Canadian Coast Guard Transfers Surplus Vessel
The Canadian Coast Guard has transferred a fast rescue craft to the Maritimes branch of the Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary.
The fast rescue craft was previously used by the staff of the CCGS Courtenay Bay at the Coast Guard SAR lifeboat station based in Saint John, New Brunswick.
The Auxiliary will use the vessel for search and rescue training and missions, and to increase their presence at marine-related events in the region.
The vessel is a 2002 Zodiac – Model 749 Diesel Powered Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat (RHIB). The diesel, seven-metre boats are open, fast rescue craft which are used extensively at Coast Guard SAR lifeboat stations and on major Canadian Coast Guard ships. Their speed, design and shallow draft make them extremely effective platforms for near-shore search and rescue missions. The vessel was recently refurbished.
The Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary Maritimes (CCGA-M) is a nonprofit organization and a registered charity made up of just over 800 volunteer members and nearly 500 privately-owned vessels throughout New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Iles de la Madeleine.
The CCGA-M has been in existence since 1978 and responds to an average of 25 percent of all maritime search and rescue incidents in the Maritime Provinces.
The Saint John SAR lifeboat station will be equipped with a new fast rescue craft.
“The donation of this vessel fulfills a promise our Government made to provide the brave volunteers at the Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary with the tools they need to continue to play their important role in the national Search and Rescue system,” said Hunter Tootoo, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard.
