A new oil spill response vessel was launched this week in Prince Rupert. The 26-foot workboat and landing craft was built locally by Broadwater Industries. It is the first of four support vessels that Broadwater will build for Western Canada Marine Response Corp. as part of the Trans Mountain spill response enhancements. In total, WCMRC is adding 40 new vessels as part of the enhancements. Other new vessel builds underway include purpose-built skimming vessels, Coastal Response Vessels, landing craft and response barges.
Workboats are the backbone of a response. These support vessels deliver equipment and personnel to a response, tow boom as part of a sweep system, deploy skimmers and can assist with waste removal. To perform these tasks, the new Sentinel 30 is powered by twin 150 HP counter-rotating Yamaha outboards and can travel at up to 35 knots.
The Sentinel 30 is the first vessel to be delivered as part of the Trans Mountain pipeline spill response enhancement program. The enhancement program includes the creation of six new spill response bases, doubling WCMRC’s fleet to more than 80 vessels, and adding more than 120 personnel to response crews. These dedicated resources will be staged at strategic coastal locations in the Salish Sea, and will be available to the entire marine community.
The Sentinel 30 will undergo spill response trials in Prince Rupert and ultimately be transitioned to the new 24/7 response base in Saanich on Vancouver Island.