Under the Canada Shipping Act, Transport Canada has the responsibility for the examination and certification of seafarers in Canada. Under the same legislation, specific regulations and related Transport Publications¹, spell out the details which govern the rights and responsibilities of seafarers who hold either deck or marine engineering Certificates of Competence (Certificates) issued by Transport Canada.

Part of the federal responsibility, in addition to enacting and enforcing the rules and regulations, is to provide the opportunity for seafarers to attend education and training institutions and receive the appropriate preparation for such examinations. To carry out this mandate Transport Canada has designated several schools in Canada as being approved for these purposes. The Fisheries and Marine Institute of Memorial University of Newfoundland is a designated institution.

The Marine Institute carries out its agreements with Transport Canada in several ways. These include the sponsoring of cadet programs for deck and engineering students (diplomas of technology), the provision of recognized pre-sea instruction (technical certificates), giving instruction in the many courses that make up the various certificates issued by Transport Canada and, in some instances, acting as the examiner on behalf of Transport Canada.

¹The Regulations are the Marine Personnel Regulations. The guidelines to these regulations are contained in Transport Canada publication TP2293E. These regulations and guidelines are available at the nearest Transport Canada office, on the World Wide Web at http://laws.justice.gc.ca/eng/regulations/SOR-2007-115/ or the library at the Marine Institute.

All Transport Canada courses offered by the Marine Institute lead the candidate to apply for Transport Canada certificates of competency. To attain a Transport Canada certificate of competency the candidate requires practical experience either at sea (Deck Certificates) or shop/shipyard/sea time (Engineering Certificates). For the periods of time required for each certificate of competency the applicant is referred to the Marine Personnel Regulations found at http://laws.justice.gc.ca/eng/regulations/SOR-2007-115/ and the Transport Canada document TP2293E (The Examination and Certification of Seafarers) available at the nearest Transport Canada office, on the Transport Canada web site at http://www.tc.gc.ca/publications/en/tp2293/pdf/hr/tp2293e.pdf or libraries in which government documents are found.

Transport Canada will normally assess practical experience to determine the appropriate level of certificate a candidate for certification is qualified to attempt. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure he or she is familiar with Transport Canada’s eligibility requirements, listed under TP2293E, prior to seeking certification with Transport Canada.

All seafarers must meet certain minimum medical standards before they will receive any certificate of competency issued by Transport Canada. The medical certificate is described in the Marine Personnel Regulations and contains the standards found in TP 11343 (Medical Examination of Seafarers - Physicians Guide).

In addition, the Marine Institute requires medical standards be met before a student can complete any of the STCW Marine Safety Training courses which form part of the Transport Canada Certification requirements.

Both of these medicals require forms that must be filled out by designated physicians. A list of designated physicians and the medical forms required may be obtained from Transport Canada or from the Marine Institute.

The Marine Institute offers a number of courses through its School of Maritime Studies to prepare individuals for Transport Canada Certification examinations as deck officers and marine engineering officers. These courses are offered throughout the year and are available for both in class and on-line delivery. The emphasis of these courses is to train personnel who have the necessary sea-going experience to challenge each level of certification. Offerings are always subject to sufficient demand and schedules are prepared each year for the more common and popular certificate programs. While the Marine Institute may not address certain certificates in its schedule of courses in any given period, if there is sufficient industry interest, then the Marine Institute will offer courses to meet that demand.

Information on courses for which the Marine Institute is authorized to conduct exams on behalf of Transport Canada, as well as courses available by distance, is available from the Registrar’s Office.

The issuance of certificates of competency by Transport Canada is only available to Canadian Citizens and persons with Canadian Landed Immigrant Status. Students should verify their eligibility status with Transport Canada before enrolling in either Transport Canada preparatory or accredited courses.

The Transport Canada Deck Officer Certification Preparation Program is delivered over four, seven week periods scheduled consecutively throughout the academic year. Each period is referred to as a “Block”. SEN and STCW Safety Training programs are offered throughout the year on an “as required basis”.

Courses for the Transport Canada Engineering Officer Certification Preparation Training Programs are scheduled during the year.

Students registering for Transport Canada Certification Preparation Training Programs or any other Industry Response Training may now do so using our On-Line Registration system. Course information and schedules can be found at www.mi.mun.ca/programsandcourses/shortcourseregistration.

All students enrolled in the Transport Canada Certification Preparation Training Programs will be required to pay all fees in full upon registration.

Refunds

Upon formal withdrawal from the Marine Institute a student may be eligible for a refund or credit towards the next scheduled course but they will be subject to a $150.00 cancellation fee.

The following is an excerpt from the Marine Institute Fees Payment Policy and relates to tuition payments for Less than Full Semester Courses.

Student Fees Refund Policy for Campus Delivered Courses:

No refund for programs 3 weeks or less.