The over-$36-million-dollar contract is part of the Government of Canada’s National Shipbuilding Strategy, which was launched under the Harper government in 2010. Heddle Shipyards, the contract winner, has worked on numerous Canadian Coast Guard vessels in the past. Photo credit: Facebook/Heddle Shipyards
Hamilton-based Heddle Shipyards has been awarded a $36.14 million-dollar contract to refurbish a high-profile Canadian Coast Guard ship.
The announcement, which was made this past Thursday, July 28, will see Heddle Shipyards in charge of refurbishments, officially called “life extension work,” on the CCGS George R. Pearkes Coast Guard ship. The ship is normally stationed in St. John’s Newfoundland and Labrador and entered into service in 1986. It will travel to Hamilton for refurbishments.
The contract was awarded after an open and competitive process by Public Services and Procurement Canada on behalf of the Canadian Coast Guard and is part of the Government of Canada’s National Shipbuilding Strategy. This specific contract falls under the repair, refit, and maintenance pillar of the shipbuilding strategy.
The ship is primarily used for light icebreaking and buoy tending, but it is also available for search and rescue and environmental response operations if needed.
The work on the ship will begin in winter 2023 and continue until spring 2024. At that time, the vessel will be dry-docked and enter an extended maintenance period. During repairs, other ships will take care of the CCGS George R. Pearkes’ normal tasks.
Joyce Murray, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans, and the Canadian Coast Guard, said that the life extension work will allow Canadian Coast Guard personnel to “continue their key role in supporting Canada’s blue economy.”
The refurbishments include steel hull reinforcement; hull, superstructure, deck and mast recoating; galley modernization; replacement of the bow thruster, cycloconverter, propulsion generator, and internal communication system; tail shaft and rudder inspections; and domestic and auxiliary systems upgrades.
Hamilton MP and Minister of Public Services and Procurement Filomena Tassi also commented on the awarding of the contract.
“Canadians from coast to coast know the importance of our Coast Guard. I am thrilled that a company from Hamilton will be able to help ensure that personnel of Canada’s Coast Guard have a safe and effective fleet of ships to serve and protect,” she said.
“Canada’s skilled shipbuilding workforce is helping us repair and maintain our fleets while supporting economic growth across the country.”
The CCGS George R. Pearkes is named after Canadian soldier and Victoria Cross recipient Major General George Pearkes. Pearkes played a key role in the First World War’s Battle of Passchendaele where he stayed with his troops despite injury. He later became the Minister of National Defense from 1957 to 1960 under Prime Minister John Diefenbaker.
Note that the author of this article, Kevin Geenen, is running for Ward 5 City Council Hamilton (Gray Rd to Red Hill Parkway plus the Beach Strip). Based in Hamilton, Ontario, Kevin Geenen reaches hundreds of thousands of people monthly on social media. He is a regular contributor with The Hamilton Independent and has been published in The Hamilton Spectator, Stoney Creek News, and Bay Observer. He has also been a segment host with Cable 14 Hamilton. He is known for Hamilton Neighbourhood Watch crime updates and no-nonsense news graphics. In 2017, he received the Chancellor Full Tuition Scholarship from the University of Ottawa (BA, 2022). He has also received the Governor General’s Academic Medal from Governor General David Johnston. He formerly worked in a non-partisan role on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
Based in Hamilton, he reaches hundreds of thousands of people monthly on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. He has been published in The Hamilton Spectator, Stoney Creek News, and Bay Observer. He has also been a segment host with Cable 14 Hamilton. In 2017, he received the Chancellor Full Tuition Scholarship from the University of Ottawa (BA, 2022). He has also received the Governor General’s Academic Medal. He formerly worked in a non-partisan role on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
