Dear Members,
Transport Canada (TC) has issued the attached notice to industry concerning operational radar requirements for vessels navigating mandatory pilotage areas on the St. Lawrence River. The notice consolidates previous TC communications issued on this subject and confirms the continued application of existing requirements under the Navigation Safety Regulations, 2020 and the SOLAS Convention.
Key points of the notice include:
- Vessels required to carry two radars (3,000 GT and above) must maintain two operational radars during transit in the Québec–Montréal sector. Transit with only one operational radar in this sector is not permitted.
- In the Les Escoumins–Saguenay–Québec sector, vessels experiencing a radar failure may proceed only if repairs or installation of a compliant rental radar are completed before passing Les Escoumins, or if a qualified technician boards for repairs underway, subject to visibility exceeding 2 nautical miles.
- Temporary X-band rental radars may be accepted in place of defective S-band units, provided they meet applicable regulatory and IMO performance standards; are properly interfaced with the vessel’s gyrocompass, GPS, and AIS; and are appropriate for the vessel’s gross tonnage (see table on page 2 of the notice).
- Following installation of a rental radar, the technician’s report must be submitted to TC and the Canadian Coast Guard Alerting and Warning Network (AWN) for approval.
Members are encouraged to review the full TC notice and ensure vessel operators, masters, and technical personnel are aware of these requirements prior to St. Lawrence transit.
Best regards,
Nathan Phillips
Operations Analyst