Emergency offshore towing vessels
Project providing aid to ships in distress and bolstering Canada’s marine safety system.
Overview
Emergency offshore towing vessels:
- are capable of towing large commercial ships in distress, such as tankers and container ships, before they get too close to shore
- form part of a broader strategy under the Oceans Protection Plan to bolster Canada’s marine safety system, that also includes:
- an in-depth towing needing analysis
- equipping the Canadian Coast Guard’s large ship fleet with emergency towing capacity
- an expanded approach to regional response planning
Project at a glance
- Contract awarded
- August 2018
- Awarded to
- Atlantic Towing Limited (Saint John, New Brunswick)
- Number of vessels to be leased
- 2, operating in the waters off the coast of British Columbia
- Additional elements of the contract
- Training in offshore emergency towing to Coast Guard personnel and partners, including Indigenous communities, involved in marine safety
- Vessels for
- Canadian Coast Guard
- Project budget
- $67 million (including taxes)
- Duration of contract
- 3 years, with 7 additional option years
- Current status
- Both vessels arrived on-site in late 2018
Project description
This contract fulfills an immediate operational need to have vessels available as soon as possible, while the Government of Canada works in partnership with Indigenous communities and local stakeholders to develop a long-term strategy for emergency towing on the West Coast and across Canada.
The 2 leased vessels will be operated by Atlantic Towing Limited personnel, along with members of the Canadian Coast Guard, off the coast of British Columbia. 1 will patrol a northern area in Canadian waters between Alaska and the northern tip of Vancouver Island, and the other a southern area, including the west side of Vancouver Island and the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
The contract contains 7 1-year option periods under the same contract terms and conditions, to be exercised at Canada’s discretion. In November 2022, Canada exercised its second of these option years for 2 fully crewed Emergency Towing Vessels stationed off the coast of British Columbia. The services from these vessels will provide an interim heavy-towing capacity while a long term strategy is developed.
News
- Government of Canada extends contract for marine emergency towing vessels on the West Coast—November 5, 2021
- Government of Canada awards contract under the Oceans Protection Plan to increase emergency offshore towing capability off British Columbia coast—August 9, 2018
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