Learn More About the Transport Canada Ship Registry

If you are a vessel owner, or even a prospective one, then you are at least tangentially familiar with the Transport Canada ship registry. This database aims to keep track of all commercial vessels operating in Canadian waters. Not only does this help the corresponding agencies enforce important regulations and guidelines, but it also helps catalogue relevant information in an organized manner. Allow us to better introduce you to this registry and the ways in which you can interact with it.

Transport Canada Ship Registry

In order to maintain a thorough and up to date record of all national ships navigating Canadian waters, Transport Canada requires commercial vessels to join the ship registry. This is essentially a list of all registered vessels, along with information that is relevant to each ship. This includes, for example, information about previous owners, claims of lien that might have been made at some point, and similar paper trails related to the vessels. Additionally, this registry can be consulted via the Transport Canada database, allowing you to access information related to different vessels in case you need to. Let’s take a closer look at how you can join the registry.

Joining the Ship Registry
In order to join Transport Canada’s ship registry, you will have to submit the corresponding application to them. Don’t worry, this isn’t complicated, but it will certainly entail some attention to detail. After all, if you get any information wrong, you might end up getting your application returned, further delaying your registration process. Taking this into account, we have set up our platform here at the National Vessel Registry Center so that you can submit your registration forms. Not only will you be able to fill them out and submit them through our platform, but our checkers will also make sure that all the information is correct before passing it along to Transport Canada. You will receive your certificate in no time.

Updating Your Registration
Once you’ve joined the registry, it will obviously be very important for you to keep it updated. This means that, for example, if you’re moving places, you will have to update your registration accordingly. There is a very particular form for this, known as the change of address form. On top of that, you need to take into account potential ownership changes. If you need to remove or add an owner to the registration, you need to submit the transfer of ownership form, in which you can make potential changes official with Transport Canada.

Get Your Vessel Documentation in Order
Every vessel owner in Canada knows how important it is to keep your registration in order at the time of operating in Canadian waters. After all, you want to avoid having to pay fines or having your vessel forcibly docked. In the interest of helping you keep everything in order, we at the National Vessel Registry Center have made sure to provide you with all the relevant forms and the platform to submit them. If at any point in the process you need help, don’t hesitate to reach out to us by calling us at +1 (800) 419-9569 or emailing info@canadianvesselregistry.ca.