Paul Withers
Once again, Canada's fleet of coast guard vessels is showing its age.
A federal fisheries science survey on Georges Bank is delayed this winter because the Canadian Coast Guard vessel normally tasked with the job is out of commission on an extended refit, CBC News has learned.
And a second coast guard ship expected to take over the job is also unavailable because it, too, is undergoing a refit that had to be extended.
The five-week Department of Fisheries and Oceans survey off southern Nova Scotia usually starts mid-February aboard the Canadian Coast Guard Ship Alfred Needler, but the 36-year-old vessel is high and dry these days in a St. John's shipyard.
Refit reveals more problems
The Needler's scheduled $558,000 refit at the St. John's Dockyard Ltd. was supposed to be done over six weeks, with a completion date of Feb. 14.
Now, officials say the vessel will not be ready until April 1.
"As the refit work was progressing, it was determined that additional steel work would be required. This is what caused the delay," coast guard spokesperson Vance Chow said in an e-mail to CBC News.
Replacement ship is also out of commission
A second coast guard ship, the Teleost, was expected to fill in, sources tell CBC News. However, it's also unavailable because its scheduled refit had to be extended.
The Teleost will not be able to sail until March 30, officials say.
The 30-year-old ship is currently in St. John's where crews are completing repairs.
The Canadian Coast Guard Ship Teleost was expected to take over the voyage to carry out an important fisheries survey on Georges Bank, but it remains docked because of a delay in its refit. (CBC)
"During the course of the refit, it was determined that additional steel work in the freezer area will have to be completed before the vessel is operational," said Chow.
Public Services and Procurement Canada awarded the $1.6-million refit contract for the Teleost to the St. John's Dockyard in late 2016 and 2017.
The coast guard would not confirm that it's in the process of chartering a private vessel to carry out the annual winter survey because its vessels are not available.
What the ships are used for
On their winter survey, researchers focus on the rich fishing grounds of Georges Bank, a 10-hour voyage from the southern tip of Nova Scotia.
Scientists have returned to the area each winter since 1987 where they sample fish and invertebrates to gauge their abundance.
The information gathered is used to manage fisheries worth tens of millions of dollars.
Last year, the Georges Bank survey began on the Needler, but was completed by the Teleost because of mechanical problems on the Needler.
When and if the trip takes place this year, it will likely be a scaled-back effort.
Complications also plagued 2017 Hudson refit
If all this sounds familiar, that's because it is.
In 2017, the federal government spent more than $2.5 million chartering three private vessels for science surveys off the East Coast because Canada's premier research vessel, the Canadian Coast Guard Ship Hudson, was unavailable.
The Canadian Coast Guard Ship Hudson returned to Halifax in November nearly six months behind schedule, after a $4-million refit. (Robert Short/CBC)
The Hudson refit at Heddle Marine in Hamilton was five months behind schedule when the federal government towed it out of the shipyard with the refit still incomplete in October 2017.
The coast guard has never explained what caused the delay.
It had a cascading impact, with one science mission scrubbed outright and others abbreviated.
