Questions Frequently Asked Regarding: Certification and Training

Answer:
Canada does not issue certificates or certificates of equivalence to holders of certification from other administrations. However, if you are a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada and apply at a local office of Marine Safety, an examiner at that site, can determine where you fit in Canada's system. In general, seafarers holding recognized certificates that are valid for use at sea, will see their qualifications and experience recognized toward the applicable Canadian certificate. Safety related training together with propulsion plant simulator training is required before the applicant is allowed to write the applicable general engineering papers and oral. Seafarers should consult TP 2293 for additional information. All candidates for certification under Canada's Marine Personnel Regulations are advised to contact a local office of Transport Canada, Marine Safety.

Answer:
In Canada only Canadian or Permanent resident of Canada can work on Canadian vessels and only with a valid Canadian certificate of competency.

If you have intention to immigrate to Canada, you can submit an application to the nearest Canadian Embassy or consulate in your country. Please visit the Department of Citizenship and Immigration Canada web page for more information.

When you become a Permanent resident of Canada, you may request Transport Canada Marine Safety for procedure to obtain a Canadian Certificate of competency.

In the mean time, please refer to your own administration for inquiries regarding the acceptance of your own certificate of competency on board of other nations' flag vessels.

Answer:
Regulations require Canadian ships to be manned by holders of Canadian Certificates of Competency, which in turn can only be issued to Canadian Citizens/ Permanent Residents (PR) in Canada.
There is no automatic recognition of a foreign Certificate of Competency (CoC) in Canada. One has to apply and become a Permanent Resident (PR) in Canada under the Immigration Actfirst and then on arrival in Canada take the Immigration papers along with original records of sea service, etc. and foreign Marine qualifications to nearest Transport Canada Marine Safety office who scrutinize the papers for acceptability and advise the new immigrant about:

1. Courses to do in Canada (Marine Emergency Duties, Simulated Electronic Navigation, Propulsion Plant Simulator, Marine First Aid, Medical, etc.), most of which again may or may not be recognized if done outside Canada.
2. Examinations to pass.

Once your case is cleared for a Direct Examination, we will issue you with a letter specifying at which level you are accepted, courses to complete and examinations to pass.

On successful completion of training courses and examinations, an equivalent Canadian Certificate of Competency (CoC) is issued. This Certificate is a pre-requisite for working on any type of Canadian ships, and as explained above, pre-requisites for getting the certificate are the successful completion of above courses and the passing of examinations mentioned in Table III of Chapter 2, TP 2293.

You may read details of this in paragraph 2.3 through 2.7 (Direct Examination and Table III) in Chapter 2 of our publication TP 2293 accessible on the Internet as mentioned below:

Addresses of our TC offices - Examination Centres are listed at section 1.8 of Chapter 1 of the same document - TP 2293: ( PDF file, 4048 KB).

List of approved Canadian Nautical Colleges, for registering into examination related Safety Courses is in our publication TP 10655.

Answer:
All foreign students are informed that before registering into a Marine Program at a Canadian University/ College that they can complete the training program, at the end of which they will be issued with a Course Completion program Certificate from the institute, which they have to take back to their own country for issue of a Certificate of Competency by their own Government. A Canadian CoC will not be issued by Transport Canada. By law, a Canadian Certificate of Competency (CoC) can only be issued to a Canadian Citizen/Permanent Resident in Canada.

It is important that you verify with your own government if they recognized Canadian cadet training programs or any other Canadian training courses before you register yourself in a Canadian Maritime Institute.

For obtaining a job on board a Canadian registered vessel, holding a Canadian CoC is a must, for which being a Canadian Citizen/Permanent Resident in Canada is a pre-requisite. You have to start with applying to the Canadian Citizenship and Immigration Ministry for obtaining a landed immigrant/Permanent Resident status first - not the other way.

We can in no way support your application for Immigration to Canada or Canadian Citizenship on the basis of your having done a course or passed an examination at a Marine teaching institute in Canada.

Answer:
A CDN number is a Candidate document number allotted to a candidate by Transport Canada Marine Safety (TCMS). All your training and qualification records are maintained in our TCMS computer database (ACES) under your CDN number.

Refer to Ship Safety Bulletin 05/2010 :
http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/marinesafety/bulletins-2010-05-eng.htm

Applicants must fill out TCMS form #82-0701, "Application for a Candidate Document Number (CDN)", to receive a CDN or make any corrections to an existing CDN. An applicant can complete and print the application form available on TCMS Website at the following link: http://wwwapps.tc.gc.ca/Corp-Serv-Gen/5/Forms-Formulaires/English.aspx .

