What we do?

The Marine Safety Directorate acts within the Quebec Region to enforce Canadian legislation and international rules intended to ensure safety of life at sea and protect the marine environment.

Main duties

The primary duties of ship surveyors, who form the backbone of the Marine Safety organization, are as follows:

• Participate in developing and amending regulations or standards
• Approve plans, specifications or facilities
• Inspect materials, facilities, vessels or places of work
• Monitor operating procedures
• Confirm competencies of navigation crews
• Investigate accidents and situations of non-compliance and take legal action against violators where appropriate

Ships Registrars are responsible for vessel registration.

The Office of Boating Safety (OBS) offers a single source access to all information regarding recreational boating.

The Navigable Waters Protection Program (NWPP)teamis responsible for ensuring the protection of the public right of navigation in navigable waters in Canada.

The Receiver of Wreck acts as a custodian of "wreck" in the absence of the rightful owner.

Enforcement Activities and Services

These primary responsibilities take concrete form as a number of operational activities, such as:

• Vessel registration
• Certification of Canadian ships
• Approval of plans, specifications and technical data
• Certification of mariners
• Monitoring of loading and transshipment of high-risk cargoes
• Pollution prevention and monitoring
• Monitoring of transport of dangerous goods
• Inspection of foreign vessels under Harbour Control
• Enforcement of occupational safety and health measures and inspection of ship's tackle

In addition to carrying out these formal duties, the Directorate monitors the safety of navigable waterways; co-operates with other departments or organizations having an impact on the industry; participates in emergency planning; and responds to numerous requests from the public and the industry.

These activities are carried out in full compliance with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the Access to Information Act, and ethics requirements for federal public servants.

Service Centres

The Directorate has height main service centres and satellites located in the following cities: Quebec City, Montreal, Rimouski, Port Cartier, Sept-Iles, Gaspé, Baie-Comeau, and Cap aux Meules (Magdalen Islands).