under 10.5 m 9.5 4.85
From 10.5 m to under 11 m 11.0 5.59
From 11 m to under 11.5 m 12.5 6.41
From 11.5 m to under 12 m 14.5 7.30
Equal to 12 metres 15.0 7.78
If your vessel is a crew boat or water taxi you have the option of having a TCMS approved tonnage surveyor such as Mitchell Fothergill Marine and Associates Ltd., Ph: 250-756-2108 measure your boat’s tonnage under the schedule 3 measurement system.
This can be done on vessels up to 10 meters in length. There is a good chance if your boat is over 27’10” If for some reason your vessel comes over 5 GT, you will have to buy an appropriate life raft, and will need a 60 ton certificate to operate your charter boat, water taxi or crew boat. Patrol boats can be up to 10 gross tons, and work/freight boats up to 15 GT.
• The TCMS inspector will want to know the area and sea state you use your vessel in. Category C is for operation in a sea state of 2 meters or less. D is up to one meter, and B is offshore.
• You will need to provide operator certification for all persons operating the vessel, Med A-3, and have a VHF radio license.
• Your vessel will have to have the proper safety equipment, including:
TC Approve Life Jackets
TC Approved First Aid Kit
Manual bilge pump or bailing bucket
One Dry Chemical and one (CO2 fire extinguisher only for inboard or inboard/outboard boats), must be current. CO2 extinguishers cannot be kept in the cabin
TC requires flares must be current
Life ring and/or heaving line
Waterproof flashlight
Anchor, anchor rope
Navigation lights
Re-boarding device if boat does not have a swim grid
• Your vessels’ cockpit must be self bailing
• There will be a stability test required. The inspector will expect you to provide people or ballast for this test. He will measure the heal angle, freeboard and amount of freeboard at downflooding points.
• The vessels’ cockpit and any area on gunwales or foredeck where passengers will be using must have the proper railings. The railings must be at least 36” overall height from the deck or sole. There cannot be any more than 9” space between the horizontal railings. Board areas must have chains or cable closures. In some cases if you can prove the railings will affect the designed purpose of the vessel you may get an exemption.
• You may be required to have additional non skid put on boarding areas or decks.
• There must be access to the fuel valve outlets on top of the fuel tank or have remote fuel valve shut offs.
• Engine covers, hatches and doors must have good seals. Engine compartment hatches may be required to have hold down mechanisms.
• Door sills need to be a minimum of 4” high.
• All inboard or inboard/outboard boats will require:
Heat sensors with an alarm at helm for engine compartment.
Engine compartment air vents must have closures.
You will need a CO2 extinguisher access port to the engine area from outside, or have a CO2 extinguisher plumbed into the engine compartment.
Bilge pump or pumps must add up to a minimum total of 2,000 g.p.h. capacity and have anti siphon valves.
A high water bilge alarm.
No plastic thru hulls near or under the waterline.
If you have overnight accommodation you will need a smoke and carbon monoxide detector.
Life jacket storage areas to be well marked.
Wiring and fuel systems will be checked.
Any fuel, oil or coolant leaks should be fixed and bilge cleaned up.
Charts for the area the boat will be operating in.
Compass will be checked.
• When the inspection is complete the inspector may require that certain things be done before issuing a compliance certificate.
• The average cost to have your vessel brought up to compliance is between $1,000.00 and $5,000.00. Inboards and inboard/outboards are more expensive than outboard powered boats.
• All Small Commercial Vessels “Non Pleasure Boats”, must comply prior to April 1, 2008.
Just for your information!!!
Cheers ME