Safety Management Regulations (SMS) Will Now Affect Most Canadian Domestic Vessel Owners!

The previous Safety Management System Regulations, published in 1998, applied to approximately 96 vessels in the Canadian fleet. The new Regulations will apply to approximately 16,000 Canadian vessels, including all commercial passenger vessels, aiming to ensure a larger portion of Canada’s fleet adheres to a higher safety standard. 

The new regulations replace the existing Safety Management Regulations, broadening the application of safety management systems to the Canadian domestic fleet. This would also address the Transportation Safety Board’s recommendations to require all commercial vessels to have a Safety Management System.

The new regulations divide the Canadian fleet into five classes, each with varying levels of safety management systems and oversight requirements. The class in which a vessel is placed is determined by its size, type, and operation. The Canadian fleet is divided into five classes:

Class 1: The previous Regulations applied to all International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea vessels, and the companies that operate them. There are no changes for class 1.

Class 2 vessel means a Canadian vessel, other than a Class 1 vessel, that

• (a) is 500 gross tonnage or more; or
• (b) is certified to carry 50 passengers or more as indicated on the vessel’s safety certificate issued under the Vessel Safety Certificates Regulations and is 24 m in length or more. 

Class 3 vessel means a Canadian vessel, other than a Class 1 or 2 vessel, that is 24 m in length or more. 

Class 4 vessel means a Canadian vessel, other than a Class 1, 2 or 3 vessel, that

• (a) is more than 15 gross tonnage: or
• (b) is 15 gross tonnage or less and is a passenger-carrying vessel or a towboat. 

Class 5 vessel means a Canadian vessel, other than a Class 1, 2, 3 or 4 vessel, of 15 gross tonnage or less.