As of January 2019, ships carrying passengers must maintain liability insurance coverage of $250,000 per passenger. This new requirement will help ensure that all ships carrying passengers have insurance for each person on board to cover claims of personal injury or loss of life, in the event of an accident. It applies if you carry passengers onboard a ship operated for a commercial or public purpose in Canada.
Do you own a pleasure craft or a commercial vessel? Do the new passenger insurance rules apply to you? Find out here.
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- Do the new passenger insurance requirements apply to me?
- Do you own a commercial vessel or a pleasure craft?
- I own a pleasure craft. Do the new rules apply to me?
- I own a commercial vessel. Do the new rules apply to me?
Do the new passenger insurance requirements apply to me?
Do you own a commercial vessel or a pleasure craft?
Is your ship ever engaged in commercial activities that generate income or profit, like shipping or fishing?
If no, you likely own a pleasure craft. You can find out if the new rules apply to you by reading the pleasure craft section below.
If yes, you likely own a commercial vessel. You can find out if the new rules apply to you by reading the commercial vessel section below.
I own a pleasure craft. Do the new rules apply to me?
If you own a pleasure craft and you:
- only carry guests, meaning friends and family, on board your ship; or
- do not charge a fee or profit in any way from carrying passengers
Then you are not subject to the regulations.
But, if you carry passengers other than guests, meaning friends and family, and you charge a fee or profit in any way from carrying your passengers, then you are subject to the regulations.
I own a commercial vessel. Do the new rules apply to me?
If you own a commercial vessel and you don’t:
- transport passengers as part of a public service
- charge a fee or profit in any way from carrying your passengers; or
- carry passengers other than crew
Then you are not subject to the regulations.
If your vessel departs or lands at a location outside of Canada, or is only used for adventure tourism activities, like white water rafting, then you are not subject to the regulations.
If any of the statements above aren’t true for you and your commercial vessel, then you are subject to the regulations.
