If you are registering a vessel in Canada, you may need to have its tonnage measured. This page explains the tonnage measurement requirements, when to use an appointed tonnage measurer, and when owners of certain small vessels can measure tonnage using a simplified method.
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Tonnage regulations
The Vessel Registration and Tonnage Regulations of the Canada Shipping Act, 2001 (CSA 2001) cover:
- vessel ownership
- registration
- tonnage measurement
The regulations set out what is needed for owners of registered vessels, including the requirements for tonnage. Tonnage measurement is mandatory for the purpose of registration.
Appointed tonnage measurers
The tonnage of a vessel must be determined by an appointed tonnage measurer in accordance with:
- Vessel Registration and Tonnage Regulations
- TP 13430 – Standard for the tonnage measurement of vessels
For full tonnage calculations in accordance with Part 3 of TP 13430, please use the services of an appointed tonnage measurer.
Tonnage measurement by owner
Tonnage of some small vessels may be determined by their owners, if they can meet certain requirements, described in TP 13430.
Simplified method
If chosen by the ship owner instead of the full measurement by the appointed tonnage measurer, the Simplified Method, can be used by the vessel owner as described in Part 3 of TP 13430. This method applies for the following vessels:
- Monohull of 15 metres in tonnage measurement length (TML) or less, having not more than a single tier of deckhouses and/or superstructures (including breaks that are also being regarded as one tier of superstructures) whose total combined length does not exceed 70% of TML - use Form 4A Simplified Method of Tonnage Measurement.
- “Monohull vessel” means a vessel having just one hull.
- Simple multihull vessels of 15 metres in tonnage measurement length (TML) or less - use Form 4B Tonnage Measurement of a Simple Multihull Vessel .
- “Simple multihull vessel” means a flat platform installed on two or more pontoons and having no other spaces that could contribute to the volume of the vessel except the pontoons.
Contact us
If you have questions about tonnage measurements, contact us at vr-ib@tc.gc.ca.