Kopit Hopson 1752 makes a move

 The CCGS Kopit Hopson 1752 made a move today (December 28), but it was not without assistance - nor was it very far.

The buoy tender / light icebreaker was built by Marine Industries Ltd in Sorel, QC in 1981. A Vessel Life Extension project was awarded to Irving Shipbuilding Inc (ISI) in March 2020, with the work to carried out at the Shelburne Marine Shipyard. When ISI sold the Shelburne yard the ship was towed to Halifax in March 2022 and tied up at the Bedford Institute. Reports at the time indicated that the refit was nearly complete, but it was not until December 2022 that the ship carried out sea trials and was handed over to the Canadian Coast Guard. 

The ship conducted more trials in April 2023 but until today it has not moved from its berth. Even this move was conducted by RCN tugs Glenside, Granville and Merrickville as a "cold move" and only to an adjacent berth at BIO (the one recently vacated by the Alfred Needler).

 It appears that the CCG's resources in the Nova Scotia / New Brunswick region may be stretched a bit thin, as the research trawler Teleost (which was due for retirement), and which is based in Newfoundland, has been pressed into Search and Rescue Patrol duties in Nova Scotia. Certainly having the Kopit Hopson in service during buoy removal / winter replacement season would be helpful. Since all CCG ships are multi-tasked, it would also be available for SAR petrol during the busy southwest Nova Scotia lobster season.

As for the other Halifax based CCG ships, the CCGS Sir William Alexander and CCGS Jean Goodwill are currently assigned to SAR patrol and Navaids work in Nova Scotia while CCGS Earl Grey is doing buoy work in Prince Edward Island.

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