Canada informs about new validity periods for some Canadian Radio Inspection Certificates

Transport Canada has issued a ship safety bulletin about the new validity periods for some Canadian Radio Inspection Certificates.

This bulletin was issued on February 28th, 2023.

This bulletin applies to Canadian vessels that must be inspected and certified under Section 240 of the Navigation Safety Regulations, 2020.  

This bulletin does not apply to:

• “Convention vessels” (Vessels that must comply with the SOLAS Convention), or
• vessels subject to the Agreement Between Canada and the United States of America for Promotion of Safety on the Great Lakes by Means of Radio, 1973

This bulletin is to inform you that the validity period of the Canadian Radio Inspection Certificate is changing from 1 year up to 4 years in some instances.

A new policy which defines the period of validity of these certificates under the Navigation Safety Regulations, 2020 came into force on 1 October 2022.

Under this new policy, a vessel that operates exclusively within Sea Area A1 (as defined in the Radio Aids to Marine Navigation, 2023) can have a Radio Inspection Certificate that is valid for up to 4 years.  

Under the repealed Ship Station Radio (Technical) Regulations, 1999, the validity period for the radio inspection Certificate of such vessel when navigating outside Sheltered Waters, was limited to 1 year.

To limit inspection peaks, the new validity periods will roll out according to the table below.

Any inspection (subsequent or not) conducted on or after August 1, 2023, will be subject to a certificate validity of up to 4 years.

For more information, please see the document below (available only to subscribers):

RELEVANT DOCUMENTS:

New Validity Periods for Some Canadian Radio Inspection Certificates