Port Weller dry dock repairing Coast Guard icebreaker
Heddle Marine Services will carry out more than $1.1 million in repairs on the Canadian Coast Guard Ship Terry Fox at its Port Weller dry dock over the next five weeks.
Canadian Coast Guard spokesperson Sam Whiffen, based in St. John’s, N.L., said the heavy icebreaker was drydocked on July 3 and work, to ready the ship for Arctic operations this year, is expected to be complete by Aug. 15
In an email, Whiffen said the work includes the replacement of several large steel plates on the bottom of the hull, as well as the replacement of inside supporting floor structure.
The 88-metre-long CCGS Terry Fox is based in St. John’s and was launched in 1983. It carries 10 officers and 13 crew members.
While work is being carried out on the Terry Fox in Niagara, a Coast Guard ship familiar to Niagara residents is undergoing a $2.5-million extended refit at a Quebec shipyard.
Carol Launderville, a spokesperson for the Canadian Coast Guard out of Sarnia, said the CCGS Griffon is at Verrault Navigation in Les Mechins, Que.
She said equipment will be overhauled to improve overall efficiency, reliability, and safety of the ship based out of Prescott, Ont. Work includes an overhaul of the four main propulsion generators, overhauls of two service generators and certification of the ship’s propulsion control system. The expected completion date for this work is Oct. 31.
The Griffon joined the Coast Guard fleet in 1970 and is classified as a high endurance multitasked vessel that carries nine officers and 16 crew. In addition to its icebreaking and aids to navigation duties on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway, it has served in the Arctic. It is a frequent visitor to Port Colborne in the winter months.