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Life Saving Equipment Regulations (C.R.C., c. 1436)

Regulations are current to 2024-11-11 and last amended on 2023-12-20. Previous Versions

Application

Where Regulations Do Not Apply

 These Regulations do not apply in respect of

  • (a) fishing vessels;

  • (b) pleasure craft;

  • (c) ships that are five tons gross tonnage or under and are certified to carry 12 passengers or fewer;

  • (d) cargo ships that are 15 tons gross tonnage or under;

  • (e) ships capable of engaging in the drilling for, or the production, conservation or processing of, oil or gas; or

  • (f) ships to which the Vessel Construction and Equipment Regulations apply.

Where Regulations Apply

  •  (1) Parts I and III of these Regulations apply in respect of existing ships.

  • (2) Parts II and III of these Regulations apply in respect of new ships.

  • SOR/96-218, s. 1

General

Classes of Ships

 For the purposes of these Regulations, ships are divided into the following classes:

  • (a) Class I consists of ships that are over five tons gross tonnage and are

    • (i) Safety Convention ships that are certified to carry more than 12 passengers on unlimited voyages, or

    • (ii) ships that are not Safety Convention ships and that are certified to carry more than 12 passengers on unlimited voyages or near coastal voyages, Class 1;

  • (b) Class II consists of ships that are over five tons gross tonnage and are

    • (i) Safety Convention ships that are certified to carry more than 12 passengers on short international voyages, or

    • (ii) ships that are not Safety Convention ships and that are certified to carry more than 12 passengers on near coastal voyages, Class 1, limited to 120 nautical miles from shore;

  • (c) Class III consists of ships that are over five tons gross tonnage, are not Safety Convention ships and are certified to carry more than 12 passengers on near coastal voyages, Class 2, or inland voyages;

  • (d) Class IV consists of ships that are over five tons gross tonnage, are not Safety Convention ships and are certified to carry more than 12 passengers on inland voyages, limited to 25 nautical miles from shore, or near coastal voyages, Class 2, limited to five nautical miles from shore;

  • (e) Class V consists of ships that are over five tons gross tonnage, are not Safety Convention ships and are certified to carry more than 12 passengers on sheltered waters voyages;

  • (f) Class VI consists of ships that are not over five tons gross tonnage and that are certified to carry more than 12 passengers;

  • (g) Class VII consists of ships that are over five tons gross tonnage, are certified to carry passengers, are not self-propelled and are towed or pushed by a ship or operated by a cable;

  • (h) Class VIII [reserved];

  • (i) Class IX consists of ships that are over 15 tons gross tonnage and are

    • (i) Safety Convention ships that are not certified to carry passengers, or that are certified to carry 12 or fewer passengers, on unlimited voyages, or

    • (ii) ships that are not Safety Convention ships and that are not certified to carry passengers, or that are certified to carry 12 or fewer passengers, on unlimited voyages or near coastal voyages, Class 1;

  • (j) Class X consists of ships that are over 15 tons gross tonnage, are not Safety Convention ships and are not certified to carry passengers, or are certified to carry 12 or fewer passengers, on near coastal voyages, Class 1, limited to 120 nautical miles from shore, near coastal voyages, Class 2, sheltered waters voyages, inland voyages, inland voyages, limited to 25 nautical miles from shore, or near coastal voyages, Class 2, limited to five nautical miles from shore; and

  • (k) Class XI consists of ships that are over 15 tons gross tonnage, are not certified to carry passengers but carry a crew, are not self-propelled and are towed or pushed by a ship or operated by a cable.

Additional Equipment

 A ship may carry life saving equipment that is in addition to that required by these Regulations, if the additional equipment

  • (a) does not present a safety hazard;

  • (b) is not detrimental to the seaworthiness of the ship; and

  • (c) meets the requirements of these Regulations.

  • SOR/96-218, s. 1

Marine Evacuation Systems

 If a ship is required to carry life rafts under Part I or II, a marine evacuation system may be substituted for the life rafts and any associated launching devices if

  • (a) the accommodation capacity of the life rafts of the marine evacuation system is at least equal to the accommodation capacity of the life rafts for which the marine evacuation system is substituted; and

  • (b) the marine evacuation system meets the requirements of paragraph 6.2 of Chapter VI of the LSA Code and is approved as having met those requirements.

PART IEquipment to Be Carried by Existing Ships

Upgrading Provisions for Existing Ships

  •  (1) Notwithstanding any other provision in this Part, an existing ship may carry, instead of the equipment required to be carried under this Part, the equipment required to be carried by a new ship of its class under Part II, if that equipment meets the requirements set out or referred to in Part III for equipment carried by a new ship.

