Fatigue management training for seafarers

Outlines the risks of fatigue in the marine industry and how it’s being addressed in Canada. Steps on how to register for fatigue management training.

On this page

• Recognizing the risk
• Defining fatigue
• Fatigue training
• How fatigue is being addressed in Canada
• International guidelines on fatigue
• Canadian marine fatigue research
• Contact us

Recognizing the risk

Fatigue is a contributing factor to safety issues in Canada’s transportation sector and is present throughout all industries, especially where employees are required to work long hours, take on shift work, and adjust to irregular schedules. Canada’s work and rest regulations alone cannot eliminate fatigue – a well-rounded approach is needed. Recognizing the risk of fatigue is key to understanding how to prevent it, and depends on the actions of employees, employers, and regulators. Employees should educate themselves on the risks and symptoms of fatigue and should prioritize opportunities to get good quality sleep. Employers should use practices that support employees and help avoid fatigue risks, such as proper scheduling. Regulators should continue to find practical solutions and preventive measures that can be used by employers and employees to avoid the risks and effects of fatigue.

Fatigue is dangerous in all types of transportation where employees routinely work long and irregular hours for extended periods. Seafarers often experience factors that contribute to fatigue, including:

• poor sleep quality
• poor sleeping conditions (such as noise, lighting, vibration, poor ventilation and motion of the vessel)
• rotating shifts
• work or sleep that doesn’t match the body’s circadian rhythm (internal clock)
• stress and excessive workload

Defining fatigue

This is how we define fatigue in the Canadian marine transportation system:

Fatigue is reduced mental or physical ability from sleep related factors. This includes sleep loss, poor quality sleep, extended wakefulness, physical activity, or any combination which may impair an employee’s ability to safely operate equipment or perform duties.

Fatigue training

Fatigue is a major factor across the transportation industry. The issue of managing fatigue in the marine sector has been on the Transportation Safety Board’s Watchlist since 2018. 

Ship Safety Bulletin (SSB) 15/2025: Mandatory Fatigue Management Training advised seafarers that they must complete the Fatigue Management at Sea e-course prior to enrolling in any new or renewal Marine Emergency Duties (MED) course. (For a list of the MED courses, please see SSB 15/2025)  

Since March 2026, with the issuance of the updated Ship Safety Bulletin No. 01/2026: Mandatory fatigue management training, Transport Canada now permits completion of the Fatigue Management at Sea e-course, subject to the requirements of the applicable Recognized Institution (RI), following the MED course training. 

Seafarers must provide a copy of their Fatigue Management at Sea e-course certificate of completion to the RI prior to being issued their MED course training certificate.

How to register as an individual

The Fatigue Management at Sea e-course is free for all Canadian seafarers who register with a valid Candidate Document Number (CDN). The general public can also purchase the course through the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS).

To get a CDN please follow the instructions found on the ‘Candidate Document Number’ webpage.

To register for the Fatigue Management at Sea e-course go to the CCOHS registration page and follow these steps:

• Step 1: Register with the CCOHS
• Step 2: When you register with a CDN, please enter all 8 characters, including zeros. If you recently received your CDN, please wait 2 weeks for the CCOHS database to update before you register. If you have problems registering 2 weeks after getting your CDN, please send an email to MSSFatigueManagement-GestiondelafatigueSSM@tc.gc.ca.
  • If immediate access to the e-course is required within the two weeks after receiving your CDN, the course may be purchased for $19.95 from CCOHS.
• Step 3: After you register, CCOHS will send a confirmation email with a login and password for the fatigue management training course. Sign-in using the information provided in the email.
• Step 4: Please print a copy of your training certificate after you complete the course to provide as needed for proof of completion. Please note, the Fatigue Management at Sea e-course certificate has no expiry. 

How to register as a group

The Fatigue Management training course may be delivered by Recognized Institutions, Canadian organizations, remote communities, and indigenous groups that wish to offer the e-course in a group setting.  In this arrangement, individual participants would not need to obtain a CDN and would facilitate their access to the course. Transport Canada will cover the cost of registration. 

If you are interested in registering to be able to deliver the Fatigue Management at Sea e-course in a group setting, please send an email to MSSFatigueManagement-GestiondelafatigueSSM@tc.gc.ca with the following information:

• Name of organization/company
• Address of organization/company
• Program Coordinator name and email address
• Course Conductor name(s) and email address(es)

Service standard

TC will decide if a group Fatigue Management at Sea e-course is approved within 10 business days from when we receive a complete application.

How fatigue is being addressed in Canada

Authorized representatives of Canadian vessels must follow minimum regulatory requirements for fatigue management. This includes the hours of work and rest requirements set out in the Marine Personnel Regulations made pursuant to the Canada Shipping Act, 2001.

Table 1: Fatigue-related requirements from the Marine Personnel Regulations

Standard	Domestic voyages (Section 320)	International voyages (Section 321 – aligned with the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006)
Minimum hours of rest in every 24-hour period	6 consecutive hours	10 hours
Minimum hours of rest in every 48-hour period	16 hours (Average 8 hours/day)	n/a
Minimum hours of rest in every 7-day period	n/a	77 hours/7-day (Average 11 hours of rest a day)
Maximum work period in a 24hrs	18 hours	14 hours
Applies to	All Canadian vesselsNote * engaged on a sheltered waters voyage, near coastal voyage, Class 2, or near coastal voyages, Class 1 Canadian vesselsNote * in any waters other than those of a foreign state that has ratified the MLC 2006	Any Canadian vessel on an unlimited voyage Canadian vessels engaged in near coastal voyages, Class 1 while the vessel is in the waters of a foreign state that has ratified the MLC 2006 All foreign vessels operating in Canadian waters

Section 322 of the Marine Personnel Regulations requires a vessel’s Master to consider the danger of crew member fatigue when scheduling hours of work and rest. This is especially important for those whose duties involve navigational safety and the safe and secure operation of the vessel.

In addition to meeting regulatory requirements, authorized representatives should establish a Fatigue Management System to effectively address fatigue related risks within their organizations. This system should:

• proactively identify and manage fatigue risks to keep operating safely
• provide enough employee training and resources to avoid, detect and reduce fatigue impairment
• identify roles and responsibilities in fatigue management
• consider fatigue in all parts of operations
• schedule employees to give the best opportunity for rest
• provide ways for and encourage fatigue reporting without fear of retaliation
• act on fatigue-related hazards and fatigue-related events in a timely manner so they are not repeated
• be aware of and apply the latest fatigue research to constantly improve the Fatigue Management System
• ensure all areas of the organization feel well represented in the Fatigue Management System processes and decision-making

International guidelines on fatigue

We issued Ship Safety Bulletin 10/2019 to tell stakeholders about the updated International Marine Organization Guidelines on Fatigue (MSC.1/Circ.1598). These guidelines put the causes of fatigue into 5 broad categories:

• the seafarer
• on board and shore-based management
• the vessel
• the environment
• operational requirements

The International Marine Organization guidelines identify three main actors (seafarers, companies, and national administrations) and the steps that they can take to reduce the risk of fatigue. We encourage all main actors to access these guidelines and how they can better manage fatigue at sea.

Canadian marine fatigue research

In 2023, Transport Canada contracted researchers from Memorial University to survey stakeholders so we could better understand both the perceived and actual level of fatigue risk in the Canadian maritime industry. They presented their findings and observations in a report titled Fatigue in the Maritime Sector 2023.

To obtain a copy of the report, please send a request to MSSFatigueManagement-GestiondelafatigueSSM@tc.gc.ca

Contact us

Email: MSSFatigueManagement-GestiondelafatigueSSM@tc.gc.ca