For commercial vessels, the amount of cargo space you have is important to you for several reasons. The space helps to determine what your carrying capacity is so that you know your capabilities for transport, but it will also play an important role for you when it comes to registering your vessel with the government. In Canada, there are registration requirements for all commercial vessels, but categories are based on the tonnage of your vessel, so it is important that you get the classification correct so you can correctly register your boat. You do want to have a basic understanding of the tonnage measurements and how they are determined, so you know what registration you will need.
Determining the Tonnage of a Vessel
There are different methods prescribed for determining the tonnage of a vessel that are set forth by the Vessel registration and Tonnage Regulations of the Canada Shipping Act, 2001. Since tonnage measurement is mandatory for registration, you need to know what your obligations are as an owner to determine the tonnage. There are different methods you can use to determine the measurement, including using the Assigned Formal Tonnage, where the tonnage of the ship gets determined by linking the tonnage to the length of your ship. You can use this method as long as your vessel is not more than twelve metres in length.
Using Other Measurement Methods
There are other methods available to determine tonnage measurements that you can use. There is the Simplified Method, which allows you to determine tonnage based on whether your vessel is a monohull vessel or multihull vessel. There are different forms you need to file depending on whether you have a single hull or multiple hulls. You can also go to an appointed Tonnage Measurer to get an accurate measurement for your registration. The government has appointed measurers across Canada where you can make an appointment to have tonnage measured.
Using Your Measurements for Registration
Once you have determined the tonnage measurements of your vessel, you will know if you need to file for registration as a Small Vessel or with the Canadian Register of Vessels for larger vessels. In either case, here at Canadian Vessel Registry Center Corp., we can assist you with your filing efforts so you can be sure your information is correct and goes through to Transport Canada. You can file with us online, but if you have any questions regarding the process you can always give us a call at 800-419-9569, and we can help you with questions regarding tonnage and registry.