The completed application, together with two (2) documents as proof of identity, must be submitted in person to the closest TCMS office.
The applicant's picture must be on one of the documents.
Use documents that:

1. are issued by a federal, provincial or municipal authority;
2. are valid; and
3. include the bearer's name, date of birth, and signature.

TCMS will accept:

1. Passport;
2. Seafarer's Identity Document;
3. Canadian Maritime Document;
4. Permanent Resident Card;
5. Certificate of Indian Status;
6. Firearms Licence;
7. Old Age Security card;
8. Federal, provincial or municipal employee identification card;
9. Driver's Licence;
10. Provincial health care card;
11. Birth Certificate;
12. Work, Student, Visitor and Temporary Resident permits issued by the Department of Citizenship and Immigration Canada.

Persons living in remote locations or who cannot visit a TCMS office may apply by mail to the closest district TCMS office. They must include:

1. the completed "Application for a Candidate Document Number (CDN)" form #82-0701; and
2. a certified copy of both required documents (certified by a Commissioner for Oaths at the candidate's expense). Remember, the candidate's picture must be part of one of the documents.

Note: Persons that are not qualified persons, as defined in the CSA 2001, must submit a valid passport, issued by their country of residence, as one of the two documents to confirm his/her identity and citizenship.

Answer:

1. You are required to hold a valid marine medical certificate.

2. Marine Emergency Duty (MED) training courses:

   It falls under 2 categories:

   1. Marine Emergency Duty training is required for working on domestic ships. The course required depends on the size, type and voyage of vessel. It could be either:
      1. MED with respect to basic safety (A1);
      2. MED with respect to small passenger vessel safety (A2);
      3. MED with respect to small non-pleasure vessel basic safety (A3); or
      4. Hold a Pleasure craft operator card.
         
         Refer to section 205 (3) of the Marine Personnel Regulations.
          
   2. Marine Emergency Duty training is required for working on internationally trading vessels and the course is the STCW Basic Safety.
      
      Details of the different Marine Emergency Duty training courses can be found at the following link: ( PDF file, 1068 KB).
      
      Current list of our Approvals for all courses, including Basic Safety training, may be seen in our publication TP 10655.
      
      Details of the different Marine Emergency Duty training courses can be found at the following link: file, 1068 KB).

Answer:
There are two routes available to individuals interested in a career at sea. The first involves contacting vessel operators, crewing agents and job employment sites as well as the unions that represent seafarers and sign on as an unlicensed engine room crew member. This route normally involves some initial safety related/pre sea training before being given the opportunity to sign on as either an oiler or similar position on a vessel. The second route is to enroll in an approved officer cadet training program, most of which are three years in length and provide the most direct route toward certification as a marine engineer. TP 10655 provides the Approved Training Course by Transport Canada.

Answer:
MED TRAINING COURSES
(Ref: Marine Personnel Regulations, section 205 (3), Table: http://laws.justice.gc.ca/eng/regulations/SOR-2007-115/).

A MED training course is required for crewing purposes. The MED course required depends on the vessel type, size and voyage classification. Any of the vessels described in Q6 above that requires a person holding a PCOC to operate the vessel, requires every member of the complement who is required to be on board for the vessel to meet the safe manning requirements, before acquiring a total of 6 months of sea service to hold a PCOC.

Any of the vessels described in Q6 above that requires the operator to hold a SVOP to operate the vessel, requires every member of the complement who is required to be on board for the vessel to meet the safe manning requirements, before acquiring a total of 6 months of sea service to hold at a minimum the MED A3 training course.

Answer:
Please refer to Ship Safety Bulletin #3/2009 for information:

FIRST AID TRAINING COURSES

One person on board the vessel must be designated to provide first aid. This person is required to hold a valid First Aid training certificate.

For vessels operating in sheltered waters or engaged on a near coastal voyage, class 2: the designated person on board the vessel that is to provide first aid must hold at least a Marine Basic First Aid Training certificate or a 2-day First Aid course approved by a province or territories.

Answer:
To transfer your qualifications from Canadian Navy to work on Canadian Vessels, please refer to the following sections of Transport Canada publication listed below;

The Examination and Certification of Seafarers (TP 2293)

Our website link is http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/marinesafety/tp-tp2293-menu-2254.htm

Please note - Section 2.5- Assessment process and section 2.8- Engineering Certificates with special reference to paragraph 3 which relates to service in Canadian Armed Forces Table VI- refers to types of Certificates and credits for candidates from Canadian Armed Forces.

