Deferral of the Canadian Cruise Ship Season for Vessels Capable of Carrying 500 Persons or More until July 1, 2020 - SSB No.: 05/2020

RDIMS No .: 16366492
Date (Y-M-D) : 2020-03-19

 
We issue Ship Safety Bulletins for the marine community. Visit our Website at www.tc.gc.ca/ssb-bsn to view existing bulletins and to sign up to receive e-mail notices of new ones.

Purpose

The Bulletin is to clarify the requirements under the Regulations Maintaining the Safety of Persons in Ports and the Seaway (The Regulations), which came into force on March 18, 2020.

Background

On Monday, March 9, 2020, Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer issued a formal health advisory asking all Canadians to avoid travelling on cruise ships, as they represent a high-risk environment for viral transmission of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

Health risks on cruise ships are not limited to passengers – they affect all those working on them to. If an outbreak occurred while a large cruise ship was visiting a Canadian port, the significant number of passengers and crew could easily overwhelm local health facilities and possibly risk transmitting the disease directly to workers at ports and workers on the Seaway and from there, to surrounding communities.

To minimize the risk of COVID-19 spreading to port and Seaway workers, and as a consequence, among the Canadian population, these regulations have been implemented to restrict cruise ships that are capable of carrying 500 or more persons, including both passengers and crew members from accessing ports managed by port authorities, public ports, public port facilities, and the St. Lawrence Seaway until July 1, 2020.

The Government of Canada is taking this measure to protect the safety of people in Canadian ports. The health and safety of all Canadians is a priority for the Government of Canada.

Scope

These regulations will apply to cruise ships that are capable of carrying 500 or more persons, including both passengers and crew members.

Such ships will be prohibited from navigating in the waters of jurisdiction of a port authority, public port, or the Seaway, and from berthing, mooring, embarking or disembarking passengers.

This means such ships are prohibited from accessing:

  • ports managed by port authorities,
  • public ports,
  • public port facilities, and
  • the St. Lawrence Seaway.

The Regulations came into force on March 18, and will remain in force until July 1, 2020.

Cruise ships and their masters that violate these prohibitions could be subject to administrative monetary penalties.

Regulations

The Order announcing that the Governor General in Council made the Regulations can be found in the Privy Council Office OiC Database.

The full text of the Regulations will be published in the Canada Gazette, Part 2, on April 1, 2020.

Keywords

1. Coronavirus
2. COVID-19
3. Cruise ship

Questions concerning this Bulletin should be addressed to:

Transport Canada
Marine Safety and Security
Tower C, Place de Ville
330 Sparks Street, 11th Floor
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0N8
 

Contact us at: Email: marinesafety-securitemaritime@tc.gc.ca or Telephone: 1-855-859-3123 (Toll Free).