Close X
Monday, November 11, 2024
ADVT 
National

Divers Find 20-cm Wide Puncture In Coast Guard Icebreaker Hull That Struck Shoal

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 02 Apr, 2015 01:54 PM

    ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — Divers who examined an icebreaker that struck a rocky shoal off Newfoundland and began taking on water found a 20 centimetre-wide puncture in its hull, the coast guard said Thursday.

    There were plans to use a remote operated vehicle for a closer look at the Ann Harvey to prepare for temporary repairs, said spokeswoman Jan Woodford.

    Capt. Jim Chmiel said the light icebreaker was anchored in a sheltered harbour off Newfoundland's southwest coast near Burgeo after being towed early Thursday by the coast guard ship Louis S. St-Laurent. He said pumps were working to remove water from the propulsion motor room and the after-sewage compartment that had flooded.

    Two cadets were taken off the icebreaker late Wednesday, but the remaining 26 crew members stayed on board. There were no injuries reported.

    Chmiel said it's not yet clear why the ship struck the shoal, but an investigation will begin once repairs are done and the ship is towed back to St. John's.

    The Ann Harvey is a light icebreaker built in Halifax in 1987. The diesel-electric ship can carry 47 people. Its other duties include tending buoys, search and rescue missions, and fisheries enforcement.

    The ship was moving navigation buoys when it hit bottom but it was not considered in danger of sinking.

    Its removal from service during one of the worst ice seasons in decades is not expected to affect passenger ferries "given existing ice conditions," Woodford said.

    "There may be some delays with our harbour breakout schedule," she said of how icebreakers are used to help clear ports where commercial services aren't available.

    Otherwise, the coast guard will move light icebreakers throughout the region as required, Woodford said.

    Conditions have improved in the last couple of weeks since a Marine Atlantic ferry was stuck for more than two days in thick pack ice off Cape Breton. The MV Blue Puttees was about 35 kilometres from port in North Sydney with 40 passengers and commercial freight onboard.

    Marine Atlantic spokesman Darrell Mercer said it's never a good time for the coast guard to lose even a lighter icebreaker.

    "It just adds extra challenges to their decision-making process of where they allocate resources at any particular time," he said in an interview. "There's a lot of ice that's still in the Cabot Strait area. While wind conditions over the past number of days have been favourable, the forecast of course can change at a moment's notice.

    "We'll continue to watch those and keep our fingers crossed that maybe Mother Nature's finally going to give us a break."

    Randy Edmunds, the provincial Liberal critic for Labrador affairs, has repeatedly raised concerns about inadequate coast guard services that leave passengers stranded and store shelves empty.

    "It's unfortunate to lose an icebreaker in a situation where we were pressed for icebreakers to start with," he said in an interview.

    "We've come to depend on the ferries for passenger service as well as freight delivery. And once those vessels can't get there, everyone is compromised."

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Town Relieved After B.C. House Where Allan Schoenborn Killed His 3 Children Torn Down

    Town Relieved After B.C. House Where Allan Schoenborn Killed His 3 Children Torn Down
    Allan Schoenborn stabbed his daughter and smothered his sons at the home in April 2008 and is now at a secured psychiatric facility in Coquitlam, B.C.

    Town Relieved After B.C. House Where Allan Schoenborn Killed His 3 Children Torn Down

    Toronto Transit Officers Caught Punching Men On Video, Toronto Police Start Investigation

    Toronto Transit Officers Caught Punching Men On Video, Toronto Police Start Investigation
    Toronto police are now investigating a violent confrontation between transit enforcement officers and two men which was captured on a video that surfaced online.

    Toronto Transit Officers Caught Punching Men On Video, Toronto Police Start Investigation

    B.C. Grandpa Given Jail Time For Starting Pot Grow-Op To Supplement Pension

    B.C. Grandpa Given Jail Time For Starting Pot Grow-Op To Supplement Pension
    KAMLOOPS, B.C. — A British Columbia grandfather who started a marijuana grow-op to augment his small pension has been sentenced to six months in jail.

    B.C. Grandpa Given Jail Time For Starting Pot Grow-Op To Supplement Pension

    William Shatner Continues To Boldly Go Everywhere He Possibly Can

    William Shatner Continues To Boldly Go Everywhere He Possibly Can
    VANCOUVER — There are a few constants in William Shatner's career: he will always be working, he will always be mocked — not least by himself — and he will always be James T. Kirk, captain of the Starship Enterprise.

    William Shatner Continues To Boldly Go Everywhere He Possibly Can

    Tim Hortons Adds Another Coffee Flavour In Five Canadian Test Markets

    Tim Hortons Adds Another Coffee Flavour In Five Canadian Test Markets
    OAKVILLE, Ont. — Tim Hortons is pouring a new cup of joe starting today as it looks to attract coffee connoisseurs from some of its competitors.

    Tim Hortons Adds Another Coffee Flavour In Five Canadian Test Markets

    Wreckage Of Air Canada Plane Removed From Runway After Crash In Halifax

    Wreckage Of Air Canada Plane Removed From Runway After Crash In Halifax
    HALIFAX — An airport official says the wreckage of an Air Canada plane that crashed in Halifax on Sunday has been removed from the runway.

    Wreckage Of Air Canada Plane Removed From Runway After Crash In Halifax