Category: Martin’s Blog Entries

Original blog entry

October 30, 2018

Transport Canada seeking your input on new MPR

Marine Personnel Regulations – those regulations that dictate everything for professional seafarers in Canada – are coming – many years late (for STCW2010), but they are coming. As a seafarer in Canada I have been “blindsided” by lack of consultation in the past when drawing up these regs that directly affect us. Now, it looks like TC wants y/our input....

Industry News/Martin's Blog Entries/Press Release Comments: 0

October 25, 2018

Fond memories of Doxford

In an email from South Africa, John Scofield sent this in, after visiting the Doxford Opposed Piston section of the website. “ I was third mate of the KosmosV, a whale factory ship, in the early 70s by which time she had been renamed Suiderkruis, and just as l left, L’interpeche. Built in 1948, at Tyneside, it was an absolute...

Martin's Blog Entries Comments: 0

October 21, 2018

Raging Seas well worth a read

I had every intention that for latest blog post that I was going to write about my “favorite subject”, Transport Canada and its general shortcomings of its licensing and regulating duties. After all, there is a long list of items to talk about that have been itching to get out, but lately my time has been shanghaied’ by a book...

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August 18, 2018

West coast tugs and the Prime Minister’s babysitter

The federal government of Canada recently revealed a plaque commemorating the humble tug and its important role in BC’s development. Tugs and towing was a fundamental part of BC development, since all matters of products moving in and out of tight inlets and tricky narrows, deep fjords were generally move by tug and barge. BC’s tug industry spawned an important...

Martin's Blog Entries Comments: 8

June 26, 2018

It’s a good news bad news thing

For nearly 20 years now, Canada, and many jurisdictions, have steadily migrated to a Safety Management System, where cash strapped government essentially downloaded responsibility of enforcing safety regulations onto industry itself. Companies love it because, well, safety glasses, cliché slogans, and dubious reporting present fewer impediments to their cash flows, than knowledgeable safety inspectors working on behalf of the common...

Martin's Blog Entries Comment: 1

June 23, 2018

Random drug testing for seafarers in Canada

Browsing the Canada Merchant Service Guild (the Guild) website the other day, I ran across a very interesting paper, it was an arbitration decision, ruling in favour of the Guild and against west-coast tug and barge operator, Seaspan, over it’s random drug testing policies. I completely despise these “CYA”, big brothers, top down attitudes, which these drug policy initiatives seem...

Martin's Blog Entries Comment: 1

May 26, 2018

Seat Belts Please : TCMS is on the move

Big changes to the Marine Engineering certification process in Canada are underway to bring it inline with the Manila Amendments of the SCTW code. STCW2010 as it is called, came into force January 2012, however Transport Canada and its Transport Canada Marine Safety (TCMS) division, the federal regulator responsible for certifying seafarers in Canada, has yet to produce supporting regulations....

Martin's Blog Entries Comment: 1

May 14, 2018

MT18 breaks records!

It is with great pride that we extend a great big thank you to all our participant, for a very successful Mari-Tech 2018 Technical Conference and Marine Exhibition, this past April in Victoria, BC. By all metrics, the conference was a great success, and we thank our sponsors, in particular, our MT18 Platinum Level Sponsor, Babcock, which was an...

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Martin Leduc on Escape from the Engine RoomFebruary 28, 2024
actually... after my watch rounds, i don't. I, and many active seafarers sailing at sea, thank you for the pity.…
Another foogle user on Escape from the Engine RoomFebruary 26, 2024
It's a fictitious film not real life what does it matter if it's heavily modified or international sea regulations blah…
Another foogle user on Escape from the Engine RoomFebruary 26, 2024
What's next the Black Pearl from Pirates of the Caribbean wouldn't float or it wasn't made from the correct timber
Another foogle user on Escape from the Engine RoomFebruary 26, 2024
Have you nothing better to do with your life than start pulling a fictional film apart you're quite sad I…
Falling through the cracks on Canada – Marine Personnel Regulation Proposed ChangesJanuary 28, 2024
I took the first Electro-technical Officer RO course in Canada in 2019. Between the training Institute and Transport Canada, we…