Engineers Canada Urges Immediate Action to Improve Small Fishing Vessel Safety

March 23, 2023, Ottawa, ON - Engineers Canada is calling on the federal government to take immediate action to improve the safety of small fishing vessels in response to the recent Transportation Safety Board's (TSB) report on the sinking of the fishing vessel Chief William Saulis.

"We are deeply concerned by the findings of the TSB report and the implications for the safety of our small fishing vessel industry," said Gerard McDonald, CEO of Engineers Canada. "The loss of the Chief William Saulis and its crew is a tragic reminder of the risks faced by those who work in the fishing industry. We urge the federal government to take immediate action to implement the recommendations of the TSB report, including the mandatory use of stability assessment tools for small fishing vessels."

The TSB report links the sinking of the Chief William Saulis, a Nova Scotia scallop dragger, to federal inaction on imposing stricter stability standards for small fishing vessels. It states that the vessel should have undergone stability testing due to major changes made to the boat by its owners, which were not identified as stability "risk factors" during a 2017 inspection by Transport Canada inspectors. The vessel capsized during a gale in December 2020, resulting in the death of all six crew members. The report recommends mandatory stability assessments for modified vessels and notes that such assessments were not required at the time of the inspection.

Engineers Canada has been calling for a comprehensive regulatory framework that includes mandatory stability assessment tools for small fishing vessels. Our recently published statement on the Federal Regulations of Small Fishing Vessel Designemphasizes the need for mandatory stability assessments for all small fishing vessels. Currently, these assessments are only mandatory for larger vessels. In addition, the federal government should review its current Stability Assessment and Stability Standards to ensure that all new vessels (or those that have undergone a major modification or a change in activity that is likely to adversely affect its stability) of more than six meters in length, require an assessment conducted by a licensed practitioner, such as a professional engineer.

Engineers Canada is committed to promoting the highest standards of engineering practice and safety in all aspects of our society. Proper stability assessments and design regulations for small fishing vessels are of utmost importance to ensure the safety of crew members.

For more information, please visit our national position statement on Federal Regulations of Small Fishing Vessel Design.

Contact:

Shelley Ford
Assistant Manager, Communications
Engineers Canada
Tel: 613.809.2005
Email: [email protected]