The Quebec shipyard company Forillon de Gaspé has obtained a contract worth $55.5 million for the construction of the Canadian Coast Guard’s first mid-shore hybrid fisheries research vessel (NSHRH).
The Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, Diane Lebouthillier, was in Gaspé on Friday to announce the news.
The future hybrid ship will run on diesel and electric, with a battery energy storage system, designed to reduce the consumption of fossil fuels, we learned in a press release. It is expected to join the Canadian fleet in 2027.
The award of the contract was carried out within the framework of the National Shipbuilding Strategy and will make it possible to create and maintain up to 90 highly specialized and well-paid jobs in the region, recalled the minister.
The new vessel will help collect the necessary data and information to help guide decision-making regarding sustainable fisheries and healthy ecosystems in the St. Lawrence River and Gulf region, it is also specified.
“Today’s announcement constitutes a major milestone for the maritime history of Gaspésie. The construction of this ship will not only create and maintain highly qualified and well-paid jobs, but will directly and indirectly stimulate the economy of the entire region,” declared the minister.
“Through the construction of the NSHRH, we are at the forefront of the next generation of clean ships, and providing state-of-the-art equipment to our staff who work tirelessly to provide essential services on behalf of all Canadians », added Mario Pelletier, Commissioner of the Canadian Coast Guard.