Kanter Marine of St. Thomas, Ontario, has secured a contract to build seven new survey vessels for the Canadian Hydrographic Service.
The contract was awarded through a procurement process, and the winning bid was announced by Hunter Tootoo, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard.
As Canadian government informed, the $5.3 million will be invested into the vessels and they will be outfitted with permanent multibeam sonar systems.
Kanter Marine is expected to begin the construction of the vessels immediately, with the delivery of all vessels to be completed by March 2017.
Fisheries and Oceans Canada expects to receive the first vessel by October 2016.
The Honourable Hunter Tootoo , Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard said: “These new hydrographic survey vessels are critical investments, which will improve marine safety and allow us to deepen our scientific knowledge of our oceans and waterways. This innovative technology will help us to deliver on the Government of Canada’s commitment to protect our marine environment and manage our fisheries in a sustainable way.”
The new survey vessels will be located in Mont Joli, Quebec; Dartmouth, Nova Scotia; Burlington, Ontario; and St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador.