Kitsilano coast guard base boosts crew for summer, expects new vessel
VANCOUVER — A Vancouver coast guard base reopened by the federal Liberal government will employ more crew members during the busy summer months and get a new search-and-rescue vessel.
Starting this May long weekend, Kitsilano station will have four crews of three working 12-hour shifts. Before the change, the base had two crews of three working eight-hour shifts with 16 hours on call, said Fisheries and Oceans Canada spokesman Dan Bate.
Bate also said that by late summer a new vessel will replace the CCGS Moorhen, an all-weather capable Zodiac Hurricane 1000. The base also has a fast rescue craft and a pollution response vessel, and the coast guard is looking at obtaining a new vessel.
“Canadian Coast Guard is working at acquiring a new search-and-rescue vessel that will meet the needs of Vancouver Harbour and the Greater Vancouver Area,” Bate said in an email. “Three vessels will be assigned to the base at all times.”