Seafarer Recruitment and Placement Service (SRPS) licensing

Requirements and process to apply for and acquire a Seafarer Recruitment and Placement Service (SRPS) licence.

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What is a SRPS licence?

A Seafarer Recruitment and Placement Service (SRPS) licence allows a Canadian company to recruit and place seafarers on Canadian and foreign flagged vessels, operating in Canadian or international waters. It also ensures seafarer recruiters meet the requirements of the Canada Shipping Act, 2001, Marine Personnel Regulations, and our commitments to the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC), 2006.

Who are SRPS licencees?

SRPS licencees are Canadian shipowners or authorized representatives, third party recruiting companies, or companies that provide services within the marine industry with crewing as one of their business lines. A SRPS operated by a trade union certified by the Canada Industrial Relations Board under the Canada Labour Code is exempt licensing.

SRPS licensing applies to all SRPS responsible for recruiting or placing seafarers for work on Canadian vessels, including fishing vessels on a near coastal voyage, Class 1 or an unlimited voyage, or foreign vessels.

Seafarer Recruitment and Placement Service (SRPS) licensed companies

Company City Province or territory
Atlantic Towing Ltd. Saint John New Brunswick
Canadian Ship & Crew Services Inc. Mahone Bay Nova Scotia
Cancrew Enterprises Ltd. St. John’s Newfoundland and Labrador
Compass Group Canada (ESS) Mississauga Ontario
East Coast Catering Ltd. St. John's Newfoundland and Labrador
Exynos Manning Agency Inc. Port Moody British Columbia
Federal Fleet Services Inc. Ottawa Ontario
Horizon Maritime Northern Services Ltd. Dartmouth Nova Scotia
Horizon Maritime Services Ltd. Dartmouth Nova Scotia
LeeWay Marine Bedford Nova Scotia
McKeil Marine Ltd. Burlington Ontario
Northern Crewing Agency Inc. St. John's Newfoundland and Labrador
Ocean Services Ltd. Saint John New Brunswick
Oceanex Inc. St. John’s Newfoundland and Labrador
Puglisevich Crews & Services Ltd. St. John's Newfoundland and Labrador
Reliance Offshore Canada Inc. Dartmouth Nova Scotia
Sea1 Offshore Canada LP Dartmouth Nova Scotia
Seabase Newfoundland Ltd. St. John’s Newfoundland and Labrador
Services Maritimes Savard Inc. Québec Quebec
Stena Drilling Canada Corp. St. John's Newfoundland and Labrador

Download a copy of the list of licensed companies (PDF, 166 KB)

Why a SRPS Licence is needed

The Marine Personnel Regulations require any person operating a seafarer recruitment and placement service in Canada to hold a SRPS licence issued by Transport Canada.

The International Labour Organization adopted the MLC, 2006 in February 2006. The MLC, 2006 requires that seafarers have access to an efficient and well-regulated seafarer recruitment and placement system.

The SRPS licence process

The SRPS licensing process consists of the following steps:

  1. The SRPS licence application and essential documentation are submitted to Transport Canada, who then reviews and audits the submitted information against the licence requirements. Initial submissions should include:
    1. Transport Canada SRPS Application form, TC form # 82-0714E
    2. Business license or certificate of incorporation,
    3. Quality Management Systems, including policies and procedures, as they relate to SRPS,
    4. A signed Declaration of Compliance, confirming the existence of information management practices in accordance with Schedule A of the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA),
    5. Documented policies and procedures that address Schedule A of PIPEDA,
    6. Credentials of SRPS supervisory staff, including applicable certificates, training, and experience. In addition, supervisory staff must demonstrate a knowledge of MLC, 2006,
    7. Insurance or other financial arrangements specific to unpaid remuneration and repatriation costs relevant to seafarer abandonment, regardless of the reason. This is a key risk mitigation element of the SRPS licence.
    8. Seafarer and vessel registers,
    9. Seafarers' complaints processes and monitoring system,
    10. Existing articles of agreement including contracts of employment and seafarer agreements, and
    11. Applicant's internal audit processes relating to SRPS.
  2. Upon completion of Transport Canada's audit, and assuming all of the requirements are met in accordance with the Marine Personnel Regulations, Transport Canada will issue to the applicant a one-year SRPS licence. Should the licence requirements not be met, Transport Canada will respond to the applicant outlining any non-conformities and recommendations to meet those requirements. The one-year SRPS licence allows the applicant to operate as a SRPS.
  3. Prior to the expiration of the one-year SRPS licence, Transport Canada will initiate an Implementation Audit. The Implementation Audit is conducted at the applicant's headquarters or location responsible for recruitment and placement activities. The objectives of the implementation audit include:
    1. Verify conformity between documented and implemented SRPS quality management systems,
    2. Verify ongoing compliance with the national and international standards and requirements towards a Transport Canada SRPS accreditation, and
    3. Ensure that feedback and/or other mechanisms are being used to achieve continuous improvement.
  4. Transport Canada will provide to the applicant an Implementation Audit Report and if applicable, a Corrective Action Plan, that outlines non-conformities.
  5. Once the requirements of the Corrective Action Plan are met, Transport Canada will issue a five-year SRPS licence to the applicant.
  6. Throughout the duration of the five-year SRPS licence, Transport Canada will conduct annual reviews of the licencee's SRPS status.

Guidance documents

Contact us

If you have questions about Seafarer Recruitment and Placement Service (SRPS) licensing or to request a copy of TP 15238 (Certification Guide for Seafarer Recruitment and Placement Service Providers), contact us at: MSS-SRPS-SRPGM-SSM@tc.gc.ca

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