Please contact or visit any one of the TCMS office near you, and present yourself with all your documentation, for assessment of your qualifications and your eligibility for Direct examinations.

Once your case is cleared for a Direct Examination, we will issue you with a letter specifying at which level you are accepted, courses to complete and examinations to pass.
On successful completion of training courses and examinations, an equivalent Canadian Certificate of Competency ( CoC ) is issued. This Certificate is a pre-requisite for working on any type of Canadian ships, and as explained above, pre-requisites for getting the certificate are the successful completion of above courses and the passing of examinations mentioned in Table III of Chapter 2, TP 2293 .

Answer:
To qualify for a Canadian Certificate of Competency (CoC), you must be either a CANADIAN CITIZEN or a PERMANENT RESIDENT in CANADA -- are you?
You need to make an appointment and take your sea time record of working as a Cook or Cook's helper to any Transport Canada Marine Safety Examination Centers to find out if you meet the criteria for Ship's Cook under Canadian Regulations:

Pre-requisites for this certificate are stated in Section 173 of Marine Personnel Regulations, which may be accessed over Internet at: http://laws.justice.gc.ca/eng/regulations/SOR-2007-115//

Syllabus for such exam may be seen in Chapter 48 of publication TP 2293 , file, 4048 KB).

Addresses of our TC offices - Examination Centres are listed at section 1.8 of Chapter 1 of the above document - TP 2293.

There are 2 parts to a Cook's exam, Theory and Practical. You can be exempted from the practical part of the exam on the basis of your having done a Cook's course from an institute recognized by the Province.

You still need to do the Theory part of the written exam at a TCMS office, of your choice, out of the list at section 1.8 of Chapter 1 of TP 2293.

Answer:
Canadian holders of certificate of competency or endorsement, living outside of Canada or working overseas may apply for the renewal of an STCW certificate of competency or endorsement through a Canadian embassy or consulate.

1. Applicants must personally present original documents proving Canadian citizenship or permanent residency, within the meaning of subsection 2(1) of the Immigration Act.
2. Applicants must present original documents proving of 12 months sea service as master or officer in charge of the watch acquired in the last five years while holding a valid certificate of competency. Please complete the "Application to be examined" form (#82-0600) and a "Statement of Qualifying Service" form (#82-0532), available at http://wwwapps.tc.gc.ca/Corp-Serv-Gen/5/Forms-Formulaires/English.aspx . Please have on hand your discharge book containing proof of sea service to present the consular officer. Photocopies are required for Transport Canada.
3. You must provide us with 2 passport size pictures, a signature on a separate piece of paper and a certified cheque for the amount of $45.00 Canadian dollars (payable to the Receiver General of Canada), which include the cost of delivery.
4. Consular officer are requested to sign the back of the pictures and the separated signature document, attesting to their authenticity.
5. A valid marine medical certificate (Transport Canada approved form) or the equivalent form of a Mariner's medical certificate obtained from an administration recognized by the IMO as being STCW compliant (countries in white listing) will be acceptable in lieu of the a medical certificate or a provisional medical certificate referred in section 111 of the Marine Personnel Regulations (MPR); arrangements must be made to have the result forwarded to the Director, Marine Personnel Standards and Pilotage (AMSP).
6. Applicants are to retain all originals in their possession, rendering them to the consular officer only for the purpose of sighting, photocopying, certifying as official copies, and forwarding the application package to:

   Director, Marine Personnel Standards and Pilotage (AMSP),
   Transport Canada - Marine Safety Directorate,
   Tower C, Place de Ville, 8th Floor
   330 Sparks Street, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0N8, Canada.

7. If the applicant is found qualified, the Director, Marine Personnel Standards and Pilotage (AMSP), will forward the certificate of competency or endorsement to the Canadian embassy or consulate designated by the applicant in his application request.
8. When you receive your new certificate of competency, please return your expired certificate to the address above indicating that you are returning it following the reception of the new one.

Answer:
All candidates for certification under Canada's Marine Personnel Regulations are advised to contact a local office of Transport Canada, Marine safety. An examiner in the local office will be able to outline the requirements of the regulations and what is required for the certificate you wish to obtain. Seafarers should consult TP 2293 for additional information.

Answer:
You can apply for a DUPLICATE certificate of competency, by explaining how you damaged, lost or destroyed the original, at any of our offices, by filling in the form "Application For A Replacement Copy Of A Certificate, Endorsement, Discharge Book Or Seafarer Identity Document" (#82-0313), a fresh form "EXN-3 (Application To Be Examined For A Certificate Or Endorsement)" (#82-0600), and paying the requisite fees for it, if required. (You may not be asked to pay the fees if your original CoC was lost in a fire on board, loss of a ship in an accident on a ship you were serving on, or through a similar case where it can be accepted as an Act of God).

