Getting your vessel of 24 metres and above inspected and certified

All large commercial marine vessels of 24 metres and above must be inspected and certified. In order to operate your Canadian-flagged vessel, you must have a valid Inspection Certificate.

This is done through the Delegated Statutory Inspection Program. Third-party organizations, known as “recognized organizations,” do the inspections under the authority of Transport Canada.

On this page

• Delegated Statutory Inspection Program
• List of recognized organizations
• How to request an exemption from the Delegated Statutory Inspection Program
• Canada-US Memorandum of Cooperation for oversight of mutually recognized organizations
• Contact Marine Safety
• Related links

Delegated Statutory Inspection Program

Under our Delegated Statutory Inspection Program, inspection and certification of large commercial vessels must be done by a recognized organization, as stated in Transport Canada's policy Certification of vessels of 24 metres in length and above.

A recognized organization is a classification society that has an authorization agreement with Transport Canada to inspect and certify vessels.

List of recognized organizations

To request inspection and certification services, contact any of the following recognized organizations:

How to request an exemption from the Delegated Statutory Inspection Program

Transport Canada recognizes that certain vessels may not be able to enroll in the Delegated Statutory Inspection Program ( DSIP ). This may be due to factors such as economic hardship or the refusal by a recognized organization to provide services (for reasons such as your vessel's construction material or age). In such rare cases, owners request an exemption from the DSIP by:

1. Following the Procedure for exemption from the Delegated Statutory Inspection Program
2. Filling out the form Application for exemption from required participation in the delegated statutory inspection program.
3. Sending your form with supporting documentation to DSIP-PDIO@tc.gc.ca

When an exemption is granted, Transport Canada will offer vessel inspection and certification services in relation to the specific vessel.

Canada-US Memorandum of Cooperation for oversight of mutually recognized organizations

The US Coast Guard and Transport Canada signed a new Memorandum of Cooperation that provides a framework for sharing and coordinating information from third party recognized organizations that carry out inspection and certification activities of commercial vessels on behalf of both governments.

Currently, the US Coast Guard and Transport Canada each have agreements with the following classification societies: American Bureau of Shipping, Lloyd’s Register, DNV-GL, Bureau Veritas, RINA Services and Class NK. Sharing the general performance of these recognized organizations increases the scope of each government’s oversight activities. It also relieves the regulatory burden on the recognized organizations by reducing their need to duplicate oversight activities.

This memoradum aligns with the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Code for Recognized Organizations, which took effect on January 1, 2015. We expect the memorandum can also serve as a model for other IMO member states.

Please direct your questions about the memorandum to both:

• Mr. John Hannon, US Coast Guard Office of Commercial Vessel Compliance (John.J.Hannon@uscg.mil)
• Manager of SMS and Authorizations, Transport Canada Marine Safety (dsip-pdio@tc.gc.ca).

Contact Marine Safety

For questions about inspections and certification

• Contact your local Marine Safety office
• Email:: marinesafety-securitemaritime@tc.gc.ca
• Telephone: 1-855-859-3123 (toll free) or 613-991-3135 (Ottawa)

For comments and concerns relating to Domestic Vessel Regulatory Oversight

Address:
Transport Canada
Marine Safety (AMSA)
Tower C, Place de Ville
330 Sparks Street, 11th Floor
Ottawa, ON
K1A 0N5

Email: insp.stand-norm.insp@tc.gc.ca
Telephone: 1-855-859-3123 or 613-991-3135
Teletypewriter / TDD: 1-888-675-6863
Fax: 613-991-4818

Related links

• Fees for vessel inspections and services