The CCGS Hudson is one move closer to the end of the line, as a contract has been awarded for its demolition. The sixty year old ocean sciences vessel was retired earlier this year, even though it was hoped to keep the ship going until its replacement could be built (see more on that below).
Denuded of its lifeboats and other re-useable equipment, the Hudson sits forlornly at the Bedford Institute of Oceanography dock.
Built in 1963 the still handsome ship has a legendary history, too long to recount here (see Wikipedia's entry: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CCGS_Hudson for more detail.)
The demolition contract has been awarded to the sole bidder R.G.MacIsaac Construction Ltd of Antigonish, NS for an amount variously reported at $1,656,970.00 (MoT) or $1,637,756.17 (press report.) The MacIsaac company previously scrapped the HMCS Protecteur, Algonquin and Iroquois at the Port Mersey Commercial Park in Brooklyn, NS (the former Bowater Mersey Paper mill site in Liverpool, NS harbour.)
The ship will no doubt be towed to whatever demolition site, and a full report will appear here when that happens.
On November 25 the Minister of Fisheries + Oceans and others conducted a keel laying ceremony at the Seaspan shipyard in Vancouver for the Hudson's replacement.The ship may be delivered in 2025 according to the current schedule. Previously budgeted (in 2021) at $453.8 mn, the price tag now stands at $966.5 mn. In 2019 the government and shipyard agreed to "re-sequence" construction of the ship. It will therefore be built between construction of the RCN's two new Joint Support Ships.
Will the new ship look as good as this?
.
No comments:
Post a Comment