Answer:
Radio certificates in Canada are administered and handled by Industry Canada, not by Transport Canada. We may record the issue/expiry dates of Radio Certificates in our computer (ACES) system.

For general requirements, appropriate training required for your operation, renewal of GOC-GMDSS Licences and Training information please contact Industry Canada directly with particulars of your current/expired GOC-GMDSS, at the following contact information, which is current in 2011, but may change in time later on:

Radio Operator Service Centre
Industry Canada
2 Queen Street East, Sault Ste-Marie, ON, P6A 1Y3
Email: Telephone: 1-877-604-7493 or 705-941-2001
Facsimile: 1-877-604-7491 or 705-941-4607
Email: spectrum.certificates@ic.gc.ca
Website: Spectrum Management and Telecommunications
Government of Canada

Question 12: I have lost my Training Certificate for the Marine Emergency Duties (MED) or Simulated Electronic Navigation (SEN) or any other training courses that I took years ago. How do I get a replacement for it from Transport Canada?

Answer:
Duplicate Training Certificates are issued by the institute where you took the training and who issued you the ORIGINAL training certificate. You need to apply to them for a Duplicate Training Certificate for the training that you successfully completed with them, quoting rough dates, location of such training.

Transport Canada enters such training into their computer records (ACES) against your CDN number if the College forwarded the information to one of our local/regional offices, or you produced the Training Certificate at our local office, to apply for examinations leading towards issue of a certificate of competency (CoC) for which the MED/SEN training was a pre-requisite. Once entered, you only need to remember and quote your CDN number for any future reference to your training.

Please supply us your full name, date of birth and your CDN number whenever you make any inquiry from Transport Canada Marine Safety about your records. It may become impossible to trace your records from our computers without this information.

Answer:
Ref: Marine Personnel Regulations, Section 212, Table 1, item 19 and Table 2, item 7: http://laws.justice.gc.ca/eng/regulations/SOR-2007-115/.

1. Pleasure Craft Operator Card (PCOC):
   1. If a vessel is a vessel of less than 8 meters in overall length (except tugs) carrying six or fewer passengers or is a non- passenger carrying vessel, engaged on a sheltered waters voyage; or
   2. If a vessel is not more than 8 m in overall length that is not a passenger carrying vessel and it is engaged on a near coastal voyage, class 2 and operates in waters not more than two nautical miles from shore (except tugs); or
   3. If a vessel is a fishing vessel of up to 15 gross tonnage or not more than 12 m in overall length engaged on a sheltered waters voyage, or a Near coastal voyage class 2 at not more than two nautical miles from shore.

   The operator is required to hold a "Pleasure craft operator card" as from the following dates:

   1. If your vessel is a vessel of up to 10 gross tonnage that is not a fishing vessel or is a passenger-carrying vessel it comes into force beginning on November 7, 2010. (Ref: MPR, section 212 (2))
   2. If your vessel is a passenger-carrying vessel of up to 5 gross tonnage or not more than 8 m in overall length that is not a fishing vessel it comes into force on November 7, 2009. (Ref: MPR, section 212 (3))
   3. For fishing vessels, please refer to section 212 (1) of the Marine Personnel Regulations as the entry into force varies as per the length of the fishing vessels.
2. Small Vessel Operator Proficiency (SVOP):
   (Ref: MPR, Section 212, Table 1, item 18 and Table 2, item 6: http://laws.justice.gc.ca/eng/regulations/SOR-2007-115/).
   1. If a vessel is of up to 5 gross tonnage (except tugs) engaged on a sheltered waters voyage or a near coastal voyage, class 2; or
   2. If a vessel is a fishing vessel of up to 15 gross tonnage or not more than 12 m in overall length engaged on a sheltered waters voyage or a near coastal voyage, class 2;

   The operator is required to hold a Small Vessel Operator Proficiency training certificate as from the following dates:

   1. If your vessel is a vessel of up to 10 gross tonnage that is not a fishing vessel or passenger-carrying vessel it came into force on November 7, 2010. (Ref: MPR, section 212 (2))
   2. If your vessel is a passenger-carrying vessel of up to 5 gross tonnage or not more than 8 m in overall length that is not a fishing vessel it came into force on November 7, 2009. (Ref: MPR, section 212 (3))
   3. For fishing vessels, please refer to section 212 (1) of the Marine Personnel Regulations has the entry into force varies as per the length of the fishing vessels.

