Tag Archives: Canadian Coast Guard
Four fishermen rescued off New Brunswick
The Summerside-based Canadian Coast Guard Vessel, Cap Nord, was dispatched Tuesday evening after a New Brunswick fishing vessel reported it was taking on water. Sub. Lt. Blair Gilmore with the Canadian Coast Guard’s Joint Recue Coordination Centre, said all four persons onboard the Julie and Jolene were able to get safely onboard a “vessel of opportunity,” the fishing vessel Black Pearl that was in the area at the time. No one was injured and the four crewmembers were taken into port at Richibucto. The distress call from the Julie and Jolene was received around 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. The vessel subsequently sank. Link 12:31
Canadians don’t grasp the dire straits the Coast Guard Fleet is in, expert says
The majority of the Canadian Coast Guard fleet is so old that its book value is almost worthless, says an independent report presented to the Liberal government. A third-party analysis was commissioned by the agency, which has for the last 20 years fallen under the responsibility of the Fisheries Department. A heavily censored copy of the report, which was included in a briefing package for former fisheries minister Hunter Tootoo, was obtained by CBC News under the Access to Information Act. It pulls no punches when it comes to the state of the fleet that performs vital ice-breaking and life-saving search and rescue functions on all three coasts. “A significant amount of the fleet is fully depreciated,” says the undated report written by analysts Bill Austin and Carl Hegge. Read the story here 10:04
Rescue at sea
On Monday 442 Transport and Rescue Squadron was involved in a rescue mission on the west side of Vancouver Island. 442 Squadron was tasked by Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) Victoria to assist the Canadian Coast Guard in a rescue of a “man overboard,” 13 nautical miles west of Kyuquot Channel. Canadian Coast Guard Inshore Rescue Boat (IRB) 507 located and rescued the man, who had fallen overboard from a small fishing vessel about three hours earlier. The man was subsequently hoisted aboard one of 442 Squadron’s CH-149 Cormorant helicopters, flown to Comox, then transported via ambulance to St. Joseph’s Hospital. No further details on the victim’s conditions, or his place of residence, were available at time of printing. link 21:41
3 fishermen rescued off Sydney, Nova Scotia
Three fishermen were rescued from their grounded vessel in waters off Sydney early this morning, says the Royal Canadian Navy. The vessel ran aground on Scatarie Island, about 17 nautical miles southeast of Sydney. It crew sent out a distress call around midnight, said navy spokesperson Lt. Christine Hurov. “It was taking on water, so the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre tasked 413 Squadron’s Hercules and Cormorant as well as the Canadian Coast Guard ship Spray,” Hurov said. The three crew members were “cold and tired” but otherwise in good shape when the zodiac picked them up, Pink said. The fishing boat was left on Scatarie, but Pink said a salvage operation is in the works. The fishermen were taken aboard the Spray to Louisbourg, from where they left for home. Link 10:22
Kitsilano Coast Guard Station reopening with new boats
The Canadian Coast Guard has confirmed that when the Kitsilano Coast Guard Station reopens on Sunday it will have two inflatable rescue boats and a specialized pollution response vessel. The station, which is located near downtown Vancouver, was closed by the federal Conservatives in early 2013, a move that was criticized by many, including local city councilors. The Liberals promised to reopen the base after winning the last election. After a cargo ship spilled several thousand litres of bunker fuel into English Bay, the government also promised to upgrade the base’s pollution response capacity. Yesterday Canadian Coast Guard spokesman Dan Bate revealed what vessels will be stationed at the base. They include: Read the rest here 10:10
Canadian Coast Guard accepts new light-lift helicopter in Shearwater, Nova Scotia
