Canadian Coast Guard ship misses scheduled return to work
CCGS G. Peddle has been out of service 86% of the time over a 3-year period, say Fisheries officials
A Dartmouth, N.S.-based Canadian Coast Guard ship sidelined for the better part of three years will not return to service as planned on Wednesday because of delays in getting parts for its lifeboat.
"We will know more about a potential return to service date in the next week or so," Fisheries and Oceans Canada spokesperson Debbie Buott-Matheson said in a statement to CBC.
This is the latest setback for the fisheries patrol vessel CCGS G. Peddle S.C., which has been immobilized by refits, mishaps, part failures and supply chain delays since June 2020, when one of its two engines failed.
Over that three-year period Peddle has been out of service 86 per cent of the time, according to data provided to CBC by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO).
Coast Guard commissioner Mario Pelletier was confident the ship had put its problems behind it when he visited the base in Dartmouth earlier this month.
"We never put a ship to sea that is not safe and that's why we took a bit longer. There were some issues that we needed to fix. Now it's ready to go and I'm really looking forward to that," Pelletier told CBC News.
Repair for lifeboat device
It was expected to return to active duty Sept. 27, but the ship needs repairs to the device that lowers its lifeboat called a davit. Parts were ordered months ago, but supply chain issues and a long lead time have caused lengthy delays, the department said.
CCGS G. Peddle S.C. is one of nine Hero-class mid-shore patrol vessels allowed to travel about 120 nautical miles from shore. They are used for maritime security and fisheries enforcement. The ships are named after exemplary officers from Canada's military, RCMP, coast guard or DFO .
The fleet was built by Irving Shipbuilding at its Halifax Shipyard at a cost of $227 million.
The vessels are 42 metres long and seven metres wide. Crews have complained the ships roll excessively at sea and have to stay moored in windy weather when fishing boats are still able to sail.
The CCGS G. Peddle S.C. ordeal began in June 2020, when one of two diesel propulsion engines failed and forced it to tie up.
Ongoing issues with Peddle
The coast guard decided to replace both engines the following spring during a refit at the Canadian Maritime Engineering (CME) repair yard in Sambro N.S.
The engine warranty had expired on the ship which entered service in 2013. The coast guard paid $2.7 million for the new engines. The refit cost $1.4 million.
Peddle was not yet under its own power when it was refloated in Sambro in September 2021.
Peddle was being towed by Dominion Diving to a dock at the base in Dartmouth for more work when the ship struck a rock in Sambro Harbour, puncturing the hull, DFO said.
The ship was hauled out and the hull took another month to fix at no cost to the coast guard.
Peddle was back at sea in 2022, but has been tied up in Dartmouth all of 2023. The first time was for a $1.8-million maintenance refit. In addition to the repairs needed for the lifeboat, the refit identified an incorrectly installed device that allows cables to pass through watertight and fireproof bulkheads.
Valued part of coast guard fleet
DFO says the mid-shore vessels ensure its personnel can carry out their work.
The ships also help in search and rescue and environmental responses when needed.
Pelletier says they are a valued part of the coast guard fleet.
"They're part of our mix of tools that we need to deliver the program," Pelletier said.
Peddle is one of three Hero-class ships assigned to Nova Scotia. The other two are CCGS Corporal Teather and, more recently, CCGS Private Robertson, relocated from the West Coast. DFO said its conservation and protection program there did not have the demand or a sufficient number of officers to support having three vessels in the western region.
Corporal Teather and Private Robertson
CCGS Robertson also emerged from a refit this summer that was delayed because a pad for absorbing oil was discovered inside the self-cleaning oil filter. No one knows how it got there, but it required a "proper inspection of the engine."
The ship was scheduled to be in layup from Nov. 1, 2023 to Jan. 17, 2024, but will remain on active duty until Dec. 13 for DFO enforcement and "to have vessels available to cover any unplanned or planned maintenance as required."
DFO did not respond when asked if Robertson was needed at sea in case Peddle is unavailable.
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