British Columbia-based company Daigle Welding & Marine
has won a contract to build two new harbor patrol vessels for Port Metro
Vancouver, the Port said Jan. 10. The vessels are currently under construction.
Metro Vancouver said Daigle was selected through an
open-bidding process to design and construct the new patrol vessels, which are needed
to support growth at the port due to increased trade through the Asia-Pacific
Gateway.
The vessels’ purpose, according to the port, is to provide “continuous
marine surveillance” with “early incident detection and activity tracking.”
The new vessels, which are already under construction in the
Vancouver Island city of Campbell River, will have parts from a number of local
suppliers, including North Vancouver’s Jastram Engineering Ltd., and Osborne
Propellers. Jastram Engineering Ltd. will provide the complete steering gear
and control system, which utilizes Digital Control Amplifier (DCA 100) and
Digital Helm unit (DH 36) technology, providing the new vessels with precise
power steering control that automatically switches over to manual hydraulic
control in the event of a failure.
Osborne Propellers will provide semi-custom designed
propellers specifically modified for heavier leading and trailing edges.
“This is an exciting day for Campbell River,” Peter Xotta,
Port Metro Vancouver’s Vice President of Planning & Operations, said. “I
grew up here and it’s great to see a local company building these vessels for
Port Metro Vancouver.”
The new vessels are also expected to be powered by engines
with advanced combustion systems, including the capability to run bio-diesel, to
minimize particulate and greenhouse gas emissions, according Daigle.
The port says the two patrol vessels are expected to enter
service in May of this year.
