Introduction

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These Guidelines comply as far as practicable with the general principles and standard reporting format procedures described in Resolution A.851(20) of the 20th Session of the Assembly of the International Maritime Organization ( IMO ), adopted 27 November 1997, as amended by Resolution MEPC .138(53).

The intent of these Guidelines is to enable the proper authorities to be informed without delay so that appropriate action may be taken when:

1. any incident occurs involving the loss, or likely loss, overboard of packaged dangerous goods in the sea; or
2. any incident occurs giving rise to pollution, or threat of pollution to the marine environment, as well as of assistance and salvage measures; or
3. any oil pollution incident occurs involving the loading or unloading of oil to or from a vessel at an oil handling facility.

The Pollutant Discharge Reporting Regulations, 1995 stipulate that a vessel’s master or owner must make reports required under the Regulations in the manner described in these Guidelines or IMO Resolution A.851(20). The Regulations also stipulate that the operator of an oil handling facility must make reports in a manner described in these Guidelines. These Guidelines should then be used in conjunction with the Pollutant Discharge Reporting Regulations, 1995 when harmful substances and/or marine pollutants are involved. Where any discrepancy exists between the regulations and the Guidelines, the requirements of the regulations shall prevail.

1. Abbreviations

2. Definitions

2.1 In these Guidelines,

“dangerous goods” means goods that by reason of their nature, quantity or mode of stowage are either singly or collectively liable to endanger the lives of the passengers or imperil the vessel and includes all substances determined by the Governor in Council, in regulations made by him, including the Cargo, Fumigation and Tackle Regulations, to be dangerous goods; (marchandises dangereuses)

“harmful substance in packaged form” means any substance which is identified as a marine pollutant in the International Maritimes Dangerous Goods Code ( IMDG Code); (substance nuisible en colis)

“in bulk” means in a hold or tank that is part of the structure of the vessel, without any intermediate form of containment; (en vrac)

“incident” includes the discharge of a pollutant, a dangerous good or a harmful substance in packaged form or their anticipated discharge; (incident)

“marine safety inspector” means a person appointed as a marine safety inspector under section 11 of the Canada Shipping Act, 2001; (inspecteur de la sécurité maritime)

“marine communications and traffic services officer” means a person designated as a marine communications and traffic services officer by the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans under subsection 126(2) of the Canada Shipping Act, 2001; (fonctionnaire chargé des services de communications et de trafic maritimes)

“packaged form” means the forms of containment specified for harmful substances or dangerous goods in the International Maritimes Dangerous Goods Code ( IMDG Code); (en colis)

“pollution prevention officer” means a person designated as a pollution prevention officer pursuant to section 14 of the Arctic Waters Pollution Prevention Act; (fonctionnaire chargé de la prévention de la pollution)

“waters under Canadian jurisdiction” means the internal waters of Canada as described in section 6 of the Oceans Act, the territorial sea of Canada as described in section 4 of the Oceans Act and the exclusive economic zone of Canada as described in section 13 of the Oceans Act, , and includes the shipping safety control zones prescribed pursuant to section 11 of the Arctic Waters Pollution Prevention Act. (eaux de compétence canadienne)

3. How to Make a Report

3.1 The report should be transmitted in the following manner:

1. when an incident occurs involving a vessel in waters under Canadian jurisdiction, the report shall be made with the highest possible priority and using the quickest means available to a marine safety inspector, or for incidents occurring in a shipping safety control zone, to a pollution prevention officer;
2. when the vessel referred to in paragraph 3.1.1 is in a radio telecommunications area that is covered by Canadian Coast Guard Marine Communications and Traffic Services, the report should, where expedient, be routed through that system to a marine communications and traffic services officer;
3. when an incident occurs involving a Canadian vessel outside waters under Canadian jurisdiction, the report should be made to the nearest coastal State through an appropriate coast station, preceded by the safety signal (if the incident affects the safety of navigation), or by the urgency signal (if the incident affects the safety of the vessel or persons);
4. on appropriate frequencies (in the bands 405-525 kHz , 1605-2850 kHz or 156-174 MHz );
5. when the vessel is not within reach of a MF or VHF coast station, to the most appropriate HF coast station or on the relevant maritime satellite communication system;
6. when the vessel is within or near an area for which a vessel reporting system has been established, to the designated shore establishment responsible for operation of that system;
7. the format and procedures should, when practicable, comply with the relevant requirements of Section A2 in the Appendix, Standard Reporting Format and Procedures; and
8. in addition to any report referred to in paragraph 3.1.1, when an oil pollution incident occurs involving a vessel at a designated oil handling facility, the operator of the oil handling facility shall:
   1. report with the highest possible priority and using the quickest means available, to the federal emergency telephone number identified in the facility’s oil pollution emergency plan;
   2. report in writing any incident involving oil to the Transport Canada Marine Safety office nearest to the facility; and
   3. report, when practicable, in compliance with the relevant requirements of Section A2 of the Appendix, Standard Reporting Format and Procedures.

4. Content of Report

4.1 Reports should contain the specific information listed in Section A3 of the Appendix, Detailed Reporting Requirements.

5. Supplementary Report

5.1 Particulars not immediately available should be inserted in a supplementary message or messages.

5.2 When harmful substances and/or marine pollutants are involved, a supplementary message should follow immediately or as soon as possible after the initial report. Information that is essential for the protection of the marine environment, as appropriate to the incident, should be included. That information should include Items P, Q, R, S and X, as listed in Section A2 of the Appendix.

6. Probability of Discharge

6.1 The probability of a discharge resulting from damage to the vessel or its equipment is a reason for making a report. In judging whether there is such a probability and whether a report should be made, the following factors, among others, should be taken into account:

1. the nature of the damage, failure or breakdown of the vessel, machinery or equipment; and
2. sea and wind state and also traffic density in the area at the time and place of the incident.

6.2 It is recognized that it would be impracticable to lay down precise definitions of all types of incidents involving probable discharge which would warrant an obligation to report. Nevertheless as a general guideline, the master of the vessel should make reports in cases of:

1. damage, failure or breakdown which affects the safety of vessels. Examples of such incidents are collision, grounding, fire, explosion, structural failure, flooding, cargo shifting; and
2. failure or breakdown of machinery or equipment which results in the impairment of the safety of navigation. Examples of such incidents are failure or breakdown of steering gear, propulsion plant, electrical generating system, essential shipborne navigational aids.

7. Report on Assistance or Salvage

7.1 The master of any vessel engaged in or requested to engage in an operation to render assistance or undertake salvage should report, as far as practicable, Items A, B, C (or D), E, F, L, M, N, P, Q, R, S, T, U, X of the Standard Reporting Format (Appendix). The Master should ensure that the coastal State is kept informed of developments.

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