The Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) has placed an order for 25 rigid inflatable boats (RIBs) from Zodiac Hurricane Technologies. The order is valued at US$5 million.
The Zodiac Hurricane Model 753 boats will be manufactured at the company's factory at Delta, British Columbia, and will be used by the Coast Guard for both shore based and shipboard search and rescue work.
The new eight-metre Zodiacs have been chosen to replace earlier models that, in some cases, have been in service with the Canadian Coastguard for up to 17 years.
Zodiac worked with the Canadian Coast Guard to develop custom specifications. The 753 model is a Transport Canada, IMO SOLAS approved rescue boat.
Customisation of the new boats has included refining their ergonomics to meet the operational needs of the coast guard crew. Improvements include the development of a new generation of Zodiac's three-person fibreglass Delta console with two-person wide aft navigation/communications console and Shockwave S2 shock reducing seating.
The boats will be delivered with navigation/communications systems installed that include either Raymarine or Garmin equipment. The suites include radar, chart plotter, GPS, VHF radios and echo sounder.