Exemptions for Ferries
Classification: Unclassified
Branch/Agency: Transport Canada
Proposed Response:
- In collaboration with industry and local government, Transport Canada has created temporary flexibility for ferry operators to allow passengers to remain in their vehicles while on board, while also ensuring continued passenger safety.
- It is up to individual ferry operators on how to implement this notice and maintain passenger health and safety. We continue to encourage ferry operators, personnel and passengers to engage in proactive hygiene habits in order to minimize the risk of contagion.
If pressed:
- Measures to ensure passenger safety may include, for example, limiting of number of vehicles allowed below deck to avoid overcrowding, additional crew to assist in case of evacuation, special provisions for mobility impaired individuals, or prohibiting certain types of vehicles with dangerous goods on board at the same time.
- Passengers on open, upper vehicle decks can still remain in their vehicles if they choose to.
If pressed on difference between cruise ships and ferries:
Ferries are not cruise ships. Cruise ships represent a very high-risk medium for viral transmission of infectious respiratory diseases like COVID-19. Close proximity and frequent interactions among passengers and crew make successful quarantines on board vessels virtually impossible.
Background:
Ferries
Due to safety reasons, and recommendations by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada following a fire incident involving a ferry in Newfoundland and Labrador, passengers have not been allowed to remain in their vehicles on closed vehicle decks. In 2017, BC Ferries implemented new rules limiting passenger access to lower vehicle decks during sailings. This was done at the request of Transport Canada, and aligned BC Ferries with other Canadian ferry operators and international rules. This has garnered significant media attention in the Pacific Region.
The Canada Shipping Act, 2001, and the Cargo Fumigation and Tackle Regulations, Section 152, state that: Every passenger shall keep off a closed vehicle deck on a vessel that is under way unless the passenger:
- has received the express consent of the vessel’s master to enter the deck, if there are no packaged goods on the deck; or
- is accompanied by a crew member, if there are packaged goods on the deck.
These regulatory measures are based on recommendations by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada and are to ensure passenger safety.
In light of the risks and advice by the Public Health Agency of Canada around social distancing resulting from COVID-19, Transport Canada is working with ferry operators on provisions to allow passengers to stay in their vehicles.
Contacts:
Prepared by: Adriana Simedrea, Chief, Parliamentary Affairs, Transport Canada, 613-993-9177
Approved by: Jimmy Brackenridge, Director, Strategic Services, Transport Canada, 613-852-5763
- Date modified: