Ship Management 3
This exam consists of a written test comprising descriptive questions. Similar to SM2, this exam will test your knowledge of Canadian regulations but is also largely based on international laws. It will test your knowledge of procedures and regulations relating to ship business as well as the legal responsibilities of the master in various situations. Most of the pertinent Canadian legislation for this exam is included as open book resources, however it is best to be familiar with the pertinent sections of the acts and regulations. The international law questions will not have open book resources. It will be of particular importance to study these carefully.
To see a full list and descriptions of the topics covered by the exam please refer to the exam’s Syllabus (Page 69, Section 5.10).
The following are sources that are permitted (and likely provided, you can ask your examiner beforehand) in the exam:
- Arctic Waters Pollution Prevention Act;
- Arctic Shipping Pollution Prevention Regulations;
- Ballast Water Control and Management Regulations;
- Canada Labour Code;
- Canada Shipping Act-2001;
- Load Line Regulations;
- Marine Personnel Regulations;
- Marine Transportation Security Act;
- Marine Transportation Security Regulations;
- Merchant Seamen’s Compensation Act;
- Pilotage Act;
- Potable Water Regulations for common carriers;
- Quarantine Regulations;
- Regulations for Prevention of Pollution from Ships and for Dangerous Chemicals; (Has been repealed, 2012, now Canada Shipping Act, as above)
- Security Act;
- Shipping Casualty Reporting Regulations;
- Shipping Inquiries Investigation Rules; (Has been repealed, 2012, now Canada Shipping Act, as above)
- Vessel Certificates Regulations
The following resources are tested on in the exam but are not included as open book resources:
- STCW Convention and STCW Code
- SOLAS
- MARPOL annex 1-6
- International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships Ballast Water and Sediments
- International Labour Organization- particularly the maritime labour convention
- the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code
- International Convention on Tonnage Measurement of Ships
- International Convention on Salvage, 1989 (The London Salvage Convention)
To see a full list of pertinent laws and how they relate to questions on the exam, refer to the syllabus (page 69, section 5.10)
Recommended reading:
Master’s Handbook on Ship’s Business, 3rd edition
This text is important reading for this exam. It covers all the required knowledge for the exam that isn’t covered in the laws and acts above. Each chapter covers a topic that will be covered by a question or two during the exam (Salvage, Customs, Security, Chartering). It is clearly written and easy to follow, a nice departure from studying legislation directly.
The Shipmaster’s Business Self-Examiner, 10th edition, 2016
This U.K focused publication is a good study tool for this exam. While it covers a greater range of knowledge than you are likely to need to pass, it is helpful in understanding which laws relate to specific situations a ship’s master may find themselves in.