Report shows the Canadian Coast Guard Fleet is Aging and Some Vessels have Exceeded Intended Lifespans

December 26, 2024 TruthUSA

An audit of the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) has revealed that the agency’s vessels are aging, with some surpassing their expected lifespans. This has led to a maintenance cost of nearly one-third of a billion dollars in the 2022–23 fiscal year.

The audit covered 124 active vessels and was conducted by the evaluation division at Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the CCG between April and November 2023.

According to the auditors, 30 percent of vessels have less than five years left until reaching the end of their service life. Additionally, 27 percent have exceeded their service life by up to 14 years, and 6 percent have extended it by 17 to 36 years across the fleet. They emphasized that as of 2023, the large fleet has reached 82% of its intended service life, while the small fleet has reached 91% on average.

The audit found that the Canadian Coast Guard’s NavAids vessels, multi-tasked vessels, and small science vessels had exceeded their expected lifespans by 156 percent, 101 percent, and 149 percent, respectively. The agency’s mandate includes search and rescue missions, maritime security, and navigation aids.

Patrol vessels and icebreakers were found to be at 72 percent and 83 percent of their usual service life, respectively.

The report highlighted the age, condition, and obsolescence of CCG vessels and infrastructure as significant risks to program delivery. The cost of maintaining the fleet reached $320.5 million in fiscal year 2022–23, with the coast guard losing between 7 percent and 12 percent of planned fleet operations vessel time due to repairs between 2018–19 and 2020–21.

‘Facing Challenges’

Recruitment of new hires was identified as a significant factor affecting the coast guard’s vessel maintenance efforts. The report noted challenges in recruiting and retaining qualified personnel due to a lack of candidates with relevant certifications in the market.

Furthermore, budgetary constraints, spending limits, and organizational structure challenges were cited as additional factors impacting the fleet’s renewal and maintenance efforts. The Canadian ship and boat building sector faced challenges in rebuilding capacity after a decline in domestic demand for ships since 2010, exacerbated by disruptions caused by COVID-19.

National Defence Minister Bill Blair has incorporated Coast Guard repair costs into Canada’s NATO spending targets for military preparedness. Canada has committed to spending a minimum of 2 percent of GDP on defence by 2032.

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