GOC Cancels New Vessel Acquisitions
Late on Friday the Canadian Government released a bombshell that the Navy’s project to replace the aging supply ships has been cancelled. Also cancelled is the Coast Guard’s tender to build 12 midshore patrol vessels.
This is fairly staggering news. Millions have been spent in the planning, design and the now aborted acquisition of the ships.
Instead of buying, say one supply vessel and eight CG patrol vessels which would give the organizations at least something new to work with, every scrap of work done has been swept off the table. Shades of the Polar 8.
Both the Navy and CG engineers will have to treat their aging vessels with even more tender loving care, because only God knows when they will be replaced. In the age of the shrinking budgets and raising costs, how long can the old ships be sent to sea safely?
Next question is, if we can’t afford to build a 30m vessel, how the heck are we suppose to build new icebreakers to protect our interest in the Canadian Arctic.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080822.wscuttle22/BNStory/National/home
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That is quite a bombshell, and like it seems to be getting customary fro government, a late Friday release of the news so as to dampen response. But one as to shrug, is this really that surprising, very sad, in a in car crash kinda of way, but really not surprising.
I have no idea where these people learned to make decisions. I would love to see how long the government workers making these decision have been driving the same car? If so, have they realised the cost of operating an old one. I was skeptical about those grandiose plans for the Arctic to begin with, but had hopes for the “conservatives”, but obviously they are just as full of it as the “liberal”. And to cancel the re-supply ships, wow, those things should be in a museum.
I cant wait to hear the official excuses this time.
I can’t even imagine how much Shipbuilding Contractors have spent on trying to meet the design requirements. Instead of a design being developed by GOC and put out for tender, Contractors were to do all of that, then bid.
What a fiasco. If the Navy and CG have a scrap of credibility left in the industry, I will be amazed.
Meanwhile, the engineers are expected to keep the old girls running. Maybe some of those political mandarans need to make a trip in an engineroom. They obviously have no clue in what it takes in keeping the ships running.
I really had to post this, from the CBC story comments:
“You would think the CONS are running a bordello because Friday night seems to be there busiest.”
Thank you moi123!
Freaking hilarious!