Commercial vessels should ensure that they can effectively transmit and receive safety, distress, search-and-rescue, and other communications with shore authorities and other ships.
On this page
- Required vessel radiocommunications
- Required radiocommunications equipment
- Contact us for information on radiocommunications requirements for vessels
Vessel radiocommunications
Vessels should be able to transmit and/or receive:
- distress alerts and messages
- search-and-rescue communications with shore authorities and other vessels
- safety communications, such as navigation safety calls with nearby ships
- maritime safety information, such as navigational notices and weather warnings/broadcasts
Radiocommunications equipment
The following are examples of required radio communications equipment:
- maritime mobile-satellite systems
- digital selective calling radio equipment
- emergency position-indicating beacons (EPIRBs)
- search-and-rescue transponders
- survival craft radios
Contact us for information on radiocommunications requirements for vessels
Mailing Address:
Transport Canada
Marine Safety (AMSEC)
Tower C, Place de Ville
330 Sparks Street, 10th Floor
Ottawa, ON
K1A 0N5
Email: marinesafety-securitemaritime@tc.gc.ca or tc.navradio.tc@tc.gc.ca
Telephone: 1-855-859-3123 (Toll Free)
Teletypewriter / TDD: 1-888-675-6863