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This Bulletin replaces Ship Safety Bulletin 14/99, dated November 8, 1999.
This bulletin provides information with respect to the Marine Personnel Regulations (MPR); in relation to designate a person as well as their competencies to take charge of medical care or provide first aid on board a vessel.
This bulletin applies to persons designated to take charge of medical care or provide first aid on board Canadian vessels.
The International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) 1978, as amended in 1995, section A-VI/4 outlines the minimum requirements before a seafarer can be designated to take charge of medical care or to provide first aid on board vessels. To meet the requirements of the Convention, Transport Canada, Marine Safety (TCMS) has introduced this mandatory requirement, in section 205(8), (9) and section 207(3)(f), (g) of the MPR.
Through this bulletin, TCMS would like to draw the maritime community's attention of the regulatory requirement with the coming into force of the MPR.
The authorized representative of a vessel, other than a fishing vessel, which is engaged on a voyage of a duration of more than three days that is an unlimited voyage or a near coastal voyage, Class 1, shall ensure that a person is designated to take charge of medical care on board the vessel.
The master and the authorized representative shall ensure that a person designated to take charge of medical care on board a vessel shall:
The Master and the authorized representative of a vessel shall ensure that a person designated to provide first aid on board the vessel holds:
The certificate in Marine medical care has no time limit stipulated for its acceptance as documentary evidence of the proficiency of the person designated to provide medical care on board vessels.
The training certificates in marine basic and advanced first aid are to be kept valid for their acceptance as documentary evidence of the proficiency for the person designated to provide first aid on board vessels. These training certificates are valid for a three-year period from the date of issue.
Approved Training courses are listed in publication TP 10655.
Publication TP 13008 - Training Standards for Marine First Aid and Marine Medical Care, outlines the specifications for these courses.
Transitional period related to the application of a Marine Medical training requirements
In order to ensure a smooth transition in the application of section 205 of the Marine Personnel Regulations, TCMS has approved a policy for a transitional period in the enforcement of the requirement of having a person holding a marine medical care training certificate on board certain vessels, until December 31, 2008.
This means that when the person designated to take charge of medical care on board a vessel has successfully completed approved training in Marine Advanced First Aid, it will be acknowledged as meeting the requirement of section 205 (8) (b) of the MPR provided that:
– the approved training in Marine Advanced First Aid has been completed in the past three years; and
– the person designated to take charge of medical care on board has made necessary arrangements to be registered for the mandatory Marine Medical Care training at an approved institution