The Canadian Government has awarded an approximately CA$74.7 million ($52.7 million) contract to a joint venture of Ocean Pacific Marine Supply and Camarc Design for the construction of three new coastal patrol vessels.
The contract specifies that the vessels will be built at a shipyard in Campbell River, British Columbia.
The British Columbia Government is funding 70 per cent of the contract under the provincial police service agreement.
According to a federal statement, these new vessels are scheduled to join the fleet beginning in 2028 to replace the current West Coast Marine Services fleet.
The current fleet includes the Inkster, which is stationed in Prince Rupert and patrols the North Coast from Bella Bella and Bella Coola north to Stewart and west to Haida Gwaii.
It also includes the summer-patrolling Lindsay based in Port Alberni, and the Nanaimo-stationed Higgitt that monitors the inside passage of Vancouver Island.
The new 24–25 metre jet-propelled aluminium vessels will patrol nearly 26,000 kilometres of coastline stretching from the US border to Alaska.
These patrol boats will operate within 400 nautical miles (741 kilometres) of their home ports with a crew of four, staying at sea for up to seven days without refuelling or replenishing stores.
The government said the contract is part of the national shipbuilding strategy, a long-term federal programme designed to renew government fleets while supporting the domestic marine industry.
