An audit of the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) has found that its vessels are aging, with some surpassing their expected lifespans, costing the agency nearly one-third of a billion dollars to maintain them in the 2022–23 fiscal year.
“The CCG fleet is aging as vessels approach and exceed their intended end of service life,” said auditors in a July report, “Evaluation of Fleet Procurement and Maintenance,” released to the public on Dec. 18.
The audit spanned across 124 active vessels. It was conducted by the evaluation division at Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the CCG from April to November 2023.
Across the fleet, 30 percent of vessels have less than five years left until they reach their end of service life, wrote the auditors, as first covered by Blacklock’s Reporter. Twenty-seven percent have exceeded their service life by up to 14 years, and 6 percent have extended it by 17 to 36 years….