Tag: Transport Canada

November 16, 2017

TC issues brief statement on SSB fiasco

I reached out to Transport Canada Media Relations for a statement on the Ship Safety Bulletin situation. Namely, were the Marine Engineering Certificate of Competency issued under the Ship Safety Bulletin 05/2017, still valid? I also asked about timeline of new guidelines (SSB) being issued, and what resources were made available to address the backlog of applications. I received a...

Categories Martin's Blog Entries/Press Release Comments: 6

November 14, 2017

Not so fast there !

It was a Tuesday morning; I was getting ready to ship out to sea, setting my affair in order when I received a call from the Transport Canada Marine Safety (TCMS) office. It had been almost two week since I had call to schedule a time where I might come in to discuss the likelihood that I could upgrade my...

Categories Martin's Blog Entries Comments: 0

June 18, 2017

Is Transport Canada going Plaid?

When I made up this graphic from a Jaws movie poster, it was to sort of characterize the coming of STCW2010; I knew it was a provocative, but as it turns out, quite accurate. The new requirements for retraining are significant, but hit every seafarer around the world equally. In addition to these new requirements, Transport Canada (TC) looks set...

Categories Industry News/Martin's Blog Entries Comments: 4

February 14, 2017

Official start of the end of Canadian seafaring

Attached is a press release by the European Ship Owners, gloating about the exciting new opportunity that the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) will represent to their businesses. Meaning this is the official start of the end of Canadian Seafaring. Specifically mentioned in CETA, and boasted in the owners’ press release, is dredging activities. I am a Chief Engineer...

Categories Martin's Blog Entries Comment: 1

June 21, 2016

Dealing with Transport Canada: bring patience and cash

Over the course of my 20 year career as a professional mariner in Canada, I routinely deal with Transport Canada, the certification authority in Canada. Some of my peers find these interactions akin to going to the dentist, sure they are useful, but not that pleasant. This post is about one of my recent interaction with Transport Canada Marine Safety...

Categories Martin's Blog Entries Comments: 4

March 15, 2016

CTA Review – my comments to Canada’s Minister of Transport

Dear Minister Garneau, I am writing to you, to express my disappointment in the recent submission of recommendations under the Marine Section of the Canada Transportation Act Review (CTA), submitted to you, in December 2015, by the review panel’s chair, Hon. David Emerson. A little about me; I am a Transport Canada Marine Safety certified Marine Engineer; I completed a...

Categories Martin's Blog Entries Comments: 0

July 7, 2014

TC – Interesting for all the wrong reasons

It caught my eye one evening on watch, while catching up on my maritime news. There it was a Transport Canada (TC) advertisement, a few simple lines, in French and English, in a US based magazine. Well, that was strange to start with, I thought to myself, then I read the ad: “News for owners of vessels over 24 meters,...

Categories Uncategorised Comments: 3

August 30, 2013

Pressure is building: TC’s CoR

TC’s HQ in Ottawa I love what I do, working on ships as a Marine Engineer. It’s hard to classify one-self, but judging from recommendations I have received fairly consistently over the years, I say I’m certainly “average” in my work performance. With liking what I do, and being somewhat successful, it’s little wonder that I wish to progress in...

Categories Uncategorised Comment: 1