  • (2) Notwithstanding sections 7 to 31, where a survival craft that was carried on an existing ship on April 27, 1996, and is set out in column I of an item of the table to this subsection is replaced, its replacement shall be the survival craft set out in column II of that item.

    TABLE

    Column IColumn II
    ItemSurvival Craft on Existing ShipReplacement Survival Craft
    1Class 1 lifeboatlifeboat
    2Class 2 lifeboatlifeboat
    2.1approved boatemergency boat
    3suitable boatemergency boat
    4[Repealed, SOR/2001-179, s. 4]
  • SOR/96-218, s. 1
  • SOR/2001-179, s. 4

 [Repealed, SOR/2001-179, s. 5]

Class I Ships(Ships that are over five tons gross tonnage and are (i) Safety Convention ships that are certified to carry more than 12 passengers on unlimited voyages, or (ii) ships that are not Safety Convention ships and that are certified to carry more than 12 passengers on unlimited voyages or near coastal voyages, Class 1)

[
  • SOR/96-218, s. 2
  • SOR/2023-257, s. 434
]

 Every Class I ship making unlimited voyages shall carry

  • (a) on each side thereof, one or more Class 1 lifeboats, each at least 7.3 m in length, each under davits, and of sufficient aggregate capacity to accommodate 50 per cent of the complement; or

  • (b) alternatively, in lieu of the requirements of paragraph (a),

    • (i) on each side thereof, one or more Class 1 lifeboats, each at least 7.3 m in length, each under davits, and of sufficient aggregate capacity to accommodate at least 37 1/2 per cent of the complement,

    • (ii) life rafts capable of being launched by launching devices, of aggregate capacity sufficient to accommodate the portion of the complement not accommodated under subparagraph (i), and

    • (iii) launching devices sufficient in number to launch all the life rafts required under subparagraph (ii), fully loaded, in 30 minutes in calm conditions;

  • (c) on each side of the ship, a davit-launched approved boat that is not over 8.5 m in length and may count towards the requirements of paragraph (a) or (b) if it is a Class 1 lifeboat;

  • (d) on each side, under davits, one Class 1 motor lifeboat at least 7.3 m in length, that may count towards the requirements of paragraph (a) or (b), but a ship whose complement is under 31 may carry a single motor lifeboat;

  • (e) enough life rafts capable of being launched by launching devices for 25 per cent of the complement;

  • (f) where the ship is within the length range set out in column I of an item of the table to this paragraph, the supply of equipment set out in columns II to V of that item:

    TABLE

    Column IColumn IIColumn IIIColumn IVColumn V
    ItemLength of ShipLifebuoysSelf-igniting LightsSelf-activating Smoke SignalsBuoyant Lifelines
    1Under 61.0 m8622
    261.0 m or over but under 121.9 m12622
    3121.9 m or over but under 182.9 m18922
    4182.9 m or over but under 243.8 m241222
    5243.8 m or over301522
  • (g) the following supply of lifejackets, each fitted with a whistle and a personal locator light:

    • (i) one for each member of the complement,

    • (ii) enough conspicuously stowed on deck for 5 per cent of the complement, and

    • (iii) enough that are suitable for children for at least 10 per cent of the complement or one for each child on board, whichever is greater;

  • (h) three survival craft VHF radiotelephone apparatus stowed so that they are readily accessible for immediate use;

  • (i) for each life raft, a SOLAS A pack as set out in the LSA Code;

  • (j) for each approved boat, the equipment set out in section 2 of Schedule II;

  • (k) a line-throwing appliance;

  • (l) 12 rocket parachute flares;

  • (m) two SARTs stowed so that they are readily accessible for immediate use and for placing in the two survival craft that are launched first, if the ship is

    • (i) a Safety Convention ship, or

    • (ii) 20 m or over in length; and

  • (n) [Repealed, SOR/2000-261, s. 2]

  • (o) means of embarkation into survival craft.

  • (p) and (q) [Repealed, SOR/96-218, s. 3]

  • SOR/78-216, s. 1
  • SOR/80-685, s. 4
  • SOR/96-218, s. 3
  • SOR/2000-261, s. 2
  • SOR/2001-179, s. 6
  • SOR/2004-26, s. 1
  • SOR/2023-257, s. 435

 Every Class I ship making unlimited voyages and that is not a Safety Convention ship shall comply with the requirements of section 7.

 

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