RESEARCH/SURVEY - Seaspan delivers again for Canadian science; new RCRVs take shape at Gulf Island
Professional Mariner|Annual American Ship Review 2021
The promise of new orders and a couple of prominent deliveries — led by the latest addition to Canada’s oceangoing fleet — kept North American shipbuilders engaged in the research and survey sector during the past year.
Rich Miller
RESEARCH/SURVEY - Seaspan delivers again for Canadian science; new RCRVs take shape at Gulf Island

In the wake of the pioneering CCGS Sir John Franklin, Seaspan Shipyards delivered Canada’s second offshore fisheries science vessel (OFSV) in November under the National Shipbuilding Strategy. CCGS Capt. Jacques Cartier, named for the 16th-century French explorer, now serves the Canadian Coast Guard from its port in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.

The 208-foot ship, designed in collaboration with Vard Marine, will be the primary offshore platform for Fisheries and Oceans Canada to study marine ecosystems and the impacts of climate change. Capt. Jacques Cartier also will support search and rescue operations and environmental response when needed.

At the heart of the diesel-electric propulsion system are three Caterpillar 3512C HD main engines coupled to a generator providing 1,550 ekW. The ship also is equipped with a Wartsila bow thruster. To get to the research site and stay on task once there, the OFSV has a cruising range of 6,400 nautical miles and 13 berths for crew and officers. Its cruising speed is 8 knots, with a top speed of 12.5 knots.

Like its sibling, Capt. Jacques Cartier is outfitted with advanced trawls, wet and dry labs and a deployable Selmar drop keel loaded with an array of sensors to support the ship’s endeavors. The deck cranes are from TTS, hydraulics from Hawboldt and a ballast water treatment system from Hyde. Navigation and communications equipment includes two Raytheon NautoScan radar units and a Simrad FS70 trawl sonar.

This story is from the Annual American Ship Review 2021 edition of Professional Mariner.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the Annual American Ship Review 2021 edition of Professional Mariner.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM PROFESSIONAL MARINERView All
Mariner's role still unknown as autonomous shipping gains speed
Professional Mariner

Mariner's role still unknown as autonomous shipping gains speed

Mariners’ role still unknown as autonomous shipping gains speed

time-read
6 mins  |
December - January2021
Piracy edges closer to home with wave of raids in southern Gulf
Professional Mariner

Piracy edges closer to home with wave of raids in southern Gulf

In the brief cellphone video recorded by a crewmember on the offshore supply vessel (OSV) Remas, the pirates walk back and forth on the deck of the ship, clenching their guns and using them to point as they order around the crew. Their faces are draped in clothing and bandanas.

time-read
4 mins  |
December - January2021
Casualties
Professional Mariner

Casualties

NTSB: Dredge hit Texas gas pipeline, causing fire that killed four

time-read
4 mins  |
December - January2021
IMO emissions report raises new concerns about methane slip
Professional Mariner

IMO emissions report raises new concerns about methane slip

A recent report from the International Maritime Organization (IMO) reveals that global shipping emissions increased nearly 10 percent from 2012 to 2018, with the industry facing a growing challenge concerning methane slip.

time-read
3 mins  |
December - January2021
Bay State brothers find industry niche by making old into new
Professional Mariner

Bay State brothers find industry niche by making old into new

Zero non-conformities is what you want to hear when the U.S. Coast Guard inspects your tugboat. Once you’ve prepared your vessel, the inspectors come aboard to peruse your paperwork. They ask you pointed questions, to which they expect straightforward answers. Perusal completed, they then scrutinize all of the related safety systems, from bilge to antennas — even the ship’s bell.

time-read
5 mins  |
December - January2021
Signals
Professional Mariner

Signals

A year into the pandemic, thousands ‘essentially indentured’ on ships

time-read
3 mins  |
December - January2021
Analysis points to faulty loading, low ballast in Golden Ray rollover
Professional Mariner

Analysis points to faulty loading, low ballast in Golden Ray rollover

While the salvage of the sunken vehicle carrier Golden Ray has been delayed for months due to COVID-19 and the hurricane season, analysis by the U.S. Coast Guard has determined a possible cause for the rollover: a combination of vehicles placed too high on the ship’s decks, and not enough ballast water gave the placement of the cargo.

time-read
2 mins  |
December - January2021
Seastreak newcomer pushing through dip in demand
Professional Mariner

Seastreak newcomer pushing through dip in demand

Two years ago, Seastreak LLC took delivery of Seastreak Commodore, a 600-passenger fast ferry, from Gulf Craft of Franklin, La. Designed by Australia-based Incat Crowther, the vessel is the largest of its kind in the United States and was built to meet the burgeoning demand for service in the New York-New Jersey market.

time-read
2 mins  |
December - January2021
New year in a new world: Navigating COVID's maritime realities
Professional Mariner

New year in a new world: Navigating COVID's maritime realities

In a matter of days, the decorative time balls will drop, “Auld Lang Syne” will fill the air, and ships at anchor will sound their horns as the world welcomes in the new year.

time-read
4 mins  |
December - January2021
Advanced props, rudders provide new efficiencies below the waterline
Professional Mariner

Advanced props, rudders provide new efficiencies below the waterline

It took a decade or two from the invention of the marine propeller in the 19th century for the technology to become widely accepted. Thereafter, adoption has been nearly universal, but progress toward improved efficiencies has come in fits and starts.

time-read
5 mins  |
December - January2021