Important: Renewal of Board of Steamship Inspection Decisions Expiring July 1st, 2012

Compliance, Enforcement and Appeals

The Marine Technical Review Board (MTRB) was created to replace the Board of Steamship Inspection (BSI) when the Canada Shipping Act, 2001 (CSA 2001) came into force on July 1, 2007. The CSA 2001 gave the MTRB the power to make Board Decisions (BDs) for an exemption from a regulatory requirement or the replacement of a requirement when it is in the public interest and would not jeopardize marine safety or the marine environment.

Section 270 of the CSA 2001 says that BDs made by the BSI will cease to have effect five years after the Act came into force. Consequently, as previously discussed in regional and national fora, as of July 1, 2012, all BDs granted before July 1, 2007 have expired.

Transport Canada Marine Safety has undertaken to determine which BSI decisions must be revisited under the MTRB for the affected vessels to determine whether a new decision from the MTRB is required. An update on this review was provided in Ship Safety Bulletin 07/2015 which can be viewed at
http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/marinesafety/bulletins-2015-07-eng.htm.

As noted in Ship Safety Bulletin 07/2015, as of January 15, 2017, vessels operating in accordance with conditions set out BSI decisions may be subject to enforcement measures. Authorized Representatives of such vessels are strongly encouraged to submit applications for renewal of BSI decisions as soon as possible and no later than September 1, 2016.

If you have not yet received a MTRB decision replacing your BSI decision(s) and feel that you require a MTRB decision, please contact your local Transport Canada Centre Office.

Please feel free to contact the MTRB Secretariat  (mtrb-betmm@tc.gc.ca) ) if you have any further questions regarding this matter.