New Canadian fisheries vessel damaged in breakwater strike

(VANCOUVER, British Columbia) — Seaspan Shipyards is searching for answers after the fisheries science vessel it built for the Canadian Coast Guard — and whose delivery is already years overdue — ran into a breakwater during sea trials near Victoria, The Star reported.

Seaspan Vice President Tim Page said CCGS Sir John Franklin was finishing its first week of trials Friday when it hit the Ogden Point breakwater. While the cause of the incident is under investigation, Page said an initial assessment found damage to the propeller, rudder and a portion of the hull on the port side above the waterline.

Sir John Franklin is the first of three science vessels being built for the Canadian Coast Guard at a cost of $687 million. It was originally scheduled to be delivered in 2017, but that outcome has been pushed to this summer. Page said it is too early to tell how the incident will affect the ship’s cost and timetable.

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By Professional Mariner Staff