Canada looks to charter research vessel as it awaits $1B replacement ship & More News Here

The Canadian Coast Guard is wanting to charter a research ship for up to 5 years whereas it waits for a brand new $1-billion offshore oceanographic science vessel to be constructed below the nationwide shipbuilding program.

The coast guard says it’s being prudent.

“Having a backup plan in case another pandemic hits or something else I think is always good sound management. So that’s why we’ve put that insurance policy into place,” assistant commissioner Gary Ivany mentioned in an interview after an occasion in Sambro, N.S.

Ottawa has issued a request for info to business to charter an “interim science vessel” on the East Coast for 2023 to 2026, with an possibility for 2 extra years.

The coast guard supposed to hold the offshore science ship CCGS Hudson in service till its replacement was prepared. But a catastrophic motor failure final fall compelled it to abandon that plan. The 59-year-old Hudson was formally retired earlier this 12 months.

Construction of a brand new offshore oceanographic science vessel for the east coast has began on the Seaspan shipyard in Vancouver. It is at the moment estimated to price $995 million.

2025 supply date

Delivery is now anticipated in 2025.

“Steel-cutting is underway. Work is progressing well. Long lead items have been purchased. So we’re very confident and in the timelines as they stand today,” Ivany mentioned.

Seaspan declined to present an estimated supply date for the offshore oceanographic science ship.

Spokesperson Adam D’Agostino says the corporate has been impacted by COVID-19, however has been in a position to hold its shipyard open and operational.

“We are continuing working closely with the coast guard and the navy to mitigate the impact of COVID on our programs and vessel delivery schedules,” D’Agostino mentioned.

Caution is justified, says Timothy Choi, a shipbuilding skilled on the Canadian Global Affairs Institute.

COVID-19 influence

Choi says shipbuilding around the globe has been hit by the COVID-19 pandemic and delayed provide chains.

“Even the Chinese with their incredibly massive amounts of human resources, they’re delaying their naval shipbuilding, which is unprecedented in terms of their construction rates. So nobody’s immune to this. And the fact that the coast guard is putting out this interim proposal at this point tells us that they are well aware of that,” Choi mentioned.

The subsequent difficulty is availability. Last 12 months, the coast guard purchased an Irving-owned mild icebreaker working in Turkmenistan within the Caspian Sea.

“Asking for an interim replacement that’s actually somewhere around the world that’s very important. Now, whether that vessel actually exists is a different question,” Choi mentioned.

“That’s the whole point of this request for information. They want to see what the industry knows about availability.”

Even if the brand new ship from Seaspan meets this newest supply date, it will take time to get the ship into service.

Moving goal timeline

“Having that one additional platform to help us carry out that important science work will be very important — 2025, 2026 is our plan for the transition year,” he mentioned.

The timeline to change CCGS Hudson has been a shifting goal since it was included within the National Shipbuilding Strategy introduced by the Harper authorities 15 years in the past.

It was initially anticipated to price $109 million with supply in 2017. Since then the value has risen almost tenfold and supply has been moved to 2021, 2023, 2024 and 2025.

With the Hudson now completely tied up on the Bedford Institute of Oceanography, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans is wanting elsewhere for platforms to conduct science on the East Coast this 12 months. 

This spring, it paid $5.1 million to the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts to use its research vessel,  Atlantia, to perform ocean local weather monitoring surveys off Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador.

Another charter is anticipated to be awarded quickly to perform deliberate surveys within the fall.

In current years, DFO and the coast guard have been compelled to more and more depend on charters as the Hudson required extra refits, repairs and upkeep to keep afloat.

The coast guard says it intends to use a few of its different vessels for DFO science work.

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