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Sidney, B.C. – The Honourable Loyola Hearn, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, announced today the naming and dedication of the new 47-foot multi-task high-speed lifeboat
Canadian Coast Guard Cutter Cape Kuper, at the Institute of Ocean Sciences (IOS) in Sidney, British Columbia.
"The high volume of commercial and recreational vessel traffic in the Pacific region brings hundreds of calls for assistance each year," said Minister Hearn. "Lifeboats like the
Cape Kuper and the talented crews who run them are the foundation of Canada’s search and rescue system."
Canada’s New Government is particularly interested in public safety. Providing Coast Guard with state-of-the art equipment and vessels like the
Cape Kuper ensures Coast Guard crews are ready and capable to respond when danger strikes.
All Canadian Coast Guard 47-foot lifeboats are named after prominent capes located on the coast where they operate. Cape Kuper is located near the northwest tip of Moresby Island, just south of the Skidegate Narrows in the Queen Charlotte Islands.
The naming and dedication of the CCGC Cape Kuper represents the completion one of the largest aluminum boat building projects in Canada. The $60 million project, undertaken by Victoria Shipyards, resulted in 24 cape-class, search and rescue motor lifeboats being built for delivery to the Canadian Coast Guard.
Due to construction efficiencies, completion times were reduced from eight to five weeks per vessel. Because of this, overall completion of the program occurred 14 months ahead of the original projected completion date.
CCGC Cape Kuper, currently positioned at Canadian Coast Guard Station Ganges on Saltspring Island, is the last of eight new Coast Guard cutters to be deployed in the Pacific region. The high standard of build quality ensures the
Cape Kuper will have a long and productive career.
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FOR MORE INFORMATION:
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Dan Bate
Communications Officer
Canadian Coast Guard
(604) 775-8809
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NR-PR-06-23E |
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