The honorable Hunter Tootoo, minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, the honorable Judy M. Foote, minister of public services and procurement, and Jody Thomas, commissioner of the Canadian Coast Guard, have accepted the last new light-lift helicopter into the Canadian Coast Guard fleet. “These made-in-Canada light-lift helicopters are faster, safer, more reliable and more efficient than the models they are replacing,” said Tootoo. “By renewing the fleet of helicopters, our government is providing the women and men of the Coast Guard with the modern equipment they need to better serve Canadians.” Read the rest here 09:10Nunavut officials press for Arctic search and rescue base – “Within the last six months we’ve had two near disasters”
Nunavut’s fishing industry is renewing its call for a search and rescue base in the North after two recent major incidents where fishing vessels were in distress in Arctic waters for hours before help arrived. “Within the last six months we’ve had two near disasters,” said Jerry Ward, chair of the Nunavut Offshore Allocation Holders Association. Last September, the Atlantic Charger fishing vessel took on water near the mouth of Frobisher Bay. The nine-person crew was rescued by a Danish ship. Then last month, the F/V Saputi ran into ice and took on water. Hercules aircraft from Nova Scotia dropped pumps as the Danish Navy escorted the damaged ship and crew of 30 to Nuuk, Greenland. Read the rest here 08:04
5 rescued from sinking fishing boat off the coast of Yarmouth
A Coast Guard ship rescued five people from a fishing boat early Sunday morning after they reported the vessel was sinking 16 nautical miles, or about 30 kilometres, off the coast of Yarmouth, N.S. A spokesman for Joint Task Force Atlantic says the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Halifax received a mayday distress call from the around 11:30 Saturday night. Cpt. Cameron Hillier says JRCC Halifax dispatched a Cormorant helicopter and a Hercules aircraft from 14-wing Greenwood to help with the rescue efforts. He says the group was reported safe and sound at around 1:30 a.m. Read the rest here 16:20
Nunavut MP Hunter Tootoo named minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard
Nunavut MP Hunter Tootoo has been named minister of Fisheries and Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s new cabinet. He’ll become Canada’s second Inuk to be appointed as a senior federal cabinet minister as he’s sworn in Wednesday morning at Ottawa’s Rideau Hall. The Fisheries and Oceans ministry is a diverse one that will take Tootoo from coast to coast to coast. The department also oversees sealing. That’s been a contentious issue in the Atlantic provinces and in Nunavut, where Inuit hunters have suffered due to the European Union’s ban on seal products. Read the rest here 14:29
New offshore fisheries science ship under construction in North Vancouver
Construction has started at the North Vancouver shipyard on one of three new fisheries ships for the Canadian Coast Guard, the federal government announced on Wednesday morning. The new offshore fisheries science vessel, which will be named the CCGS Sir John Franklin after the British explorer, is expected to be completed by the spring of 2017. The contract for delivery of the three ships has a ceiling of $514 million, according to a statement released by the government on Wednesday,,, Read the rest here 20:46
Coastal communities look to federal budget to restore coast guard cuts
Coastal communities from Parksville to Placentia are watching tomorrow’s federal budget closely for funding to restore the cuts to coast guard services that have closed bases across the country, putting communities at risk. “Our communities rely on the coast guard. Seconds matter when there’s an emergency, but Prime Minister Harper is gutting our coast guard services,” said Keith Sullivan, President of Unifor’s Fish, Food, and Allied Workers (FFAW). Read the rest here 20:27
Canadian Coast Guard goes high-tech – Communications system worth $50m has been installed in Halifax, N.L.
