St. John’s Dockyard receives contract to extend life of CCGS Leonard J. Cowley

The Government of Canada has contracted Newdock St. John’s Dockyard Limited to carry out vessel life extension (VLE) and refit work for the Canadian Coast Guard ship CCGS Leonard J. Cowley.

Under the $8.5m VLE contract, the company will perform extensive repairs and upgrades throughout the vessel, such as repairs to the hull, upgrades to the main engine, as well as to the auxiliary generator controls.

Additionally, the company will replace the lift that takes the Fast Rescue Crafts out of the water during operations.

Canadian Public Works and Government Services Minister Diane Finley added: "This contract for vessel life extension and refit work is another example of how our Government is ensuring that the Canadian Coast Guard has the equipment needed to do the work we ask of them, while supporting jobs and economic growth. Through our National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy, we are revitalising the shipbuilding industry across Canada."

Work under the contract will be carried out during the non-operational period of the vessel, scheduled to start this month and will run up to October this year.

The contract is part of the $360m investment announced in February 2013 to extend the life of the Coast Guard fleet.

Under the Economic Action Plan 2012, the Canadian Government aims to extend the service life of 16 Coast Guard vessels and complete mid-life modernisations on an additional two existing hovercraft over the next 10 years.

The 30-year old CCGS Leonard J. Cowley is an offshore patrol vessel homeported in St. John’s, Newfoundland and is used primarily for fisheries enforcement and search and rescue services.

In 2009, Cowley conducted a rescue mission involving a 22-person crew of the Spanish fishing vessel FV Monte Galineiro, which was on fire and sinking off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador.