Dartmouth, Nova Scotia - Following an illustrious 59 years of service supporting ocean science work in Canada and around the world, the CCGS Hudson is taking its final voyage and is set for deconstruction and environmentally-responsible disposal.
On November 28, 2022, after an open competitive process, Public Services and Procurement Canada, on behalf of the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG), awarded the contract for the vessel's deconstruction to Antigonish-based marine contracting company R.J. MacIsaac Construction Ltd (RJMI). The cost for this environmentally-responsible disposal contract is $1.6 million.
In the coming weeks, the Canadian Coast Guard will sign over the care and custody of the decommissioned vessel to RJMI. The vessel will then be towed from the Bedford Institute of Oceanography in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia to a temporary storage site in Halifax Harbour for a few months.
In Spring 2023, RJMI will tow the vessel to their Sheet Harbour facility where the hazardous material remediation and disposal process will be performed. By Fall 2023, the vessel will be removed from water and the hull and superstructure will be disassembled. The overall project is expected to be completed by the end of Fall 2023.
RJMI will ensure that any steel, stainless steel, aluminum, or other recyclable materials onboard the vessel are recycled while non-recyclable materials are disposed of in an environmentally-responsible manner, in compliance with federal, provincial, and municipal regulations. As well, the contractor will salvage and return the CCGS Hudson's hull transducers and propellers to the CCG.