The Canadian Coast Guard’s new $50-million communications system has been installed in Halifax after five years of development. It is a massive project that the coast guard is saying will be revolutionary. It has also been tied to controversy because the system was cited as a justification for cutting almost half of the regional communications centres across Canada. In recent weeks, the new system was installed in Halifax and Placentia, N.L. Read the rest here 10:52
Canadian Coast Guard Inaugurates CCGS Leim
The Canadian Coast Guard inaugurated its newest near-shore fisheries research vessel CCGS LeimCCGS Leim on 26 August. The vessel was named in honour of the late Dr. Alexander Henry Leim, a DFO scientist who dedicated his life to fisheries research. 07:39
Coast Guard software glitch leaves Arctic mariners in the cold
If you’re a mariner heading out on Arctic waters, don’t rely on the Canadian Coast Guard for help in an emergency. Technical glitches in a new communications system means your call may or may not be received. Read more here 10:46
Cape Rouge sinking on LaHave River in Bridgewater
Emergency crews scrambled to the Bridgewater wharf on Monday afternoon after a fishing vessel, ordinarily tied up to the wharf, began sinking into the LaHave River. Read more here cbcnews 21:31
Lobster season off southern N.S. opens after weather delay – optimism as dumping day begins
Fisheries and Oceans Canada had postponed the opening for five days, fearing poor weather during the past week would make it too dangerous for fishermen. The Canadian Coast Guard and dozens of fisheries officers are monitoring the first day. In Meteghan, N.S., crowds gathered at the wharf Saturday morning. Fishermen there say it’s been one of the longest weather delays to the start of the season in recent memory. more@cbcnews
Canadian Coast Guard vessel to be named after soldier killed in 2008
The Canadian Coast Guard said Thursday the sixth of its Hero Class vessels — a ship named for a young soldier killed in Afghanistan — has been accepted into the fleet. CCGS Corporal McLaren M.M.V., named after Mark Robert McLaren, 23, of Peterborough, Ont., will be based in Dartmouth and patrol the Atlantic region. more@heraldchronicle 09:46
Canadian Coast Guard saves lives every day-
There was a full house at the latest luncheon meeting of the Rotary Club of St. John’s, to hear from John Butler, assistant commissioner with the Canadian Coast Guard. “On an average day, we save 15 lives, we assist 52 people in 27 search and rescue cases across this country,” he told the gathering. He cautioned against complacency by individuals and companies, particularly in the harsh environment of the North Atlantic. “If you think you’ve got it licked, you better think again,” he said. “You have to be prepared. You have to know what you’re doing.” more@thetelegram 14:04
Canada ordering an additional 10 Canadian Coast Guard vessels, worth an estimated $3.3 billion
Vancouver shipbuilders got a huge surprise Monday, as the federal government announced it is ordering an additional 10 Canadian Coast Guard vessels, worth an estimated $3.3 billion. That is on top of the $8 billion already on the books at Vancouver Shipyards for new Coast Guard science and fishery ships, naval resupply vessels and a heavy icebreaker, and represents a huge vote of confidence as the shipyard prepares to cut steel on the first of those ships. mre@montrealgazette 14:49
Power outage shutdown renews Canadian Coast Guard closure worries – Ucluelet monitoring station was down for 7 hours
The union that represents the Canadian Coast Guard says a power outage that shut down a monitoring centre in Ucluelet over the weekend is proof B.C. isn’t ready for the closure of coast guard stations next year. more@cbcnews 11:14
New Design Unveiled for Canadian Coast Guard Lifeboats
“Our Government has invested more in the Coast Guard than any other Government in Canadian history,” said Parliamentary Secretary Kamp. “These new lifeboats will enable the Coast Guard to continue to uphold its commitment to the safety of all people on the water.” continued@ DFO
Minister Ashfield Announces the Acceptance of the CCGS S. Dudka
The Honourable Keith Ashfield, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Gateway, today announced the acceptance of the CCGS S. Dudka, a new Canadian Coast Guard specialty vessel which will be used primarily to support the conservation and protection of fisheries resources. continue reading
Missing Prince Rupert crewman triggers massive search – (they found him, though)
A missing Prince Rupert fishing boat crewman triggered a massive pre dawn search by Canadian Coast Guard and Royal Canadian Marine search and rescue units Tuesday morning. continue
RCMP – Debris all that remains of missing fishermen’s boat spotted about 10 nautical miles east of F/V Miss Ally’s last know position
A search of the area where five fishermen are believed to have perished after their boat overturned in stormy seas off Nova Scotia has turned up nothing but scattered debris. Three Department of National Defence aircraft patrolled the area of the Miss Ally’s last known position Thursday morning and afternoon, following a plea from the families of the missing men to continue the search. A Canadian Armed Forces CC130 Search and Rescue Hercules aircraft joined aircraft from Transport Canada, and Provincial Airlines to patrol an area measuring more than 1,700 square kilometres. There was no sighting of the capsized hull of the boat that had previously been spotted by the Canadian Coast Guard. Read more