Answer:
The qualifications/training and technical knowledge required to become a CAPTAIN vary considerably (from Captain of a little boat in a harbour to Captain of a deep sea Passenger ship).

You start with gathering experience (Sea Time) as a Deck-hand on the vessel, which needs to be documented and this record has to be produced and accepted by Transport Canada, Marine Safety Office who advise you on pre-requisites of Training required (Marine Emergency Duties, Radar Training, etc.) and examinations to pass to qualify for a Certificate of Competency.

Full spectrum of Certificates of competency issued by Transport Canada may be seen in our Marine Personnel Regulations. This document can be accessed over Internet at:
http://laws.justice.gc.ca/eng/regulations/SOR-2007-115/.

Addresses of our TC offices - Examination Centres are listed at section 1.8 of Chapter 1 of TP 2293: ( PDF file, 4048 KB).

You may call an office near you to ask which Captain's Certificate/Licence would be applicable to you, indicating particulars of the proposed boat and the area it will operate in.

Answer:
Master Small Craft and Master Small Passenger Craft certificates, which had a validity of only one year have since 1997 been discontinued and do not exist anymore.

Master Limited Certificate (validity 5 years) was introduced on coming into force of Marine Certification Regulations in 1997. This certificate replaced (1 year validity) Master Small Craft and Master Small Passenger Craft certificates. A Master Limited certificate is both vessel and area specific certificate. Please contact our nearest Transport Canada Marine Safety office on how to obtain this certificate.

Addresses of our TC offices - Examination Centres are listed at section 1.8 of Chapter 1 of the following document: ( PDF file, 4048 KB).

Chapter 12 in the above document deals with syllabus for exam for obtaining a Master Limited certificate. Out of detailed syllabus, you are examined in what is relevant to the vessel and area where the vessel will run, and on safety and Navigation equipment the vessel carries.

List of approved Canadian Nautical Colleges, for registering into examination related Safety Courses is in our publication TP 10655.

Answer:
Manning requirements of a vessel depend upon particulars of the vessel (Length/Tonnage of the vessel, what navigating, communications and safety appliances are carried on board) and the voyage the vessel is engaged on. Also, whether the operation involves carriage of cargo only or Passengers also?

Best guidance for all this is obtained by contacting the local office of Transport Canada Marine Safety (TCMS), giving them all above relevant information about the vessel, its operation and area where the operations are intended to be carried out.

Addresses of our TC offices - Examination Centres are listed at section 1.8 of Chapter 1 of TP 2293: ( PDF file, 4048 KB).

Answer:
Running of a Charter Boat is considered a commercial operation carrying Passengers, for which vessel has to be registered and equipped (Life-Saving/Firefighting and Radio Requirements) under applicable regulations and manned as per the Marine Personnel Regulations.

Manning requirements of a vessel depend upon particulars of the vessel (Length/Tonnage) of the vessel. What navigating, communications and safety appliances are carried on board) and the voyage the vessel is engaged on.

Best guidance for all this is obtained by contacting the local office of Transport Canada Marine Safety (TCMS), giving them all above relevant information about the vessel, its operation and area where the operations are intended to be carried out.

Addresses of our TC offices - Examination Centres are listed at section 1.8 of Chapter 1 of our following publication TP 2293: ( PDF file, 4048 KB).

Answer:
COURSE APPROVAL PROCESS
Briefly, the procedures are as follow:

1. Initial guidance should be sought from relevant Transport Canada document covering the particular course, with respect to syllabus, minimum acceptable duration, equipment required for delivery of the course, and qualifications of the course instructor.

   You need to submit:

   1. Course plan;
   2. Course outline;
   3. Students and instructors manuals;
   4. Power point presentation and handouts if any;
   5. Resume and teaching qualifications of instructor;
   6. Address of your institute;
   7. Details of proposed course, where to be delivered, arrangements for providing requisite equipment, reference material, etc.
2. On receipt of above, if Transport Canada is satisfied that you meet the initial criteria, they accord you provisional approval to carry out the proposed course, which is to be audited by TC staff, either sent from Head Quarters in Ottawa or arranged through nearest TC office who send us a report whether or not delivery of the course was adequate and covered all essential elements of the syllabus details in relevant Transport Canada (TP) publication.

   If everything is satisfactory, you are issued with an approval letter on the basis of which you are authorized to deliver the course and issue Training Certificates (on behalf of Transport Canada) in proper formatted/numbered forms purchased from Transport Canada. Your name then on is included in next edition of our TP 10655.