New Vessel Construction and Equipment Rules

Summary#

Transport Canada is proposing new Vessel Construction and Equipment Regulations to replace and consolidate the rules that apply to vessels 24 m or longer. The idea is to align Canadian rules with international standards like SOLAS, tighten some safety requirements (for example child and infant lifejackets and lifejacket locator lights), update penalty ranges up to $250,000, and (net) cost the economy $1.18 million in present-value terms between 2023 and 2032.

What it does#

• Creates one consolidated regulation (the Vessel Construction and Equipment Regulations) covering construction and equipment for new vessels 24 m or more in length. That replaces pieces of several existing rules and would repeal four full regulations.
• Incorporates internationally accepted texts by reference, especially chapters of SOLAS (notably chapters II‑1, III, VII, VIII, X, XII and XV) and related codes and standards.
• Adds or updates specific safety requirements, including:
  • requiring passenger vessels to carry infant- and child-sized lifejackets (Canadian modification to SOLAS) — to be in place for affected passenger vessels within 1 year of registration;
  • phasing in personal locator lights on lifejackets for passenger vessels that operate after sunset and before sunrise: 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, then 100% over 5 years;
  • requiring certain existing on‑load release mechanisms to be retrofitted to meet the LSA Code (estimated 41 vessels affected);
  • adding fire-detection and extinguisher requirements for new barges and other vessels without mechanical propulsion.
• Gives industry more flexibility to use new designs and tech without a formal exemption each time by adding “particular design” and “substitute safety equipment” clauses (so fewer cases must go to the Marine Technical Review Board).
• Updates and harmonizes administrative monetary penalties under the Canada Shipping Act, 2001 framework (allowing penalties up to $250,000 per violation) and moves some penalty authorities from labour regulations into the shipping penalty schedule.
• Introduces Canadian-specific guidance documents to be incorporated by reference, notably TP 15415 (Canadian Modifications), and updates or brings in TP 14475, TP 10943, and TP 7301.
• Includes grandfathering rules so most vessels built before the rules come into force can keep their existing compliance, with limits — major alterations, imported vessels or certain safety items (like some lifejackets and release mechanisms) must meet the new rules by set dates.

Who's affected#

• Vessel owners and operators building or operating vessels 24 m or more in length (excludes fishing vessels and pleasure craft).
• Shipbuilders and naval architects who design and construct those vessels.
• Passenger‑carrying operators in particular: about 240 existing passenger vessels were identified as in-scope (combined passenger capacity 71,144), with 147 of them operating after sunset/before sunrise (capacity 46,188) and therefore affected by the light‑on‑lifejacket rule.
• Owners of barges and other vessels without mechanical propulsion (new builds will face fire-safety equipment costs).
• Transport Canada and delegated recognized organizations (classification societies) that inspect and certify vessels.
• Small businesses that own passenger vessels may face extra costs (the analysis estimates average lifejacket/light costs of about $10,400 per vessel), but they would also save some administrative burden when exemptions are no longer required.
• The Marine Technical Review Board workload is expected to fall (the proposal estimates 328 fewer exemption requests over 2023–2032).

Why it matters#

• Makes the rules easier to find and follow by putting construction and equipment requirements for large vessels into a single regulation. That should cut confusion for builders and operators.
• Brings Canada’s rules closer to international practice (so ships built to global standards don’t face different requirements when operating here). That can reduce cost and delays for vessels that operate internationally.
• Targets practical safety gaps identified in incidents and reviews:
  • ensuring infant- and child-sized lifejackets are available where needed, and that lifejackets used after dark can be more easily located with lights;
  • requiring on‑load release mechanisms to meet modern standards to reduce launch accidents;
  • closing a gap by adding fire protections for barges that previously had few fire-safety rules.
• Updates penalties so enforcement is more consistent and can act as a stronger deterrent.
• Speeds up adoption of new technology and designs by reducing the need for repeated exemption requests, which could help innovation and reduce approvals workload.
• The document is a proposal (Canada Gazette, Part I). The rules would come into force when the final regulation is published in Canada Gazette, Part II — the exact date is not specified in this notice.