Can anyone give a practical summary of current (as of Jan 1st) Transport Canada port state control requirements for US tugs calling in Canadian ports? Especially, what qualifications and documents Transport Canada now expects tug captains, mates, and engineers to be able to produce?
Is there any new demand, i.e., jobs, for US tug officers that can pass muster with Transport Canada?
Big demand for engineers on the west coast. As of Oct. to call in a Canadian port with a US vessel you must have 1 licensed engineer if you are over 1000hp. If you are over 4000hp you need 2 licensed engineers. A lot of us never ran licensed engineers so there has been a race to find them to crew the tugs on multiple companies that go to and from Canada.
[QUOTE=rshrew;127456]Big demand for engineers on the west coast. As of Oct. to call in a Canadian port with a US vessel you must have 1 licensed engineer if you are over 1000hp. If you are over 4000hp you need 2 licensed engineers. A lot of us never ran licensed engineers so there has been a race to find them to crew the tugs on multiple companies that go to and from Canada.[/QUOTE]
I figured that you would know, and was hoping that you would be among the people replying. Thanks.
I was aware of the October implementation of the requirement for a licensed chief engineer, but I did not know about the assistant engineer requirement.
Sometimes there is a difference between what the rules say, and what they actually ask for. Is Transport Canada asking to see certificates from STCW courses? What about the VSO, VPDSD security endorsements? What STCW endorsements do they now actually expect American tug captains and mates to have on their licenses? (For example, I am hearing conflicting reports about GMDSS)
How is going with Immigration Canada? I hear they have tightened up a bit more.
For us we have yet to actually have anyone come down and check credentials and I have yet to hear of that happening to anyone else at this point. Immigration has been about the same they come down in Canada seems like 1 in 10 times from what crews have told me. As for license requirements I have not heard of any anomalies vs. what we need to operate statewide. I know gmdss isn’t required at this point on tugs.
As I read it, GMDSS is only required for vessels over 300 tons. That lets out the vast majority of tugs. Also, GDMSS does not apply to “inland waters,” such as the Inside Passage. If over 300 tons, Tofino would be a different story.
It sounds like they are cutting us some slack, and some of the horror stories going around are mostly BS.
I made 20 or so trips to Vancouver from 2002 to 2006. They checked our crew list every trip for anyone with a past DUI. In 2007, I had to fly up to relieve an engineer for 4 days because of a 20 year old DUI in Florida.
[QUOTE=injunear;127492]I made 20 or so trips to Vancouver from 2002 to 2006. They checked our crew list every trip for anyone with a past DUI. In 2007, I had to fly up to relieve an engineer for 4 days because of a 20 year old DUI in Florida.[/QUOTE]
DUI is a BIG ONE up there. This has never been a problem for me personally but I have lost several shipmates just in the last couple years on trips to Canada because of DUI’s on record. I also learned through these experiences that there are things that can be done about that obstacle, but the Canadian Government provides some pretty ridiculously big hoops to jump through in order to get that stuff straightened out. You’re far better of just making absolutely sure that absolutely no one on your vessel has ever had a DUI if you’re going anywhere near Canadian waters.
[QUOTE=injunear;127492]I made 20 or so trips to Vancouver from 2002 to 2006. They checked our crew list every trip for anyone with a past DUI. In 2007, I had to fly up to relieve an engineer for 4 days because of a 20 year old DUI in Florida.[/QUOTE]
That is a very familiar sounding story. I think they are a lot more vigilant in the larger ports, and perhaps in the Maritimes.
I haven’t had to concern myself with this since leaving my old job in March, but. . .
New- Licensed Engineers when STOPPING in Canada, not needed passing thru
Old- Admissible to Canada. No DUI’s, Domestic Violence, or weapons charges. Not convictions, I mean Charges.
STCW- Canada and the US executed a Memorandum of Understanding stating that if you are qualified in your country, you are qualified in the other.
Routes-Most of Western Canada to Cape Spencer, AK can be done on an Inland license, if it states “Treaty Waters”. This is going away, now that RCC Seattle isn’t issuing licenses. Some people still run lower Canada on an inland license.
Otherwise Near Coastal is needed
Treaty Waters, you ask. there is a Treaty of August something 1934 that was written on licenses for route scope. The treaty had NOTHING to do with licenses, but the boundary it defined was a convenient boundary for licenses. The Treaty is a Load Line treaty.
I hear that inside passage time will now count towards near coastal when the new stcw revision takes effect , as well as the uscg will let some mariners use a % of sea time with barge tonnage included to upgrade your tonnage. However you will still need some time on higher tonnage vessels.
Canada has some insane laws for their citizens passing into the US regardless of whether mariner or not…
Had a co-worker, Canadian national and based in Vancouver who was barred from entry into the US for some 30 year old misdemeanor and payed hell and high water to get that cleared so he could work on the US side of the border.
Nicest guy you could ever meet. The type of guy you want as a next-door neighbor. Renewed his passport and then could not get into the US. Until he paid a lawyer and got his record cleaned up or expunged or what have you.
So it’s not just a bias against US citizens…or mariners. It’s, well, Canada.
PS= RIP, Mary Kay Bergman!!
[QUOTE=rshrew;127512]I hear that inside passage time will now count towards near coastal when the new stcw revision takes effect , as well as the uscg will let some mariners use a % of sea time with barge tonnage included to upgrade your tonnage. However you will still need some time on higher tonnage vessels.[/QUOTE]
Yes, Inside Passage time in BC and SE Alaska certainly should be considered near coastal, it certainly isn’t anything like most “inland waters,” and there is a lot more to it than most places that are considered near coastal. As the old timer said: “The sea is only hard around the edges.”
Not being able to get any credit for combined tug and barge tonnage is a very sore subject for me. I know mariners can use the combined tug and barge tonnage of ATBs on a 2 for 1 basis, but I have not heard anything about being able to use time spent towing a barge. I sure hope you are right about that. I’ll have to print out those new rules in the Federal Register so I can really digest them.