Seafarer Recruitment and Placement Service (SRPS) Licensing

Requirements and process to apply for, and acquire a seafarer recruitment and placement service (SRPS) licence.

What is an 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. An 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.

List of licensed SRPS (PDF, 116 KB).

Why an SRPS 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 an 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.

Related links

• Certification Guide for Seafarer Recruitment and Placement Service Providers - TP 15238 E   
• Marine Personnel Regulations
• Maritime Labour Convention, 2006
• Seafarer Recruitment and Placement Service (SRPS) Seafarer Agreement guidance document (PDF, 270 KB)
• Seafarer Recruitment and Placement Service (SRPS) Implementation Audit Process Guidance for License Applicants guidance document (PDF, 734 KB)
• Seafarer Recruitment and Placement Service (SRPS) Quality Management Systems Guidance and Template guidance document (PDF, 339 KB)

For more information, please contact Transport Canada, Marine Safety and Security at: MSS-SRPS-SRPGM-SSM@tc.gc.ca